HLA class I signal peptide polymorphism determines the level of CD94/NKG2-HLA-E-mediated regulation of effector cell responses.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E binds epitopes derived from HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C and HLA-G signal peptides (SPs) and serves as a ligand for CD94/NKG2A and CD94/NKG2C receptors expressed on natural killer and T cell subsets. We show that among 16 common classical HLA class I SP variants, only 6 can be efficiently processed to generate epitopes that enable CD94/NKG2 engagement, which we term 'functional SPs'. The single functional HLA-B SP, known as HLA-B/-21M, induced high HLA-E expression, but conferred the lowest receptor recognition. Consequently, HLA-B/-21M SP competes with other SPs for providing epitope to HLA-E and reduces overall recognition of target cells by CD94/NKG2A, calling for reassessment of previous disease models involving HLA-B/-21M. Genetic population data indicate a positive correlation between frequencies of functional SPs in humans and corresponding cytomegalovirus mimics, suggesting a means for viral escape from host responses. The systematic, quantitative approach described herein will facilitate development of prediction algorithms for accurately measuring the impact of CD94/NKG2-HLA-E interactions in disease resistance/susceptibility.

Acetylation of Cytidine in mRNA Promotes Translation Efficiency.

Generation of the "epitranscriptome" through post-transcriptional ribonucleoside modification embeds a layer of regulatory complexity into RNA structure and function. Here, we describe N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) as an mRNA modification that is catalyzed by the acetyltransferase NAT10. Transcriptome-wide mapping of ac4C revealed discretely acetylated regions that were enriched within coding sequences. Ablation of NAT10 reduced ac4C detection at the mapped mRNA sites and was globally associated with target mRNA downregulation. Analysis of mRNA half-lives revealed a NAT10-dependent increase in stability in the cohort of acetylated mRNAs. mRNA acetylation was further demonstrated to enhance substrate translation in vitro and in vivo. Codon content analysis within ac4C peaks uncovered a biased representation of cytidine within wobble sites that was empirically determined to influence mRNA decoding efficiency. These findings expand the repertoire of mRNA modifications to include an acetylated residue and establish a role for ac4C in the regulation of mRNA translation.

hRpn13 shapes the proteome and transcriptome through epigenetic factors HDAC8, PADI4, and transcription factor NF-κB p50.

The anti-cancer target hRpn13 is a proteasome substrate receptor. However, hRpn13-targeting molecules do not impair its interaction with proteasomes or ubiquitin, suggesting other critical cellular activities. We find that hRpn13 depletion causes correlated proteomic and transcriptomic changes, with pronounced effects in myeloma cells for cytoskeletal and immune response proteins and bone-marrow-specific arginine deiminase PADI4. Moreover, a PROTAC against hRpn13 co-depletes PADI4, histone deacetylase HDAC8, and DNA methyltransferase MGMT. PADI4 binds and citrullinates hRpn13 and proteasomes, and proteasomes from PADI4-inhibited myeloma cells exhibit reduced peptidase activity. When off proteasomes, hRpn13 can bind HDAC8, and this interaction inhibits HDAC8 activity. Further linking hRpn13 to transcription, its loss reduces nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) transcription factor p50, which proteasomes generate by cleaving its precursor protein. NF-κB inhibition depletes hRpn13 interactors PADI4 and HDAC8. Altogether, we find that hRpn13 acts dually in protein degradation and expression and that proteasome constituency and, in turn, regulation varies by cell type.

Genome-scale exon perturbation screens uncover exons critical for cell fitness.

CRISPR-Cas technology has transformed functional genomics, yet understanding of how individual exons differentially shape cellular phenotypes remains limited. Here, we optimized and conducted massively parallel exon deletion and splice-site mutation screens in human cell lines to identify exons that regulate cellular fitness. Fitness-promoting exons are prevalent in essential and highly expressed genes and commonly overlap with protein domains and interaction interfaces. Conversely, fitness-suppressing exons are enriched in nonessential genes, exhibiting lower inclusion levels, and overlap with intrinsically disordered regions and disease-associated mutations. In-depth mechanistic investigation of the screen-hit TAF5 alternative exon-8 revealed that its inclusion is required for assembly of the TFIID general transcription initiation complex, thereby regulating global gene expression output. Collectively, our orthogonal exon perturbation screens established a comprehensive repository of phenotypically important exons and uncovered regulatory mechanisms governing cellular fitness and gene expression.

