Circulatory microRNAs: promising non-invasive prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for parasitic infections

Alterations of plasma circulating microRNAs in BALB/c mice with Toxocara canis visceral and cerebral larva migrans

BACKGROUND

Human toxocariasis is a neglected parasitic disease characterised by the syndromes visceral, cerebral, and ocular larva migrans. This disease is caused by the migrating larvae of Toxocara roundworms from dogs and cats, affecting 1.4 billion people globally. Via extracellular vesicles (EVs), microRNAs have been demonstrated to play roles in host-parasite interactions and proposed as circulating biomarkers for the diagnosis and follow-up of parasitic diseases.

METHODS

Small RNA-seq was conducted to identify miRNAs in the infective larvae of T. canis and plasma EV-containing preparations of infected BALB/c mice. Differential expression analysis and target prediction were performed to indicate miRNAs involved in host-parasite interactions and miRNAs associated with visceral and/or cerebral larva migrans in the infected mice. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify circulating miRNAs from the infected mice.

RESULTS

This study reports host and parasite miRNAs in the plasma of BALB/c mice with visceral and cerebral larva migrans and demonstrates the alterations of these miRNAs during the migration of larvae from the livers through the lungs and to the brains of infected mice. After filtering unspecific changes in an irrelevant control, T. canis-derived miRNAs and T. canis infection-induced differential miRNAs are predicted to modulate genes consistently involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling and pathways regulating axon guidance and pluripotency of stem in the infected mice with visceral and cerebral larva migrans. For these plasma circulating miRNAs predicted to be involved in host-parasite crosstalk, two murine miRNAs (miR-26b-5p and miR-122-5p) are experimentally verified to be responsive to larva migrans and represent circulating biomarker candidates for visceral and cerebral toxocariasis in BALB/c mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide novel insights into the crosstalk of T. canis and the mammalian host via plasma circulating miRNAs, and prime agents and indicators for visceral and cerebral larva migrans. A deep understanding of these aspects will underpin the diagnosis and control of toxocariasis in humans and animals.

An integrated bioinformatic analysis of microarray datasets to identify biomarkers and miRNA-based regulatory networks in leishmaniasis

Micro RNAs (miRNAs, miRs) and relevant networks might exert crucial functions during differential host cell infection by the different Leishmania species. Thus, a bioinformatic analysis of microarray datasets was developed to identify pivotal shared biomarkers and miRNA-based regulatory networks for Leishmaniasis. A transcriptomic analysis by employing a comprehensive set of gene expression profiling microarrays was conducted to identify the key genes and miRNAs relevant for Leishmania spp. infections. Accordingly, the gene expression profiles of healthy human controls were compared with those of individuals infected with Leishmania mexicana, L. major, L. donovani, and L. braziliensis. The enrichment analysis for datasets was conducted by utilizing EnrichR database, and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network to identify the hub genes. The prognostic value of hub genes was assessed by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Finally, the miRNAs that interact with the hub genes were identified using miRTarBase, miRWalk, TargetScan, and miRNet. Differentially expressed genes were identified between the groups compared in this study. These genes were significantly enriched in inflammatory responses, cytokine-mediated signaling pathways and granulocyte and neutrophil chemotaxis responses. The identification of hub genes of recruited datasets suggested that TNF, SOCS3, JUN, TNFAIP3, and CXCL9 may serve as potential infection biomarkers and could deserve value as prognostic biomarkers for leishmaniasis. Additionally, inferred data from miRWalk revealed a significant degree of interaction of a number of miRNAs (hsa-miR-8085, hsa-miR-4673, hsa-miR-4743-3p, hsa-miR-892c-3p, hsa-miR-4644, hsa-miR-671-5p, hsa-miR-7106-5p, hsa-miR-4267, hsa-miR-5196-5p, and hsa-miR-4252) with the majority of the hub genes, suggesting such miRNAs play a crucial role afterwards parasite infection. The hub genes and hub miRNAs identified in this study could be potentially suggested as therapeutic targets or biomarkers for the management of leishmaniasis.

