scholarly journals Inhibition of Ebola Virus by Anti-Ebola miRNAs in silico

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (06) ◽  
pp. 626-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhabiz Golkar ◽  
Roshan Battaria ◽  
Donald G Pace ◽  
Omar Bagasra

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene regulation of the organisms. miRNA provides immune defense when the body is faced with challenges intracellular agents. miRNA molecules trigger gene silencing in eukaryotic cells. More than 3,000 different human miRNAs (hsa-miRs) have been identified thus far. During ontogenesis, viral or intracellular parasitic infections, miRNAs are differentially expressed to protect the host from intracellular invaders. In a viral infection context, miRNAs have been connected with the interplay between host and pathogen, and occupy a major role in pathogenesis. Methodology: An in silico approach was used to analyze the four major Ebola Virus genome sequences including the recently characterized Ebola virus responsible for West African epidemic that has killed over 10,000 people. All totaled, 2,543 mature human miRNA sequences were retrieved through an miR-database, and the identification of mature miRNAs were aligned with full length sequences of the four major Ebola viruses via computational tools. Results: We identified 32 miRNAs that exhibited significant inhibitory capacity to block more than one EBV strains. miR-607 showed capacity to quell all four major EBVs. Ten putative miRNAs were found to have near perfect identity at seed sequences with numerous targets of Ebola virus that may completely degrade the viral transcripts. Conclusion: We hypothesize that a miRNA-based vaccine can quell Ebola virus infection. Future approaches will focus on validation of these miRNAs in quelling the Ebola virus to further elucidate their biological functions in primate and other animal models.

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. BBI.S13649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maicol Ospina-Bedoya ◽  
Natalia Campillo-Pedroza ◽  
Juan P. Franco-Salazar ◽  
Juan C. Gallego-Gómez

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene regulation of the cell. Experimental evidence shows that miRNAs have a direct role in different cellular processes, such as immune function, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis. In a viral infection context, miRNAs have been connected with the interplay between host and pathogen, occupying a major role in pathogenesis. While numerous viral miRNAs from DNA viruses have been identified, characterization of functional RNA virus-encoded miRNAs and their potential targets is still ongoing. Here, we used an in silico approach to analyze dengue Virus genome sequences. Pre-miRNAs were extracted through VMir software, and the identification of putative pre-miRNAs and mature miRNAs was accessed using Support Vector Machine web tools. The targets were scanned using miRanda software and functionally annotated using ClueGo. Via computational tools, eight putative miRNAs were found to hybridize with numerous targets of morphogenesis, differentiation, migration, and growth pathways that may play a major role in the interaction of the virus and its host. Future approaches will focus on experimental validation of their presence and target messenger RNA genes to further elucidate their biological functions in human and mosquito cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afsane Bahrami ◽  
Gordon A. Ferns

: MicroRNAs (miRs) is a class of conserved, small, noncoding RNA molecules which modulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. miR-148b is a member of miR-148/152 family generally known to be a tumor suppressor via its affect on different signaling pathways and regulatory genes. Aberrant expression of miR-148b has recently been shown to be responsible for tumorigenesis for several different cancer types. This review discusses the current evidences regarding the involvement of miR-148b expression in human cancers and its potential clinical importance for tumor diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics.


3 Biotech ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujay Paul ◽  
Luis M. Ruiz-Manriquez ◽  
Francisco I. Serrano-Cano ◽  
Carolina Estrada-Meza ◽  
Karla A. Solorio-Diaz ◽  
...  

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small noncoding RNA molecules with significant capacity to regulate the gene expression at the post-transcriptional level in a sequence-specific manner either through translation repression or mRNA degradation triggering a fine-tuning biological impact. They have been implicated in several processes, including cell growth and development, signal transduction, cell proliferation and differentiation, metabolism, apoptosis, inflammation, and immune response modulation. However, over the last few years, extensive studies have shown the relevance of miRNAs in human pathophysiology. Common human parasitic diseases, such as Malaria, Leishmaniasis, Amoebiasis, Chagas disease, Schistosomiasis, Toxoplasmosis, Cryptosporidiosis, Clonorchiasis, and Echinococcosis are the leading cause of death worldwide. Thus, identifying and characterizing parasite-specific miRNAs and their host targets, as well as host-related miRNAs, are important for a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of parasite-specific diseases at the molecular level. In this review, we have demonstrated the impact of human microRNAs during host−parasite interaction as well as their potential to be used for diagnosis and prognosis purposes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Vautrot ◽  
Gaëtan Chanteloup ◽  
Mohammed Elmallah ◽  
Marine Cordonnier ◽  
François Aubin ◽  
...  

