Regulation of NF-κB inhibitor IκBα and viral replication by a KSHV microRNA

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is causally linked to several acquired immune deficiency syndrome related malignancies including Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and a subset of multicentric Castleman’s disease1. Control of viral lytic replication is essential for KSHV latency, evasion of host immune system, and induction of tumors1. Here, we show that deletion of a cluster of 14 microRNAs (miRs) from KSHV genome significantly enhances viral lytic replication as a result of reduced NF-κB activity. The miR cluster regulates NF-κB pathway by reducing the expression of IκBα protein, an inhibitor of the NF-κB complexes. Computational and miR seed mutagenesis analyses identify KSHV miR-K1 that directly mediates IκBα ?protein level by targeting the 3’UTR of its transcript. Expression of miR-K1 is sufficient to rescue the NF-κB activity and inhibit viral lytic replication while inhibition of miR-K1 in KSHV-infected PEL cells has the opposite effects. Thus, KSHV encodes a miR to control viral replication by activating NF-κB pathway. These results illustrate an important role for KSHV miRs in regulating viral latency and lytic replication by manipulating a host survival pathway.