Exploring the utility of circulating miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers of fasciolosis

Effective management and control of parasitic infections on farms depends on their early detection. Traditional serological diagnostic methods for Fasciola hepatica infection in livestock are specific and sensitive, but currently the earliest detection of the parasite only occurs at approximately three weeks post-infection. At this timepoint, parasites have already entered the liver and caused the tissue damage and immunopathology that results in reduced body weight and loss in productivity. Here, we investigated whether the differential abundance of micro(mi)miRNAs in sera of F. hepatica-infected sheep has potential as a tool for the early diagnosis of infection. Using miRNA sequencing analysis, we discovered specific profiles of sheep miRNAs at both the pre-hepatic and hepatic infection phases in comparison to non-infected sheep. In addition, six F. hepatica-derived miRNAs were specifically identified in sera from infected sheep. Thus, a panel of differentially expressed miRNAs comprising four sheep (miR-3231-3p; miR133-5p; 3957-5p; 1197-3p) and two parasite miRNAs (miR-124-3p; miR-Novel-11-5p) were selected as potential biomarkers. The expression of these candidates in sera samples from longitudinal sheep infection studies collected between 7 days and 23 weeks was quantified using RT-qPCR and compared to samples from age-matched non-infected sheep. We identified oar-miR-133-5p and oar-miR-3957-5p as promising biomarkers of fasciolosis, detecting infection as early as 7 days. The differential expression of the other selected miRNAs was not sufficient to diagnose infection; however, our analysis found that the most abundant forms of fhe-miR-124-3p in sera were sequence variants (IsomiRs) of the canonical miRNA, highlighting the critical importance of primer design for accurate diagnostic RT-qPCR. Accordingly, this investigative study suggests that certain miRNAs are biomarkers of F. hepatica infection and validates miRNA-based diagnostics for the detection of fasciolosis in sheep.

From the sideline: Tissue-specific nucleoporin function in health and disease, an update

The subcellular compartmentalisation of eukaryotic cells requires selective exchange between the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Intact nucleocytoplasmic transport is vital for normal cell function and mutations in the executing machinery have been causally linked to human disease. Central players in nucleocytoplasmic exchange are nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are built from ~30 distinct proteins collectively termed nucleoporins. Aberrant nucleoporin expression was detected in human cancers and autoimmune diseases since quite some time, while it was through the increasing use of next generation sequencing that mutations in nucleoporin genes associated with mainly rare hereditary diseases were revealed. The number of newly identified mutations is steadily increasing, as is the number of diseases. Mutational hotspots have emerged: mutations in the scaffold nucleoporins seemingly affect primarily inner organs, such as heart, kidney, and ovaries, whereas genetic alterations in peripheral, cytoplasmic nucleoporins affect primarily the central nervous system and development. In this review, we summarise latest insights on altered nucleoporin function in the context of human hereditary disorders, with a focus on those where mechanistic insights are beginning to emerge.

Present status with impacts and roles of miRNA on Soil Transmitted Helminthiosis control: A review

Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) is one of the most widespread Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), and almost 1.5 billion of the global population is affected, mostly in the indigent, countryside sectors of tropics/subtropics. STH, commonly caused by various nematodes, adversely affects the hosts' growth, cognatic development, and immunity. Albendazole is most commonly used against STH (Soil-Transmitted Helminths) but resistance has already been reported in different countries. To date, no effective vaccine is present against STH. miRNAs are a unique class of small non-coding RNA, regulating various biological activities indulging host immune responses in host-pathogen interaction of STH. Dysregulation of miRNAs are being considered as one of the most important aspect of host-parasite interactions. Thus, it is the prime importance to identify and characterize parasite-specific as well as host-derived miRNAs to understand the STH infection at the molecular level. Systematic bibliometric analysis reveals a huge knowledge gap in understanding the disease by using both host and parasitic miRNAs as a potential biomarker. In this study, we addressed the present status of the STH prevalence, and therapy under the light of miRNAs. This would further help in designing new inhibitors and therapeutic strategies to control STH.