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Tumor microenvironment (TME) contains many cell types including stromal cells, immune cells, and endothelial cells. The TME modulation explains the heterogeneity of response to therapy observed in patients. In this context, exosomes are emerging as major contributors in cancer biology. Indeed, exosomes are implicated in tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and premetastatic niche formation. They contain bioactive molecules such as proteins, lipids, and RNAs. More recently, many studies on exosomes have focused on miRNAs, small noncoding RNA molecules able to influence protein expression. In this review, we describe miRNAs transported by exosomes in the context of CRC and discuss their influence on TME and their potential as circulating biomarkers. This overview underlines emerging roles for exosomal miRNAs in cancer research for the near future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 1167-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Bjorkman ◽  
Hugh S Taylor

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNA molecules, have been recognized as key post-transcriptional regulators associated with a multitude of human diseases. Global expression profiling studies have uncovered hundreds of miRNAs that are dysregulated in several diseases, and yielded many candidate biomarkers. This review will focus on miRNAs in endometriosis, a common chronic disease affecting nearly 10% of reproductive-aged women, which can cause pelvic pain, infertility, and a myriad of other symptoms. Endometriosis has delayed time to diagnosis when compared to other chronic diseases, as there is no current accurate, easily accessible, and noninvasive tool for diagnosis. Specific miRNAs have been identified as potential biomarkers for this disease in multiple studies. These and other miRNAs have been linked to target genes and functional pathways in disease-specific pathophysiology. Highlighting investigations into the roles of tissue and circulating miRNAs in endometriosis, published through June 2018, this review summarizes new connections between miRNA expression and the pathophysiology of endometriosis, including impacts on fertility. Future applications of miRNA biomarkers for precision medicine in diagnosing and managing endometriosis treatment are also discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Wang ◽  
Yong Du ◽  
Xiaoming Liu ◽  
William C. Cho ◽  
Yinxue Yang

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, noncoding RNA molecules capable of regulating gene expression translationally and/or transcriptionally. A large number of evidence have demonstrated that miRNAs have a functional role in both physiological and pathological processes by regulating the expression of their target genes. Recently, the functionalities of miRNAs in the initiation, progression, angiogenesis, metastasis, and chemoresistance of tumors have gained increasing attentions. Particularly, the alteration of miRNA profiles has been correlated with the transformation and metastasis of various cancers, including colon cancer. This paper reports the latest findings on miRNAs involved in different signaling networks leading to colon cancer metastasis, mainly focusing on miRNA profiling and their roles in PTEN/PI3K, EGFR, TGFβ, and p53 signaling pathways of metastatic colon cancer. The potential of miRNAs used as biomarkers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic targets in colon cancer is also discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-71
Author(s):  
Ozal Arzuman Beylerli ◽  
Ilgiz F. Gareev ◽  
Valentin N. Pavlov

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNA molecules that negatively regulate gene expression at posttranscriptional levels. MiRNAs regulate many normal physiological processes, and also play an important role in the development of most disorders. The expression levels of miRNAs are characterized by endogenous properties and tissue specificity. These characteristics increase the likelihood that miRNAs can serve as useful clinical biomarkers in the diagnosis of certain diseases. Chronic lower back pain is usually associated with degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IDD), which is closely associated with apoptosis, impaired extracellular matrix, cell proliferation, and an inflammatory response. This process is characterized by a cascade of molecular, cellular, biochemical, and structural changes. Currently, there is no clinical therapy that shows the pathophysiology of disk degeneration. The presence of unregulated expression of miRNA in patients with degenerative disk disease indicates a vital role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of IDD. It becomes apparent that epigenetic processes affect the evolution of IDD as much as the genetic background. Deregulated phenotypes of pulp nucleus cells, including differentiation, migration, proliferation, and apoptosis, are involved in all stages of the progression of human IDD. In this review, we will focus on the role and therapeutic value of miRNAs in IDD.


