LncRNA MEG3 ameliorates respiratory syncytial virus infection by suppressing TLR4 signaling

Abstract

Maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3), a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) has been dysregulated in various tumors. However, the expression level and functional role of MEG3 in the progression of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection remains to be elucidated. The present study quantified the expression level of MEG3 in the nasopharyngeal (NPA) samples of RSV‑infected patients and in BEAS‑2B cells infected with RSV. The findings of the present study demonstrated that the expression level of lncRNA MEG3 was reduced in the NPA samples of RSV‑infected patients and in BEAS‑2B cells infected with RSV. In vitro transfection revealed increased mRNA expression levels of toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4), tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)‑8 following RSV infection in BEAS‑2B cells. Additionally, ectopic expression of MEG3 reduced the expression level of TLR4, subsequently suppressing the mRNA expression levels of TNFα and IL‑8, indicating the protective role of MEG3 in the process of RSV infection. It is of note, that RSV infection‑induced p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) activation was partly abolished by overexpression of MEG3. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, the present study provided the first evidence that lncRNA MEG3 expression level was reduced in the NPA samples of patients with RSV infection and RSV‑infected cells. Additionally, it was demonstrated that MEG3 protected human airway epithelial cells from RSV infection, primarily by suppressing TLR4‑dependent p38 MAPK and NF‑κB signaling.

The Role of Toll-like receptor 4 in respiratory syncytial virus replication, interferon lambda 1 induction, and chemokine responses

“…Our data from both immortalised cell lines and WD-PBECs indicated that TLR4 is implicated in RSV infection and/or replication. This is consistent with a recent report demonstrating a protective role of MEG3, a long noncoding RNA, against RSV infection, which most likely acts through the inhibition of the TLR4 signalling pathway(22).…”

MiR-519d targets HER3 and can be used as a potential serum biomarker for non-small cell lung cancer

“…Total proteins were extracted using a total protein extraction kit (Beijing Solarbio Science and Technology Co., Ltd.), and protein concentration was determined by the BCA protein assay kit (Pierce; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.). Western blotting was performed as previously described [32]. The antibodies used were as follows: phosphatidylinositol-4,…”

RNA-Seq Revealed a Circular RNA-microRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network in Hantaan Virus Infection

“…As much as 80% of the host genome is transcribed to nontranslated RNA, which underscore the potential importance of host non-coding RNA (ncRNA) in the host-virus interaction. Accumulating evidence shows that host ncRNAs play key regulatory roles during viral replication and infection (Lamontagne et al, 2015;Ding et al, 2016;Landeras-Bueno and Ortin, 2016;Liu and Ding, 2017;Trobaugh and Klimstra, 2017;Tao et al, 2018). To date, few studies have been published about the functions of ncRNAs in HTNV infection.…”