Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) controls gene expression to transform human B cells and maintain viral latency. High‐throughput sequencing and crosslinking immunoprecipitation (HITS‐CLIP) identified mRNA targets of 44 EBV and 310 human microRNAs (miRNAs) in Jijoye (Latency III) EBV‐transformed B cells. While 25% of total cellular miRNAs are viral, only three viral mRNAs, all latent transcripts, are targeted. Thus, miRNAs do not control the latent/lytic switch by targeting EBV lytic genes. Unexpectedly, 90% of the 1664 human 3′‐untranslated regions targeted by the 12 most abundant EBV miRNAs are also targeted by human miRNAs via distinct binding sites. Half of these are targets of the oncogenic miR‐17∼92 miRNA cluster and associated families, including mRNAs that regulate transcription, apoptosis, Wnt signalling, and the cell cycle. Reporter assays confirmed the functionality of several EBV and miR‐17 family miRNA‐binding sites in EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), EBV BHRF1, and host CAPRIN2 mRNAs. Our extensive list of EBV and human miRNA targets implicates miRNAs in the control of EBV latency and illuminates viral miRNA function in general.

SUMMARY In marmoset T cells transformed by Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), a viral U-rich noncoding RNA, HSUR 1, specifically mediates degradation of host microRNA-27 (miR-27). High-throughput sequencing of RNA after crosslinking immunoprecipitation (HITS-CLIP) identified mRNAs targeted by miR-27 as enriched in the T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway, including GRB2. Accordingly, transfection of miR-27 into human T cells attenuates TCR-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and induction of CD69. MiR-27 also robustly regulates SEMA7A and IFN-γ, key modulators and effectors of T-cell function. Knockdown or ectopic expression of HSUR 1 alters levels of these proteins in virally-transformed cells. Two other T-lymphotropic γ-herpesviruses, AlHV-1 and OvHV-2, do not produce a noncoding RNA to downregulate miR-27, but instead encode homologs of miR-27 target genes. Thus, oncogenic γ-herpesviruses have evolved diverse strategies to converge on common targets in host T cells.

MicroRNA (miRNA) target identification is a challenging but important endeavor. Global analyses of the direct mRNA targets of miRNAs have relied heavily upon immunopurification techniques, wherein a core protein component of the miRNA-protein complex, Argonaute (Ago), is immunoprecipitated to isolate associated RNAs. This approach involves the assumption that the selected RNAs were bound to the Ago protein in vivo and that the methodology did not significantly perturb endogenous interactions or produce novel interaction artifacts. To test whether RNAs that coimmunoprecipitate with human Ago were bound in vivo or could associate post-cell lysis, we used an experimental approach that distinguishes between these two origins of interaction. We show that a transfected miRNA mimic, but not a plasmid-expressed miRNA, can interact with human Ago proteins post-lysis. Our results have important implications for the design of miRNP immunoprecipitation experiments.

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is typically considered to be a sequence-specific DNA-binding transcription factor. However, reports over the last 15 years have described RNA binding by p53 in a variety of contexts, suggesting the possibility of new p53 functions. It is clear that p53-RNA interactions are mediated by a nucleic acid-binding domain of p53 independent of the sequence-specific core domain responsible for DNA recognition. Reports disagree on several aspects of the putative RNA interaction, including sequence specificity and biological relevance. Here we review the history and recent advances in the study of p53-RNA interactions. We argue that p53-RNA interactions are sequence nonspecific and depend on incomplete posttranslational modification of the p53 C-terminal domain when the protein is expressed in heterologous systems. It is unknown what fraction of p53 protein exists in a state competent for RNA binding in vivo. Thus, potential physiological roles of p53-RNA interactions remain mysterious.

