Expression of HIV-encoded microRNA-TAR and its inhibitory effect on viral replication in human primary macrophages

A number of virus-encoded microRNAs have been shown to play important roles in virus replication and virus-host interactions, although the expression and function of miR-TAR-3p derived from the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) TAR element remain controversial. In this study, miR-TAR-3p was detected in human peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) infected by HIV-1. Overexpression of miR-TAR-3p impaired viral replication, while inhibition of miR-TAR-3p enhanced it. Additionally, miR-TAR-3p repressed viral transcription and replication by targeting the TAR element in the HIV-1 5’-LTR in a sequence-specific manner. These results confirm the presence of miR-TAR-3p in HIV-1-infected MDMs and suggest that its function might be used as a mechanism to modulate HIV-1 replication through the expression of a negative regulatory factor.