HSE University researchers have found microRNA molecules that are potentially capable of repressing the replication of human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2.
It turns out that the virus uses miRNA hsa-miR-21-3p to inhibit growth in the first stages of infection in order to delay the active immune response. The results of the research have been published in the journal PeerJ.
After the virus gets inside the cell, it starts actively interacting with various in-cell molecules. One such molecule class is microRNAs (miRNAs), which are small RNAs whose main function is to regulate gene expression.
