Identifying hsa-miR-122 target sites in HCV isolate JFH-1

MicroRNAs are short regulatory genes that regulate the gene expression in various cellular activities and pathways. Identification of microRNA target site is important for the understanding of pathogenesis and cellular functions. This study applies a computational approach to identify hsa-miR-122 target sites in hepatitis C virus isolate JFH-1. The minimum free energy, seed region complementarity, and 3′ region complementarity were taken as the determining factors for the binding affinity. We have identified a total of four hsa-miR-122 target sites. The identified target sites can be used in therapy strategies and drug designs for hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis C.