MYC assembles and stimulates topoisomerases 1 and 2 in a "topoisome".

High-intensity transcription and replication supercoil DNA to levels that can impede or halt these processes. As a potent transcription amplifier and replication accelerator, the proto-oncogene MYC must manage this interfering torsional stress. By comparing gene expression with the recruitment of topoisomerases and MYC to promoters, we surmised a direct association of MYC with topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) and TOP2 that was confirmed in vitro and in cells. Beyond recruiting topoisomerases, MYC directly stimulates their activities. We identify a MYC-nucleated "topoisome" complex that unites TOP1 and TOP2 and increases their levels and activities at promoters, gene bodies, and enhancers. Whether TOP2A or TOP2B is included in the topoisome is dictated by the presence of MYC versus MYCN, respectively. Thus, in vitro and in cells, MYC assembles tools that simplify DNA topology and promote genome function under high output conditions.

Specialized replication of heterochromatin domains ensures self-templated chromatin assembly and epigenetic inheritance.

Heterochromatin, defined by histone H3 lysine 9 methylation (H3K9me), spreads across large domains and can be epigenetically inherited in a self-propagating manner. Heterochromatin propagation depends upon a read-write mechanism, where the Clr4/Suv39h methyltransferase binds to preexisting trimethylated H3K9 (H3K9me3) and further deposits H3K9me. How the parental methylated histone template is preserved during DNA replication is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate using Schizosaccharomyces pombe that heterochromatic regions are specialized replication domains demarcated by their surrounding boundary elements. DNA replication throughout these domains is distinguished by an abundance of replisome components and is coordinated by Swi6/HP1. Although mutations in the replicative helicase subunit Mcm2 that affect histone binding impede the maintenance of a heterochromatin domain at an artificially targeted ectopic site, they have only a modest impact on heterochromatin propagation via the read-write mechanism at an endogenous site. Instead, our findings suggest a crucial role for the replication factor Mcl1 in retaining parental histones and promoting heterochromatin propagation via a mechanism involving the histone chaperone FACT. Engagement of FACT with heterochromatin requires boundary elements, which position the heterochromatic domain at the nuclear peripheral subdomain enriched for heterochromatin factors. Our findings highlight the importance of replisome components and boundary elements in creating a specialized environment for the retention of parental methylated histones, which facilitates epigenetic inheritance of heterochromatin.

A virus-induced circular RNA maintains latent infection of Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play important roles in host-pathogen interactions; oncogenic viruses like Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) employ ncRNAs to establish a latent reservoir and persist for the life of the host. We previously reported that KSHV infection alters a novel class of RNA, circular RNAs (circRNAs). CircRNAs are alternative splicing isoforms and regulate gene expression, but their importance in infection is largely unknown. Here, we showed that a human circRNA, hsa_circ_0001400, is induced by various pathogenic viruses, namely KSHV, Epstein-Barr virus, and human cytomegalovirus. The induction of circRNAs including circ_0001400 by KSHV is co-transcriptionally regulated, likely at splicing. Consistently, screening for circ_0001400-interacting proteins identified a splicing factor, PNISR. Functional studies using infected primary endothelial cells revealed that circ_0001400 inhibits KSHV lytic transcription and virus production. Simultaneously, the circRNA promoted cell cycle, inhibited apoptosis, and induced immune genes. RNA-pull down assays identified transcripts interacting with circ_0001400, including TTI1, which is a component of the pro-growth mTOR complexes. We thus identified a circRNA that is pro-growth and anti-lytic replication. These results support a model in which KSHV induces circ_0001400 expression to maintain latency. Since circ_0001400 is induced by multiple viruses, this novel viral strategy may be widely employed by other viruses.

Specific inhibition of an anticancer target, polo-like kinase 1, by allosterically dismantling its mechanism of substrate recognition.

