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SUMMARY:Breaking the silence: defense and counter-defense in antiviral RNA
  silencing pathways of insects. - Dr Ronald van Rij\, Radboud Institute fo
 r Molecular Life Sciences\, The Netherlands 
DTSTART:20151112T140000Z
DTEND:20151112T150000Z
UID:TALK60349@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Caroline Newnham
DESCRIPTION:Lacking the innate and adaptive immune responses of vertebrate
 s\, insects rely on small RNA pathways for antiviral defense. The ribonucl
 ease Dicer-2 processes viral double-stranded RNA into small interfering RN
 As (siRNAs)\, which are then used to restrict viral replication. Recent sm
 all RNA profiling studies demonstrated that both RNA and DNA viruses are t
 argets of the RNAi response and identified the viral RNA substrates for Di
 cer. The importance of the antiviral RNAi pathway is underscored by the ob
 servation that viruses have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to counteract
  this immune response. More recently\, it was proposed that in Aedes mosqu
 itoes\, another small RNA silencing mechanism\, the piwi-interacting RNA p
 athway\, also processes viral RNAs. I will present recent insights into an
 tiviral RNA silencing pathways of Drosophila and mosquitoes and discuss th
 e dynamic interplay between host antiviral RNAi and virus counter-defense.
LOCATION:Biffen Lecture Theatre\, Department of Genetics\, Downing Site
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