Overexpression of microRNA gga-miR-1650 decreases the replication of avian leukosis virus subgroup J in infected cells

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small regulatory non-coding RNAs that modulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, playing a crucial role in cell differentiation and development. Recently, some reports have demonstrated that a number of cellular miRNAs play a role during viral infection. In this study, a luciferase-reporter system carrying the 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) and 3′ UTR of avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) was used to determine whether cellular miRNAs are involved in ALV-J infection. The miRNA gga-miR-1650 was screened for its potential interaction with the 5′ UTR of ALV-J and the ability to suppress luciferase-reporter activity. A mutational analysis of predicted gga-miR-1650-binding sites showed that the 5′ and 3′ ends of gga-miR-1650 contributed to the interaction between gga-miR-1650 and its target located at the 5′ UTR. Overexpression of miRNA gga-miR-1650 was shown to downregulate the expression of the Gag protein and influence the replication of ALV-J through binding to the 5′ UTR. Overall, this report provides the basis for the development of new strategies for anti-ALV-J intervention.