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is considered an attractive target for anticancer therapy. Over the years, studies on the noncatalytic polo-box domain (PBD) of Plk1 have raised the expectation of generating highly specific protein-protein interaction inhibitors. However, the molecular nature of the canonical PBD-dependent interaction, which requires extensive water network-mediated interactions with its phospholigands, has hampered efforts to identify small molecules suitable for Plk1 PBD drug discovery. Here, we report the identification of the first allosteric inhibitor of Plk1 PBD, called Allopole, a prodrug that can disrupt intracellular interactions between PBD and its cognate phospholigands, delocalize Plk1 from centrosomes and kinetochores, and induce mitotic block and cancer cell killing. At the structural level, its unmasked active form, Allopole-A, bound to a deep Trp-Phe-lined pocket occluded by a latch-like loop, whose adjoining region was required for securely retaining a ligand anchored to the phospho-binding cleft. Allopole-A binding completely dislodged the L2 loop, an event that appeared sufficient to trigger the dissociation of a phospholigand and inhibit PBD-dependent Plk1 function during mitosis. Given Allopole's high specificity and antiproliferative potency, this study is expected to open an unexplored avenue for developing Plk1 PBD-specific anticancer therapeutic agents.

SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease plays multiple roles in regulating cellular proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Nsp3s are the largest nonstructural proteins of coronaviruses. These transmembrane proteins include papain-like proteases (PLpro) that play essential roles in cleaving viral polyproteins into their mature units. The PLpro of SARS-CoV viruses also have deubiquitinating and deISGylating activities. As Nsp3 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized protein, we asked if the deubiquitinating activity of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro affects proteins that are substrates for ER-associated degradation (ERAD). Using full-length Nsp3 as well as a truncated transmembrane form we interrogated, by coexpression, three potential ERAD substrates, all of which play roles in regulating lipid biosynthesis. Transmembrane PLpro increases the level of INSIG-1 and decreases its ubiquitination. However, different effects were seen with SREBP-1 and SREBP-2. Transmembrane PLpro cleaves SREBP-1 at three sites, including two noncanonical sites in the N-terminal half of the protein, resulting in a decrease in precursors of the active transcription factor. Conversely, cleavage of SREBP-2 occurs at a single canonical site that disrupts a C-terminal degron, resulting in increased SREBP-2 levels. When this site is mutated and the degron can no longer be interrupted, SREBP-2 is still stabilized by transmembrane PLpro, which correlates with a decrease in SREBP-2 ubiquitination. All of these observations are dependent on PLpro catalytic activity. Our findings demonstrate that, when anchored to the ER membrane, SARS-CoV-2 Nsp3 PLpro can function as a deubiquitinating enzyme to stabilize ERAD substrates. Additionally, SARS-CoV-2 Nsp3 PLpro can cleave ER-resident proteins, including at sites that could escape analyses based on the established consensus sequence.

Metabolism-focused CRISPR screen unveils mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 as a critical driver for PARP inhibitor resistance in lung cancer.

Homologous recombination (HR) and poly ADP-ribosylation are partially redundant pathways for the repair of DNA damage in normal and cancer cells. In cell lines that are deficient in HR, inhibition of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase [PARP]1/2) is a proven target with several PARP inhibitors (PARPis) currently in clinical use. Resistance to PARPi often develops, usually involving genetic alterations in DNA repair signaling cascades, but also metabolic rewiring particularly in HR-proficient cells. We surmised that alterations in metabolic pathways by cancer drugs such as Olaparib might be involved in the development of resistance to drug therapy. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a metabolism-focused clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats knockout screen to identify genes that undergo alterations during the treatment of tumor cells with PARPis. Of about 3000 genes in the screen, our data revealed that mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 (MPC1) is an essential factor in desensitizing nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) lung cancer lines to PARP inhibition. In contrast to NSCLC lung cancer cells, triple-negative breast cancer cells do not exhibit such desensitization following MPC1 loss and reprogram the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation pathways to overcome PARPi treatment. Our findings unveil a previously unknown synergistic response between MPC1 loss and PARP inhibition in lung cancer cells.

Male infertility-associated Ccdc108 regulates multiciliogenesis via the intraflagellar transport machinery.

