Supplementary Material for: Chikungunya Virus Infection Alters Expression of MicroRNAs Involved in Cellular Proliferation, Immune Response and Apoptosis

<b><i>Objective(s):</i></b> Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a reemerging virus of significant importance that has caused large-scale outbreaks in the countries with a temperate climate. CHIKV causes debilitating arthralgia which can persist for weeks and up to a year. Fibroblast cells are the main target of CHIKV infection. In this study, we analyzed microRNA (miRNA) modulation in the fibroblast cells infected with CHIKV at an early stage of infection. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> 760 miRNAs were analyzed for modulation following infection with CHIKV at 6 h after infection. Bioinformatic analysis was done to identify the signaling pathway that may be targeted by the significantly modulated miRNAs. Validation of the miRNAs was done using a singleplex miRNA assay and protein target validation of modulated miRNAs was done by Western blot analysis. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Computational analysis of the significantly modulated miRNAs indicated their involvement in signaling pathways such as Toll-like receptor, mTOR, JAK-STAT and Pi3-Akt pathways, which have been shown to play important roles during CHIKV infection. Topoisomerase IIβ, a target of two of the modulated miRNAs, was downregulated upon CHIKV infection. <b><i>Conclusion(s):</i></b> We identified several miRNAs that may play important roles in early events after CHIKV infection and can be potential therapeutic targets against CHIKV infection.