Analysis of tRNA halves (tsRNAs) in serum from cattle challenged with bovine viral diarrhea virus

Acute infections of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) lead to a range of clinical presentations. Laboratory tests for detection depend on collection of samples during a short viremia. Acutely infected animals remain largely undiagnosed. Transfer RNA halves (tsRNAs) are hypothesized to function like microRNAs to regulate gene expression during an immune response. The objective of this study was to identify tsRNAs in cattle that had been challenged with a non-cytopathic field strain of BVDV. Colostrum-deprived neonatal Holstein calves were either challenged with BVDV (n=5) or mock challenged (n=4). Sera was collected prior to challenge and days 4, 9, and 16 post challenge. RNA was extracted and read counts of small non-coding RNAs were assessed using next-generation sequencing. A total of 87,838,207 reads identified 41 different tsRNAs. Two 5’ tsRNAs, tsRNA(ProAGG) and tsRNA(ValAAC), differed across time. Two 5’ tsRNAs, tsRNA(GlyCCC) and tsRNA(GlyGCC), differed between treatment groups across time. Four days post challenge, 5’ tsRNA(GlyCCC) and tsRNA(GlyGCC) were significantly lower in the challenged group than the control group. Further studies are needed to identify the importance and function of 5’ tsRNA(GlyCCC) and tsRNA(GlyGCC) in serum samples of cattle challenged with BVDV.