MicroRNA 155 Regulates Japanese Encephalitis Virus-Induced Inflammatory Response by Targeting Src Homology 2-Containing Inositol Phosphatase 1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded small RNA molecules that regulate various cellular processes. miRNA 155 (miR-155) regulates various aspects of innate and adaptive immune responses and plays a key role in various viral infections and the resulting neuroinflammation. The present study evaluated the involvement of miR-155 in modulating Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV)-induced neuroinflammation. We observed that miR-155 expression was upregulated during JEV infection of mouse primary microglia, the BV-2 microglia cell line, and in both mouse and human brains. In vitro and in vivo knockdown of miR-155 minimized JEV-induced inflammatory responses. In the present study, we confirmed targeting of the Src homology 2-containing inositol phosphatase 1 (SHIP1) 3' untranslated region (UTR) by miR-155 in the context of JEV infection. Inhibition of SHIP1 by miR-155 resulted in higher beta interferon (IFN-beta) and proinflammatory cytokine production through activation of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK-1). Based on these observations, we conclude that miR-155 modulates the neuroinflammatory response during JEV infection via negative regulation of SHIP1 expression. Thus, modulation of miR-155 could be a novel strategy to regulate JEV-induced neuroinflammation.