Cystic echinococcosis microRNAs as potential noninvasive biomarkers: current insights and upcoming perspective

INTRODUCTION

Echinococcosis, also known as hydatidosis, is a zoonotic foodborne disease occurred by infection with the larvae of Echinococcus spp. which can lead to the development of hydatid cysts in various organs of the host. The diagnosis of echinococcosis remains challenging due to limited diagnostic tools.

AREAS COVERED

In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a promising biomarker for various infectious diseases, including those caused by helminths. Recent studies have identified several novel miRNAs in Echinococcus spp. shedding light on their essential roles in hydatid cyst host-parasite interactions. In this regard, several studies have shown that Echinococcus-derived miRNAs are present in biofluids such as serum and plasma of infected hosts. The detection of these miRNAs in the early stages of infection can serve as an early prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for echinococcosis.

EXPERT OPINION

The miRNAs specific to Echinococcus spp. show great potential as early diagnostic biomarkers for echinococcosis and can also provide insights into the pathogenesis of this disease. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of Echinococcus-specific miRNAs, their use as early diagnostic biomarkers, and their function in host-parasite interactions.

Urinary neopterin reflects immunological variation associated with age, helminth parasitism, and the microbiome in a wild primate

Neopterin, a product of activated white blood cells, is a marker of nonspecific inflammation that can capture variation in immune investment or disease-related immune activity and can be collected noninvasively in urine. Mounting studies in wildlife point to lifetime patterns in neopterin related to immune development, aging, and certain diseases, but rarely are studies able to assess whether neopterin can capture multiple concurrent dimensions of health and disease in a single system. We assessed the relationship between urinary neopterin stored on filter paper and multiple metrics of health and disease in wild geladas (Theropithecus gelada), primates endemic to the Ethiopian highlands. We tested whether neopterin captures age-related variation in inflammation arising from developing immunity in infancy and chronic inflammation in old age, inflammation related to intramuscular tapeworm infection, helminth-induced anti-inflammatory immunomodulation, and perturbations in the gastrointestinal microbiome. We found that neopterin had a U-shaped relationship with age, no association with larval tapeworm infection, a negative relationship with metrics related to gastrointestinal helminth infection, and a negative relationship with microbial diversity. Together with growing research on neopterin and specific diseases, our results demonstrate that urinary neopterin can be a powerful tool for assessing multiple dimensions of health and disease in wildlife.

Isoflurane Preconditioning May Attenuate Cardiomyocyte Injury Induced by Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Possibly by Regulating miR-363-3p

This study attempted to explore whether miR-363-3p play a role in the isoflurane (ISO)-mediated protective effect of cardiomyocyte injury induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). A myocardial cell injury model was established, and the different preconditioning ISO concentrations were screened and determined. The miR-363-3p level was detected by RT-qPCR. The effects of miR-363-3p on proliferation and apoptosis of H9c2 cells were detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. Myocardial injury indexes were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The interaction of miR-363-3p with the 3'-UTR of the KLF2 gene was confirmed by luciferase reporter gene assay. ISO pretreatment can reduce the up-regulation of miR-363-3p after H/R injury. ISO pretreatment reduces the inhibition of cell viability and the promotion of cell apoptosis induced by H/R stimuli, while the overexpression of miR-363-3p counteracts the protective effect of ISO pretreatment. Meanwhile, ISO pretreatment also reduced the level of markers of H/R-induced myocardial injury. Moreover, luciferase reporter analysis showed that KLF2 was the downstream target gene of miR-363-3p. ISO pretreatment may alleviate H/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury by regulating miR-363-3p.

