Using Small RNA Deep Sequencing Data to Detect Human Viruses

Abstract EN

Small RNA sequencing (sRNA-seq) can be used to detect viruses in infected hosts without the necessity to have any prior knowledge or specialized sample preparation.

The sRNA-seq method was initially used for viral detection and identification in plants and then in invertebrates and fungi.

However, it is still controversial to use sRNA-seq in the detection of mammalian or human viruses.

In this study, we used 931 sRNA-seq runs of data from the NCBI SRA database to detect and identify viruses in human cells or tissues, particularly from some clinical samples.

Six viruses including HPV-18, HBV, HCV, HIV-1, SMRV, and EBV were detected from 36 runs of data.

Four viruses were consistent with the annotations from the previous studies.

HIV-1 was found in clinical samples without the HIV-positive reports, and SMRV was found in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma cells for the first time.

In conclusion, these results suggest the sRNA-seq can be used to detect viruses in mammals and humans.