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Zhu X, Wang L, Gong L, Zhai Y, Wang R, Jin J, Lu W, Zhao X, Liao Y, Zhang G, Zhuang G, Sun A. LORF9 of Marek's disease virus is involved in the early cytolytic replication of B lymphocytes and can act as a target for gene deletion vaccine development. J Virol 2023; 97:e0157423. [PMID: 38014947 PMCID: PMC10734499 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01574-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a highly infectious and oncogenic virus that can induce severe T cell lymphomas in chickens. MDV encodes more than 100 genes, most of which have unknown functions. This work indicated that the LORF9 gene is necessary for MDV early cytolytic replication in B lymphocytes. In addition, we have found that the LORF9 deletion mutant has a comparative immunological protective effect with CVI988/Rispens vaccine strain against very virulent MDV challenge. This is a significant discovery that LORF9 can be exploited as a possible target for the development of an MDV gene deletion vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Lele Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Lele Gong
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yunyun Zhai
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Rui Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jiaxin Jin
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wenlong Lu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xuyang Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yifei Liao
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gaiping Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- Longhu Laboratory of Advanced Immunology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Guoqing Zhuang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Aijun Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
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Teng M, Zhu ZJ, Yao Y, Nair V, Zhang GP, Luo J. Critical roles of non-coding RNAs in lifecycle and biology of Marek's disease herpesvirus. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2023; 66:251-268. [PMID: 36617590 PMCID: PMC9838510 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2258-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Over the past two decades, numerous non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been identified in different biological systems including virology, especially in large DNA viruses such as herpesviruses. As a representative oncogenic alphaherpesvirus, Marek's disease virus (MDV) causes an important immunosuppressive and rapid-onset neoplastic disease of poultry, namely Marek's disease (MD). Vaccinations can efficiently prevent the onset of MD lymphomas and other clinical disease, often heralded as the first successful example of vaccination-based control of cancer. MDV infection is also an excellent model for research into virally-induced tumorigenesis. Recently, great progress has been made in understanding the functions of ncRNAs in MD biology. Herein, we give a review of the discovery and identification of MDV-encoded viral miRNAs, focusing on the genomics, expression profiles, and emerging critical roles of MDV-1 miRNAs as oncogenic miRNAs (oncomiRs) or tumor suppressor genes involved in the induction of MD lymphomas. We also described the involvements of host cellular miRNAs, lincRNAs, and circRNAs participating in MDV life cycle, pathogenesis, and/or tumorigenesis. The prospects, strategies, and new techniques such as the CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing applicable for further investigation into the ncRNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms in MDV pathogenesis/oncogenesis were also discussed, together with the possibilities of future studies on antiviral therapy and the development of new efficient MD vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Teng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Zhi-Jian Zhu
- School of Biological and Food Processing Engineering, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian, 463000, China
| | - Yongxiu Yao
- The Pirbright Institute & UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Pirbright, Ash Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
| | - Venugopal Nair
- The Pirbright Institute & UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Pirbright, Ash Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
| | - Gai-Ping Zhang
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology & College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Jun Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
- Key Laboratory of Animal Disease and Public Safety, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China.