Circulatory microRNAs in helminthiases: Potent as diagnostics biomarker, its potential role and limitations

Infections caused by helminths are responsible for severe public health problems and economic burden on continental scale. Well-timed and precise diagnosis of helminth infections is critical for taking by appropriate approaches for pathogen control. Circulating miRNAs are stable diagnostic tool for different diseases found in a variety of body fluid. As diagnostic biomarkers in infectious diseases, miRNAs detection in body fluids of helminth infected hosts is growing promptly. Uncovering miRNAs is a relatively new tool, used for early-stage detection of helminth infection from experimental or non-invasive clinical samples. miRNAs can be detected in body fluids such as serum, saliva, urine, and tissues of helminth infected host, mainly blood offering important benefits for diagnosis accurately. In this review, we discuss different characteristics of helminth parasite-derived circulating and EV miRNAs, supporting its potential uses in for helminth diagnosis and treatment efficiency.

MiR-130b-3p promotes colorectal cancer progression by targeting CHD9

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. Previous research revealed that microRNA 130b-3p (miR-130b-3p) significantly upregulated in CRC patients can be detected in feces from patients with such a neoplasm. In this study, the biological role and molecular mechanism of miR-130b-3p in CRC were explored. The miR-130b-3p level in CRC tissues, feces and cell lines was measured using RT-qPCR analysis. CCK-8, EdU, TUNEL, flow cytometry, Western blotting, and in vivo experiments were performed to explore the biological function of miR-130b-3p in CRC progression. For this purpose, 16 BALB/c nude mice were assigned to two groups. The experiment lasted for four months. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay were used to investigate the regulatory mechanism related to miR-130b-3p. In our research, miR-130b-3p was upregulated in CRC tissues and cells and it was detected in feces from CRC patients. Moreover, miR-130b-3p inhibition suppressed CRC cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis in vitro as well as repressed CRC tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, miR-130b-3p directly targeted the 3'untranslated region (UTR) of chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 9 (CHD9) and negatively regulated CHD9 expression. Furthermore, CHD9 played an anti-oncogenic role in CRC. Inhibition of CHD9 expression was likely to be a key mechanism by which miR-130b-3p increased CRC cell growth, with a target protector experiment revealing miR-130b-3p influenced proliferation via direct inhibition of CHD9. MiR-130b-3p promotes the progression and tumorigenesis of CRC at least partially by targeting CHD9.Abbreviations: CRC: Colorectal cancer; miR-130b-3p: microRNA 130b-3p; CHD9: chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 9; UTR: untranslated region; FIT: fecal immunochemical test; AAs: advanced adenomas.

Noncoding RNA Roles in Pharmacogenomic Responses to Aspirin: New Molecular Mechanisms for an Old Drug

Aspirin, as one of the most frequently prescribed drugs, can have therapeutic effects on different conditions such as cardiovascular and metabolic disorders and malignancies. The effects of this common cardiovascular drug are exerted through different molecular and cellular pathways. Altered noncoding RNA (ncRNA) expression profiles during aspirin treatments indicate a close relationship between these regulatory molecules and aspirin effects through regulating gene expressions. A better understanding of the molecular networks contributing to aspirin efficacy would help optimize efficient therapies for this very popular drug. This review is aimed at discussing and highlighting the identified interactions between aspirin and ncRNAs and their targeting pathways and better understanding pharmacogenetic responses to aspirin.

Role of microRNAs in the anticancer effects of the flavonoid luteolin: a systematic review

Flavonoids, a broad class of polyphenolic compounds, can potentially have several therapeutic properties in human diseases, including protective effects against oxidative stress, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancers. Luteolin as a member of flavonoids has been found to exhibit several anticancer properties mainly through cell apoptosis induction, inhibition of invasion, cell proliferation, network formation, and migration. Recent studies have revealed that phytochemicals such as luteolin may exert therapeutic properties through microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), which have been emerged as important molecules in cancer biology in recent years. miRNAs, as a class of noncoding RNAs, have several important roles in cancer progression or regression. In this review, we aimed to summarize and discuss the role of miRNAs in the luteolin effects on different cancers. This review can be in line with the studies, which have shown that miRNAs may be potential therapeutic targets in cancer treatment.