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Rhesus lymphocryptovirus (rLCV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are closely related gammaherpesviruses that infect and cause disease in rhesus monkeys and humans, respectively. Thus, rLCV is an important model system for EBV pathogenesis. Both rLCV and EBV express microRNAs (miRNAs), several conserved in sequence and genomic location. We have applied deep sequencing technology to obtain an inventory of rLCV miRNA expression in latently rLCV-infected monkey B cells. Our data confirm the presence of all previously identified mature rLCV miRNAs and have resulted in the discovery of 21 new mature miRNAs arising from previously identified precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs), as well as two novel pre-miRNAs (rL1-34 and rL1-35) that together generate four new mature miRNAs. Thus, the total number of rLCV-encoded pre-miRNAs is 35 and the total number of rLCV mature miRNAs is 68, the most of any virus examined. The exact 5 and 3 ends of all mature rLCV miRNAs were pinpointed, many showing marked sequence and length heterogeneity that could modulate function. We further demonstrate that rLCV mature miRNAs associate with Argonaute proteins in rLCV-infected B cells. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a gammaherpesvirus that produces self-limiting disease or asymptomatic infection in Ͼ90%of the human population and can trigger specific malignancies including Burkitt's and other lymphomas, nasopharyngeal and gastric carcinomas, and a variety of tumors in immunocompromised patients (55). The full extent of EBV's contribution to cancer is unknown, despite known viral interference with cell cycle regulation and apoptosis (29). EBV establishes life-long infection as a double-stranded DNA episome, persisting latently in a human B-cell subpopulation from which the virus periodically reactivates (55). Therefore, the interplay between EBV and the host immune system is key to EBV pathogenesis and associated malignancies.Animal models play a crucial role in the study of host-virus interactions. Tissue culture models of EBV have been important for the study of many aspects of the virus, but such experiments cannot be used to explore why only certain infected individuals develop malignancies and how the host immune system factors into the viral life cycle. EBV belongs to the lymphocryptovirus subgroup, which includes rhesus lymphocryptovirus (rLCV), a remarkably conserved virus that is evolutionarily separated from EBV by Ͼ13 million years (12, 49). rLCV infects Old World nonhuman primates, its natural host being the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) (46). In addition to extensive genomic sequence conservation, homologous genes are expressed by rLCV and EBV during both latent and lytic infections (49; reviewed in reference 61). Additionally, major characteristics of EBV biology are shared by rLCV, including the high rate of adult infection, persistent latent infection in the peripheral blood and oropharynx, and most importantly, the potential for rLCV-induced malignancies in hosts (36,46,48). Infection of rhesus monkeys by rLCV has therefore become a key a...

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is a homotetrameric transcription factor whose gene is mutated in nearly half of all human cancers. In an unrelated screen of RNA/protein interactions using the yeast three-hybrid system, we inadvertently detected p53 interactions with several different RNAs. A literature review revealed previous reports of both sequence-specific and -nonspecific interactions between p53 and RNA. Using yeast three-hybrid selections to identify preferred RNA partners for p53, we failed to identify primary RNA sequences or obvious secondary structures required for p53 binding. The cationic p53 C-terminus was shown to be required for RNA binding in yeast. We show that while p53 strongly discriminates between certain RNAs in the yeast three-hybrid assay, the same RNAs are bound equally by p53 in vitro. We further show that the p53 RNA-binding preferences in yeast are mirrored almost exactly by a recombinant tetrameric form of the HIV-1 nucleocapsid (NC) protein thought to be a sequence-nonspecific RNA-binding protein. However, the possibility of specific RNA binding by p53 could not be ruled out because p53 and HIV-1 NC displayed certain differences in RNA-binding preference. We conclude that (1) p53 binds RNA in vivo, (2) RNA binding by p53 is largely sequence-nonspecific in the yeast nucleus, (3) some structure-specific RNA binding by p53 cannot be ruled out, and (4) caution is required when interpreting results of RNA screens in the yeast threehybrid system because sequence-dependent differences in RNA folding and display can masquerade as sequence-dependent differences in protein recognition.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus that transforms B cells and causes several malignancies including Burkitt’s lymphoma. EBV differentially expresses at least 49 mature microRNAs (miRNAs) during latency in various infected epithelial and B cells. Recent high-throughput studies and functional assays have begun to reveal the function of the EBV miRNAs suggesting roles in latency, cell cycle control, and apoptosis. In particular, the central executioner of apoptosis, Caspase 3 (CASP3), was proposed as a target of select EBV miRNAs. However, whether CASP3 is truly a target of EBV miRNAs, and if so, which specific miRNAs target CASP3 is still under debate. Based on previously published high-throughput biochemical data and a bioinformatic analysis of the entire CASP3 3′-UTR, we identified 12 EBV miRNAs that have one or more seed binding sites in the CASP3 3′-UTR. We individually tested all 12 miRNAs for repression of CASP3 in luciferase reporter assays, and nine showed statistically significant (P < 0.001) repression of a full-length CASP3 reporter. Further, three EBV miRNAs, including BART22, exhibited repression of endogenous CASP3 protein. These data confirm that CASP3 is a direct target of specific EBV BART miRNAs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12985-016-0602-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.