Selective packaging of cellular miRNAs in HIV-1 particles

Retroviral particles are known to package specific host cell components such as RNA molecules in addition to the two copies of the viral RNA genome. The highly sensitive SOLiD sequencing technology was used to determine the cellular miRNA content of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particles. We determined the relative concentration of cellular miRNAs in a T cell line and several primary cell subsets before and after HIV-1 infection, and compared those values to the miRNA content of virion particles. A small subset of the cellular miRNAs is dramatically concentrated in the virions up to 115 fold, suggesting a biological function in HIV-1 replication.

► The impact of HIV-1 infection on the cellular miRNA content was probed.
► Some cellular miRNAs are selectively packaged in HIV-1 virion particles.