Motile cilia on the cell surface generate movement and directional fluid flow that is crucial for various biological processes. Dysfunction of these cilia causes human diseases such as sinopulmonary disease and infertility. Here, we show that Ccdc108, a protein linked to male infertility, has an evolutionarily conserved requirement in motile multiciliation. Using Xenopus laevis embryos, Ccdc108 is shown to be required for the migration and docking of basal bodies to the apical membrane in epidermal multiciliated cells (MCCs). We demonstrate that Ccdc108 interacts with the IFT-B complex, and the ciliation requirement for Ift74 overlaps with Ccdc108 in MCCs. Both Ccdc108 and IFT-B proteins localize to migrating centrioles, basal bodies, and cilia in MCCs. Importantly, Ccdc108 governs the centriolar recruitment of IFT while IFT licenses the targeting of Ccdc108 to the cilium. Moreover, Ccdc108 is required for the centriolar recruitment of Drg1 and activated RhoA, factors that help establish the apical actin network in MCCs. Together, our studies indicate that Ccdc108 and IFT-B complex components cooperate in multiciliogenesis.

Covalent Inhibition by a Natural Product-Inspired Latent Electrophile.

Strategies to target specific protein cysteines are critical to covalent probe and drug discovery. 3-Bromo-4,5-dihydroisoxazole (BDHI) is a natural product-inspired, synthetically accessible electrophilic moiety that has previously been shown to react with nucleophilic cysteines in the active site of purified enzymes. Here, we define the global cysteine reactivity and selectivity of a set of BDHI-functionalized chemical fragments using competitive chemoproteomic profiling methods. Our study demonstrates that BDHIs capably engage reactive cysteine residues in the human proteome and the selectivity landscape of cysteines liganded by BDHI is distinct from that of haloacetamide electrophiles. Given its tempered reactivity, BDHIs showed restricted, selective engagement with proteins driven by interactions between a tunable binding element and the complementary protein sites. We validate that BDHI forms covalent conjugates with glutathione S-transferase Pi (GSTP1) and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (PIN1), emerging anticancer targets. BDHI electrophile was further exploited in Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor design using a single-step late-stage installation of the warhead onto acrylamide-containing compounds. Together, this study expands the spectrum of optimizable chemical tools for covalent ligand discovery and highlights the utility of 3-bromo-4,5-dihydroisoxazole as a cysteine-reactive electrophile.

Fatty acid oxidation is required for embryonic stem cell survival during metabolic stress.

Metabolic regulation is critical for the maintenance of pluripotency and the survival of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The transcription factor Tfcp2l1 has emerged as a key factor for the naïve pluripotency of ESCs. Here, we report an unexpected role of Tfcp2l1 in metabolic regulation in ESCs-promoting the survival of ESCs through regulating fatty acid oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stress. Tfcp2l1 directly activates many metabolic genes in ESCs. Deletion of Tfcp2l1 leads to an FAO defect associated with upregulation of glucose uptake, the TCA cycle, and glutamine catabolism. Mechanistically, Tfcp2l1 activates FAO by inducing Cpt1a, a rate-limiting enzyme transporting free fatty acids into the mitochondria. ESCs with defective FAO are sensitive to cell death induced by glycolysis inhibition and glutamine deprivation. Moreover, the Tfcp2l1-Cpt1a-FAO axis promotes the survival of quiescent ESCs and diapause-like blastocysts induced by mTOR inhibition. Thus, our results reveal how ESCs orchestrate pluripotent and metabolic programs to ensure their survival in response to metabolic stress.

Protonation-Dependent Sequencing of 5-Formylcytidine in RNA.

