Infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has generated a public health crisis worldwide. The molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and virus–host interactions are still unclear. In this study, we identified four unique microRNA-like small RNAs encoded by SARS-CoV-2. SCV2-miR-ORF1ab-1-3p and SCV2-miR-ORF1ab-2-5p play an important role in evasion of type I interferon response through targeting several genes in type I interferon signaling pathway. Particularly worth mentioning is that highly expressed SCV2-miR-ORF1ab-2-5p inhibits some key genes in the host innate immune response, such as IRF7, IRF9, STAT2, OAS1, and OAS2. SCV2-miR-ORF1ab-2-5p has also been found to mediate allelic differential expression of COVID-19-susceptible gene OAS1. In conclusion, these results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 uses its miRNAs to evade the type I interferon response and links the functional viral sequence to the susceptible genetic background of the host.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, innate immune response, microRNA (miRNA), type I interferon pathway, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, coronavirus, OAS1, SARS-COV-2 infection, miRNA, public health crisis, molecular mechanism, type I interferon, Spread, small RNA, signaling pathway, OAS2, IRF7, IRF9, acute respiratory syndrome, differential expression, STAT2, sequence, genetic background, Host, susceptible, inhibit, functional, unique, expressed, several gene, allelic, evade, virus–host interaction, 【제목키워드】 Type,