miR‐127‐5p negatively regulates enterovirus 71 replication by directly targeting SCARB 2

Enterovirus 71 ( EV 71) is the major causative agent of hand‐foot‐and‐mouth disease in young children and can cause severe cerebral and pulmonary complications and even fatality. This study aimed at elucidating whether and how EV 71 infection is regulated by a cellular micro RNA , miR‐127‐5p. We found that miR‐127‐5p can downregulate the expression of SCARB 2, a main receptor of EV 71, by targeting two potential sites in its 3′ UTR region and inhibit EV 71 infection. Meanwhile, miR‐127‐5p expression was upregulated during EV 71 infection. Notably, transfecting cells with miR‐127‐5p mimics led to a significant decrease in viral replication, while inhibition of endogenous miR‐127‐5p facilitated viral replication. Furthermore, our evidence showed that miR‐127‐5p did not affect postentry viral replication. Taken together, these results indicated that miR‐127‐5p inhibited EV 71 replication by targeting the SCARB 2 mRNA .