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Zhuang G, Zhao X, Jin J, Zhu X, Wang R, Zhai Y, Lu W, Liao Y, Teng M, Yao Y, Nair V, Yao W, Sun A, Luo J, Zhang G. Infection phase-dependent dynamics of the viral and host N6-methyladenosine epitranscriptome in the lifecycle of an oncogenic virus in vivo. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28324. [PMID: 36401345 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Dynamic alteration of the epitranscriptome exerts regulatory effects on the lifecycle of oncogenic viruses in vitro. However, little is known about these effects in vivo because of the general lack of suitable animal infection models of these viruses. Using a model of rapid-onset Marek's disease lymphoma in chickens, we investigated changes in viral and host messenger RNA (mRNA) N6-methyladenosine (m6 A) modification during Marek's disease virus (MDV) infection in vivo. We found that the expression of major epitranscriptomic proteins varies among viral infection phases, reprogramming both the viral and the host epitranscriptomes. Specifically, the methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3)/14 complex was suppressed during the lytic and reactivation phases of the MDV lifecycle, whereas its expression was increased during the latent phase and in MDV-induced tumors. METTL3/14 overexpression inhibits, whereas METTL3/14 knockdown enhances, MDV gene expression and replication. These findings reveal the dynamic features of the mRNA m6 A modification program during viral replication in vivo, especially in relation to key pathways involved in tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqing Zhuang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xuyang Zhao
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jiaxin Jin
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yunyun Zhai
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Wenlong Lu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yifei Liao
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Man Teng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yongxiu Yao
- Viral Oncogenesis Group & UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, The Pirbright Institute, Surrey, UK
| | - Venugopal Nair
- Viral Oncogenesis Group & UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, The Pirbright Institute, Surrey, UK
| | - Wen Yao
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, College of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Aijun Sun
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jun Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Gaiping Zhang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.,Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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Sun A, Zhao X, Zhu X, Kong Z, Liao Y, Teng M, Yao Y, Luo J, Nair V, Zhuang G, Zhang G. Fully Attenuated meq and pp38 Double Gene Deletion Mutant Virus Confers Superior Immunological Protection against Highly Virulent Marek's Disease Virus Infection. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0287122. [PMID: 36350141 PMCID: PMC9769808 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02871-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease virus (MDV) induces immunosuppression and neoplastic disease in chickens. The virus is controllable via an attenuated meq deletion mutant virus, which has the disadvantage of retaining the ability to induce lymphoid organ atrophy. To overcome this deficiency and produce more vaccine candidates, a recombinant MDV was generated from the highly virulent Md5BAC strain, in which both meq and a cytolytic replication-related gene, pp38, were deleted. Replication of the double deletion virus, Md5BAC ΔmeqΔpp38, was comparable with that of the parental virus in vitro. The double deletion virus was shown to be fully attenuated and to reduce lymphoid organ atrophy in vivo. Crucially, Md5BAC ΔmeqΔpp38 confers superior protection against highly virulent virus compared with a commercial vaccine strain, CVI988/Rispens. Transcriptomic profiling indicated that Md5BAC ΔmeqΔpp38 induced a different host immune response from CVI988/Rispens. In summary, a novel, effective, and safe vaccine candidate for prevention and control of MD caused by highly virulent MDV is reported. IMPORTANCE MDV is a highly contagious immunosuppressive and neoplastic pathogen. The virus can be controlled through vaccination via an attenuated meq deletion mutant virus that retains the ability to induce lymphoid organ atrophy. In this study, we overcame the deficiency by generating meq and pp38 double deletion mutant virus. Indeed, the successfully generated meq and pp38 double deletion mutant virus had significantly reduced replication capacity in vivo but not in vitro. It was fully attenuated and conferred superior protection efficacy against very virulent MDV challenge. In addition, the possible immunological protective mechanism of the double deletion mutant virus was shown to be different from that of the gold standard MDV vaccine, CVI988/Rispens. Overall, we successfully generated an attenuated meq deletion mutant virus and widened the range of potential vaccine candidates. Importantly, this study provides for the first time the theoretical basis of vaccination induced by fully attenuated gene-deletion mutant virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aijun Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xuyang Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaojing Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhengjie Kong