2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yimin Zhu ◽  
Xingyuan Xiao ◽  
Lairong Dong ◽  
Zhiming Liu

MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules that control expression of target genes. Our previous studies show that let-7a decreased in gastric carcinoma and that up-regulation of let-7a by gene augmentation inhibited gastric carcinoma cell growth bothin vitroandin vivo, whereas it remains largely unclear as to how let-7a affects tumor growth. In this study, proteins associated with the function of let-7a were detected by high throughout screening. The cell line of SGC-7901 stablely overexpressing let-7a was successfully established by gene cloning. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DEy was used to separate the total proteins of SGC-7901/let-7a, SGC-7901/EV and SGC-7901, and PDQuest software was applied to analyze 2-DE images. Ten different protein spots were identified by MALDI-TOF-MS, and they may be the proteins associated with let-7a function. The overexpressed proteins included Antioxidant protein 2, Insulin–like growth factor binding protein 2, Protein disulfide isomerase A2, C-1-tetrahydrofolate synthase, Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor1 (CDKN1) and Rho–GTPase activating protein 4. The underexpressed proteins consisted of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Spk2), Platelet membrane glycoprotein, Fibronectin and Cks1 protein. Furthermore, the different expression levels of the partial proteins (CDKN1, Spk2 and Fibronectin) were confirmed by western blot analysis. The data suggest that these differential proteins are involved in a novel let-7a signal pathway and these findings provide the basis to investigate the functional mechanisms of let-7a in gastric carcinoma.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahadeshwara Prasad ◽  
Somanna Ajjamada Nachappa ◽  
Niveditha Anand ◽  
Deepika Udayawara Rudresh ◽  
Yashika Singh ◽  
...  

AbstractHere we report for the first time the SARS-CoV-2 detection in autolysed samples from an exhumed decomposed body post-thirty six days after death. Both naso-oropharyngeal swabs and visceral samples from the lung, intestine, liver, and kidney were collected from the body exhumed post-fifteen days after burial, stored in viral transport medium and in saturated salt solution respectively. Naso-oropharyngeal swabs showed the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 genome as identified by the amplification of viral E, N, RdRP, or ORF1ab genes by RT-PCR. Subsequent examination of tissues reveal the detection of the virus genome in the intestine and liver, while no detection in the kidney and lung. These results signify the genome stability and implicate the virus survival in decomposed swab samples and in tissues and thereafter in storage solution. Further results also indicate spatial distribution of the virus in tissues during the early stage of infection in the subject with no respiratory distress. Considering the presence of cool, humid, and moist location of the exhumation, the presence of virus genome might also indicate that SARS-CoV-2 can persist for more than seven days on the surface of dead bodies similar to the Ebola virus, confirming that transmission from deceased subjects is possible for an extended period after death. These results further reaffirm the robustness of the RT-PCR aiding in the detection of viruses or their genome in decomposed samples when other methods of detection could not be useful.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 139-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Moscovita Falzarano ◽  
Ming Zhou ◽  
Paula Carver ◽  
Eric A. Klein ◽  
Robert Dreicer ◽  
...  

139 Background: Taxanes are microtubule-stabilizing drugs used investigationally in adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings of prostate cancer (PCA) treatment in an attempt to improve systemic control of high risk disease. Understanding mechanism of response to taxanes is an essential step in developing novel combination therapies to improve PCA response rates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules that negatively regulate gene expression by binding target messenger RNAs and inhibiting their stability and/or translation. In cancer miRNAs can act as oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes. The objective of our study was to identify miRNAs that are affected by neoadjuvant docetaxel in high-risk PCA. Methods: Whole cell RNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) radical prostatectomy specimens from 8 patients with high grade PCA treated with neoadjuvant docetaxel, 8 high grade untreated PCA and their corresponding untreated non-neoplastic tissue. Tumors were matched by Gleason score, patient age and year of surgery. The expression of 88 cancer-associated miRNAs was then quantified using a PCR-based miRNA microarray assay. Results: Thirty-eight (43%) of the 88 analyzed miRNAs (including miR-205, miR-222, and miR-1) were sgnificantly downregulated in untreated PCA compared with untreated non-neoplastic tissue, and one (miR-183) was upregulated. Twenty (23%) miRNAs (including miR-218, miR-124, and let-7b) were significantly upregulated in treated compared to untreated PCA. The expression levels of 16 of these miRNAs (including miR-9, miR-133b, and miR-27b) were reverted to values similar to untreated non-neoplastic prostatic tissue, as a result of docetaxel treatment. Conclusions: Our results indicate a potential role of miRNAs in PCA response to taxanes. A subset of miRNAs are downregulated in untreated tumors but upregulated in treated PCA to the levels compared to untreated non-neoplastic tissue, suggesting a miRNA modulation towards a non-neoplastic expression profile with neoadjuvant docetaxel treatment. Further studies are underway to evaluate the miRNA-mediated effects of taxanes in PCA.


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