病毒siRNA介导的RNA干扰途径与机制

Pathways and mechanisms of RNA interference mediated by viral siRNA

摘要:

RNA干扰 (RNAi) 是真核生物体内重要的基因表达调控方式之一。RNAi的一种原始的作用是帮助生物体抵抗病毒，早期的研究表明无脊椎动物可以利用RNAi抵抗病毒，但是哺乳动物是否存在这一机制一直存在争议。最新的研究发现了哺乳动物RNAi抗病毒的强有力的证据，并且研究人员认为，这是一种之前被忽视的、全新的免疫途径。值得注意的是，病毒也可以利用RNAi加强其在动物细胞中的感染和免疫逃逸。文中总体介绍了动物细胞抗病毒RNAi免疫的研究历程，综述了这一领域的主要发现，最后提出了关于这一领域尚未解决的疑问，探讨了这一途径与其他天然免疫机制的联系。病毒介导的动物细胞RNAi途径不仅是基础的生物学问题，而且对于抗病毒药物的开发有重要指导意义。

Abstract:

RNA interference (RNAi) is one of the important mechanisms to regulate gene expression in eukaryotes. One of the original functions of RNAi is to facilitate the antiviral strategy of host. Early studies reveal that invertebrates can use RNAi to resist viruses. However, if this mechanism exists in mammals is still controversial. The latest studies confirm that mammals do have the RNAi-based immunity, and researchers believe that RNAi-based antiviral immunity is a brand-new immunological mechanism that was neglected in the past. It is worthy to note that virus can also use RNAi to enhance its infectivity and immune escape in host cells. This review introduces the research history of RNAi-based antiviral immunity in animals and summarizes the main findings in this field. Last but not least, we indicate a series of unresolved questions about RNAi-based antiviral immunity, and explore the relationship between RNAi-based antiviral immunity and other innate immunological pathways. The virus-mediated RNAi pathway in animal is not only an interesting basic biology question, but also has important guiding roles in the development of antiviral drugs.