Chemical modification of cytidine in noncoding RNAs plays a key role in regulating translation and disease. However, the distribution and dynamics of many of these modifications remain unknown due to a lack of sensitive site-specific sequencing technologies. Here, we report a protonation-dependent sequencing reaction for the detection of 5-formylcytidine (5fC) and 5-carboxycytidine (5caC) in RNA. First, we evaluate how protonation combined with electron-withdrawing substituents alters the molecular orbital energies and reduction of modified cytidine nucleosides, highlighting 5fC and 5caC as reactive species. Next, we apply this reaction to detect these modifications in synthetic oligonucleotides as well as endogenous human transfer RNA (tRNA). Finally, we demonstrate the utility of our method to characterize a patient-derived model of 5fC deficiency, where it enables facile monitoring of both pathogenic loss and exogenous rescue of NSUN3-dependent 5fC within the wobble base of human mitochondrial tRNAMet. These studies showcase the ability of protonation to enhance the reactivity and sensitive detection of 5fC in RNA and more broadly provide a molecular foundation for using optimized sequencing reactions to better understand the role of oxidized RNA cytidine residues in diseases.

SSSPTA is essential for serine palmitoyltransferase function during development and hematopoiesis.

Serine palmitoyltransferase complex (SPT) mediates the first and rate-limiting step in the de novo sphingolipid biosynthetic pathway. The larger subunits SPTLC1 and SPTLC2/SPTLC3 together form the catalytic core while a smaller third subunit either SSSPTA or SSSPTB has been shown to increase the catalytic efficiency and provide substrate specificity for the fatty acyl-CoA substrates. The in vivo biological significance of these smaller subunits in mammals is still unknown. Here, using two null mutants, a conditional null for ssSPTa and a null mutant for ssSPTb, we show that SSSPTA is essential for embryogenesis and mediates much of the known functions of the SPT complex in mammalian hematopoiesis. The ssSPTa null mutants are embryonic lethal at E6.5 much like the Sptlc1 and Sptlc2 null alleles. Mx1-Cre induced deletion of ssSPTa leads to lethality and myelopoietic defect. Chimeric and competitive bone marrow transplantation experiments show that the defect in myelopoiesis is accompanied by an expansion of the Lin-Sca1+c-Kit+ stem and progenitor compartment. Progenitor cells that fail to differentiate along the myeloid lineage display evidence of endoplasmic reticulum stress. On the other hand, ssSPTb null mice are homozygous viable, and analyses of the bone marrow cells show no significant difference in the proliferation and differentiation of the adult hematopoietic compartment. SPTLC1 is an obligatory subunit for the SPT function, and because Sptlc1-/- and ssSPTa-/- mice display similar defects during development and hematopoiesis, we conclude that an SPT complex that includes SSSPTA mediates much of its developmental and hematopoietic functions in a mammalian model.

Decreased Antibiotic Susceptibility Driven by Global Remodeling of the Klebsiella pneumoniae Proteome.

Bacteria can circumvent the effect of antibiotics by transitioning to a poorly understood physiological state that does not involve conventional genetic elements of resistance. Here we examine antibiotic susceptibility with a Class A ß-lactamase+ invasive strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae that was isolated from a lethal outbreak within laboratory colonies of Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus monkeys. Bacterial responses to the ribosomal synthesis inhibitors streptomycin and doxycycline resulted in distinct proteomic adjustments that facilitated decreased susceptibility to each antibiotic. Drug-specific changes to proteomes included proteins for receptor-mediated membrane transport and sugar utilization, central metabolism, and capsule production, whereas mechanisms common to both antibiotics included elevated scavenging of reactive oxygen species and turnover of misfolded proteins. Resistance to combined antibiotics presented integrated adjustments to protein levels as well as unique drug-specific proteomic features. Our results demonstrate that dampening of Klebsiella pneumoniae susceptibility involves global remodeling of the bacterial proteome to counter the effects of antibiotics and stabilize growth.

A Chemical Signature for Cytidine Acetylation in RNA.

N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) is a highly conserved modified RNA nucleobase whose formation is catalyzed by the disease-associated N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10). Here we report a sensitive chemical method to localize ac4C in RNA. Specifically, we characterize the susceptibility of ac4C to borohydride-based reduction and show this reaction can cause introduction of noncognate base pairs during reverse transcription (RT). Combining borohydride-dependent misincorporation with ac4C's known base-sensitivity provides a unique chemical signature for this modified nucleobase. We show this unique reactivity can be used to quantitatively analyze cellular RNA acetylation, study adapters responsible for ac4C targeting, and probe the timing of RNA acetylation during ribosome biogenesis. Overall, our studies provide a chemical foundation for defining an expanding landscape of cytidine acetyltransferase activity and its impact on biology and disease.

