Analysis of microRNAs induced by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus infection in mouse brain

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small RNA (approximately 22nts) molecules that are expressed endogenously in cells and play an important role in regulating gene expression. Recent studies have shown that cellular miRNA plays a very important role in the pathogenesis of viral infection. Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an RNA virus and is a member of the genus Alphavirus in the family Togaviridae. VEEV is infectious in aerosol form and is a potential biothreat agent. In this study, we report for the first time that VEEV infection in mice brain causes modulation of miRNA expression. Pathway analyses showed that majority of these miRNAs are involved in the neuronal development and function. Target gene prediction of the modulated miRNAs correlates with our recently reported mRNA expression in VEEV infected mice brain.