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yifei Liao
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Man Teng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yongxiu Yao
- Viral Oncogenesis Group,The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, Surrey, United Kingdom
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Jun Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Venugopal Nair
- Viral Oncogenesis Group,The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, Surrey, United Kingdom
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Guoqing Zhuang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Gaiping Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, People’s Republic of China
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Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a recently rediscovered class of functional noncoding RNAs that are involved in gene regulation and cancer development. Next-generation sequencing approaches identified circRNA fragments and sequences underlying circularization events in virus-induced cancers. In the present study, we performed viral circRNA expression analysis and full-length sequencing in infections with Marek’s disease virus (MDV), which serves as a model for herpesvirus-induced tumorigenesis. We established inverse PCRs to identify and characterize circRNA expression from the repeat regions of the MDV genome during viral replication, latency, and reactivation. We identified a large variety of viral circRNAs through precise mapping of full-length circular transcripts and detected matching sequences with several viral genes. Hot spots of circRNA expression included the transcriptional unit of the major viral oncogene encoding the Meq protein and the latency-associated transcripts (LATs). Moreover, we performed genome-wide bioinformatic analyses to extract back-splice junctions from lymphoma-derived samples. Using this strategy, we found that circRNAs were abundantly expressed in vivo from the same key virulence genes. Strikingly, the observed back-splice junctions do not follow a unique canonical pattern, compatible with the U2-dependent splicing machinery. Numerous noncanonical junctions were observed in viral circRNA sequences characterized from in vitro and in vivo infections. Given the importance of the genes involved in the transcription of these circRNAs, our study contributes to our understanding and complexity of this deadly pathogen. IMPORTANCE Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were rediscovered in recent years both in physiological and pathological contexts, such as in cancer. Viral circRNAs are encoded by at least two human herpesviruses, the Epstein Barr virus and the Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, both associated with the development of lymphoma. Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a well-established animal model to study virus-induced lymphoma but circRNA expression has not been reported for MDV yet. Our study provided the first evidence of viral circRNAs that were expressed at key steps of the MDV lifecycle using genome-wide analyses of circRNAs. These circRNAs were primarily found in transcriptional units that corresponded to the major MDV virulence factors. In addition, we established a bioinformatics pipeline that offers a new tool to identify circular RNAs in other herpesviruses. This study on the circRNAs provided important insights into major MDV virulence genes and herpesviruses-mediated gene dysregulation.
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Bai Y, Liao Y, Yang S, Jin J, Lu W, Teng M, Luo J, Zhang G, Sun A, Zhuang G. Deletion of miR-M8 and miR-M13 eliminates the bursa atrophy induced by Marek’s disease virus infection. Vet Microbiol 2022; 268:109409. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2022.109409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Marek's disease virus encoded miR-M6 and miR-M10 are dispensable for virus replication and pathogenesis in chickens. Vet Microbiol 2021; 262:109248. [PMID: 34628274 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2021.109248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of approximately 22 nucleotides long non-coding RNAs, and virus-encoded miRNAs play an important role in pathogenesis. Marek's disease virus (MDV) is an oncogenic avian alphaherpesvirus that causes immunosuppression and tumors in its natural host, chicken. In the MDV genome, 14 miRNA precursors and 26 mature miRNAs were identified, thus MDV has been used as a model to study the function of viral miRNAs in vivo. Recently, a cluster of miRNAs encoded by MDV, Cluster 3 miRNAs (miR-M8-M10), has been shown to restrict early cytolytic replication and pathogenesis of MDV. In this study, we further analyzed the role of miR-M6 and miR-M10, members of cluster miR-M8-M10, in MDV replication and pathogenicity. We found that, compared to parental MDV, deletion of miR-M6-5p significantly enhanced the replication of MDV in cell culture, but not in chickens. The replication of miR-M6-5p deletion MDV was restored once the deleted sequences were re-inserted. Our results also showed that deletion of miR-M10-5p did not affect the replication of MDV in vitro and in vivo. In addition, our animal study results showed that deletion of miR-M6-5p or miR-M10-5p did not alter the pathogenesis of MDV. In conclusion, our study shows that both miR-M6 and miR-M10 are dispensable for MDV replication and pathogenesis in chickens, while also suggests a repressive role of miR-M6 in MDV replication in cell culture.
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