Mini viral RNAs act as innate immune agonists during influenza virus infection

This study examines the link between a newly-discovered class of aberrant viral RNAs, which we term mini viral RNAs (mvRNAs), and the activation of innate immune sensing. mvRNAs are <125 nucleotides in length and contain the 5' and 3' terminal sequences of the viral genome segments. Our study shows mvRNAs are strong inducers of interferon-beta and demonstrates that mvRNAs are generated during infection in vivo.