Functional characterization of a chr13q22.1 pancreatic cancer risk locus reveals long-range interaction and allele-specific effects on DIS3 expression.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple common susceptibility loci for pancreatic cancer. Here we report fine-mapping and functional analysis of one such locus residing in a 610 kb gene desert on chr13q22.1 (marked by rs9543325). The closest candidate genes, KLF5, KLF12, PIBF1, DIS3 and BORA, range in distance from 265-586 kb. Sequencing three sub-regions containing the top ranked SNPs by imputation P-value revealed a 30 bp insertion/deletion (indel) variant that was significantly associated with pancreatic cancer risk (rs386772267, P = 2.30 × 10-11, OR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.15-1.28) and highly correlated to rs9543325 (r2 = 0.97 in the 1000 Genomes EUR population). This indel was the most significant cis-eQTL variant in a set of 222 histologically normal pancreatic tissue samples (ß = 0.26, P = 0.004), with the insertion (risk-increasing) allele associated with reduced DIS3 expression. DIS3 encodes a catalytic subunit of the nuclear RNA exosome complex that mediates RNA processing and decay, and is mutated in several cancers. Chromosome conformation capture revealed a long range (570 kb) physical interaction between a sub-region of the risk locus, containing rs386772267, and a region ∼6 kb upstream of DIS3 Finally, repressor regulatory activity and allele-specific protein binding by transcription factors of the TCF/LEF family were observed for the risk-increasing allele of rs386772267, indicating that expression regulation at this risk locus may be influenced by the Wnt signaling pathway. In conclusion, we have identified a putative functional indel variant at chr13q22.1 that associates with decreased DIS3 expression in carriers of pancreatic cancer risk-increasing alleles, and could therefore affect nuclear RNA processing and/or decay.

Engineered Multivalency Enhances Affibody-Based HER3 Inhibition and Downregulation in Cancer Cells.

The receptor tyrosine kinase HER3 has emerged as a therapeutic target in ovarian, prostate, breast, lung, and other cancers due to its ability to potently activate the PI3K/Akt pathway, especially via dimerization with HER2, as well as for its role in mediating drug resistance. Enhanced efficacy of HER3-targeted therapeutics would therefore benefit a wide range of patients. This study evaluated the potential of multivalent presentation, through protein engineering, to enhance the effectiveness of HER3-targeted affibodies as alternatives to monoclonal antibody therapeutics. Assessment of multivalent affibodies on a variety of cancer cell lines revealed their broad ability to improve inhibition of Neuregulin (NRG)-induced HER3 and Akt phosphorylation compared to monovalent analogues. Engineered multivalency also promoted enhanced cancer cell growth inhibition by affibodies as single agents and as part of combination therapy approaches. Mechanistic investigations revealed that engineered multivalency enhanced affibody-mediated HER3 downregulation in multiple cancer cell types. Overall, these results highlight the promise of engineered multivalency as a general strategy for enhanced efficacy of HER3-targeted therapeutics against a variety of cancers.

Proteomic screening of human targets of viral microRNAs reveals functions associated with immune evasion and angiogenesis.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is caused by infection with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). The virus expresses unique microRNAs (miRNAs), but the targets and functions of these miRNAs are not completely understood. In order to identify human targets of viral miRNAs, we measured protein expression changes caused by multiple KSHV miRNAs using pulsed stable labeling with amino acids in cell culture (pSILAC) in primary endothelial cells. This led to the identification of multiple human genes that are repressed at the protein level, but not at the miRNA level. Further analysis also identified that KSHV miRNAs can modulate activity or expression of upstream regulatory factors, resulting in suppressed activation of a protein involved in leukocyte recruitment (ICAM1) following lysophosphatidic acid treatment, as well as up-regulation of a pro-angiogenic protein (HIF1α), and up-regulation of a protein involved in stimulating angiogenesis (HMOX1). This study aids in our understanding of miRNA mechanisms of repression and miRNA contributions to viral pathogenesis.