# The dynamic interplay between viruses and host non-coding RNA species

## TL;DR

This paper explores how viruses interact with non-coding RNAs in host cells, which play key roles in regulating gene expression and immune responses.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of the dynamic interactions between viruses and host non-coding RNA species.

## Key findings

- Non-coding RNAs are crucial regulators of gene expression and are involved in immune responses against viruses.
- Viruses manipulate host ncRNA networks or encode their own ncRNAs to support replication.
- ncRNAs have therapeutic potential and could serve as biomarkers for viral infections.

## Abstract

Previously understudied for their lack of protein-coding capacity and assumed functional irrelevance, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators of biological pathways. Technological advancements, including optimized RNA sequencing methods have begun unearthing the extent of ncRNA contributions to cellular processes; however, many ncRNAs remain partially characterized. Nevertheless, ncRNAs have cemented their role as crucial regulators of gene expression, reinforced by ncRNA dysregulation being implicated in the development and progression of a wide range of human diseases. Viruses have evolved intricate mechanisms to override host immune strategies and propagate viral replication. Many of these involve manipulating host ncRNA networks or encoding viral ncRNA species to fine-tune the cellular milieu into one most permissive for viral biology. Yet, due to their regulatory potential, ncRNAs are also integral to cellular immune strategies and defence mechanisms, such that ncRNAs remain one of the main tools hosts use to subdue viral infections. Herein we describe the complex and dynamic interplay between viruses and host non-coding regulatory RNA species. We characterize the various classes of ncRNAs in comprehensive detail and explore their respective contributions to viral biology. We then discuss the therapeutic potential of ncRNAs, and their putative roles as specific biomarkers.

Review of the different classes of non-coding RNA, and the complex interplay between viruses and host non-coding regulatory RNA species. Ceated in BioRender. Whitehouse, A. (2026) https://BioRender.com/22vb2aa.