Silencing of neurotropic flavivirus replication in the central nervous system by combining multiple microRNA target insertions in two distinct viral genome regions

Abstract

In recent years, microRNA-targeting has become an effective strategy for selective control of tissue-tropism and pathogenesis of both DNA and RNA viruses. Here, using a neurotropic flavivirus as a model, we demonstrate that simultaneous miRNA targeting of the viral genome in the open reading frame and 3′-noncoding regions for brain-expressed miRNAs had an additive effect and produced a more potent attenuation of the virus compared to separate targeting of those regions. Multiple miRNA co-targeting of these two distantly located regions completely abolished the virus neurotropism as no viral replication was detected in the developing brain of neonatal mice. Furthermore, no viral antigens were detected in neurons, and neuronal integrity in the brain of mice was well preserved. This miRNA co-targeting approach can be adapted for other viruses in order to minimize their replication in a cell- or tissue-type specific manner, but most importantly, to prevent virus escape from miRNA-mediated silencing.