MicroRNA Interactions in Insect Virus Dynamics
Summary
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs of roughly 22 nucleotides that modulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In insect–virus systems, both host-derived and virus-encoded miRNAs orchestrate a dynamic regulatory network that influences viral replication, host immune defences and pathogenic outcomes. Host miRNAs can restrict viral proliferation by targeting viral transcripts or by fine-tuning innate immune pathways, whereas viral miRNAs subvert host gene expression to facilitate evasion of antiviral responses and optimise conditions for progeny production. This bidirectional interplay shapes viral pathogenicity, persistence and transmission from insect vectors to plants or vertebrate hosts. Advances in high-throughput sequencing and functional assays have revealed altered miRNA expression profiles in key insect vectors and lepidopteran models following infection, uncovering signatures linked to antiviral immunity, hormone regulation and metabolic homeostasis. Understanding the specificity of miRNA–mRNA interactions in these contexts provides new avenues for vector control, biopesticide development and the mitigation of arbovirus-borne diseases.
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MicroRNA Interactions in Insect Virus Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in microrna interactions in insect virus dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
MicroRNA (miRNA): A small non-coding RNA that guides sequence-specific repression of target mRNAs.
RNA interference (RNAi): A cellular pathway in which small RNAs induce degradation or translational inhibition of complementary transcripts.
RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex): A multiprotein effector assembly that incorporates miRNAs to mediate target recognition and silencing.
Biogenesis: The multistep cellular processes by which primary miRNA transcripts are processed into mature, functional miRNAs.
Arbovirus: A virus transmitted by arthropod vectors, often cycling between insect and vertebrate hosts.
Nucleopolyhedrovirus: A genus of baculoviruses notable for forming occlusion bodies and infecting lepidopteran larvae.
References
- A Comprehensive Study of MicroRNA in Baculoviruses. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
- The microRNA pathway activation in insect cell model upon Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus infection. Biocell (2023).
- miRNAs in Insects Infected by Animal and Plant Viruses. Viruses (2018).
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