Parasitic Helminth-Derived microRNAs and Extracellular Vesicle Cargos as Biomarkers for Helminthic Infections

As an adaption to their complex lifecycles, helminth parasites garner a unique repertoire of genes at different developmental stages with subtle regulatory mechanisms. These parasitic worms release differential components such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) as mediators which participate in the host-parasite interaction, immune regulation/evasion, and in governing processes associated with host infection. MiRNAs are small (~ 22-nucleotides) non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, and can exist in stable form in bodily fluids such as serum/plasma, urine, saliva and bile. In addition to reports focusing on the identification of miRNAs or in the probing of differentially expressed miRNA profiles in different development stages/sexes or in specific tissues, a number of studies have focused on the detection of helminth-derived miRNAs in the mammalian host circulatory system as diagnostic biomarkers. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), small membrane-surrounded structures secreted by a wide variety of cell types, contain rich cargos that are important in cell-cell communication. EVs have attracted wide attention due to their unique functional relevance in host-parasite interactions and for their potential value in translational applications such as biomarker discovery. In the current review, we discuss the status and potential of helminth parasite-derived circulating miRNAs and EV cargos as novel diagnostic tools.

Parasite-derived microRNAs as a diagnostic biomarker: potential roles, characteristics, and limitations

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a subclass of small regulatory RNAs that present from ancient unicellular protozoans to parasitic helminths and parasitic arthropods. MiRNAs' mode of action has attracted wide attention as a result of their unique functional importance. MiRNAs play a role in diverse physiological and pathological processes ranging from organ development, immune function to apoptosis and cancer at the post-transcription gene expression. Thus, miRNAs are known to be targets for clinical treatment and therapy. The discovery of the high stability of circulating miRNA in various types of host body fluids, such as whole blood, serum, plasma, saliva, and urine has increased great interest among researchers in the potential of circulating miRNA as a prognosis/diagnosis of infectious. Some circulating miRNAs biomarkers advanced to clinical applications related to human diseases. However, this idea starts to come only in the fields of infectious disease. The goal of this review is to enhance the current understanding of these molecules and their applicability in the field of medicine. A detailed review of the available literature consulting tools performed in online repositories such as NCBI, PubMed, Medline, ScienceDirect, and UpToDate. This review summarizes an overview of preclinical studies using circulating miRNAs biomarkers against infectious diseases affecting humans. The use of miRNA as a safe and potential tool is encouraging news, considering that until now, guidelines for the use of miRNA in clinical practice are still lacking.

Insight in miRNome of Long-Term Non-Progressors and Elite Controllers Exposes Potential RNAi Role in Restraining HIV-1 Infection

Long-term non-progressors (LTNP) and elite controllers (EC) represent spontaneous natural models of efficient HIV-1 response in the absence of treatment. The main purposes of this work are to describe the miRNome of HIV-1 infected patients with different extreme phenotypes and identify potentially altered pathways regulated by differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs. The miRNomes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of dual phenotype EC-LTNP or LTNP with detectable viremia and HIV-infected patients with typical progression before and after treatment, were obtained through miRNA-Seq and compared among them. The administration of treatment produces 18 DE miRNAs in typical progressors. LTNP condition shows 14 DE miRNA when compared to typical progressors, allowing LTNP phenotype differentiation. A set of four miRNAs: miR-144-3p, miR-18a-5p, miR-451a, and miR-324 is strongly downregulated in LTNP and related to protein regulation as AKT, mTOR, ERK or IKK, involved in immune response pathways. Deregulation of 28 miRNA is observed between EC-LTNP and viremic-LTNP, including previously described anti-HIV miRNAs: miR-29a, associated with LTNP phenotype, and miR-155, targeting different pre-integration complexes such as ADAM10 and TNPO3. A holistic perspective of the changes observed in the miRNome of patients with different phenotypes of HIV-control and non-progression is provided.

Functional mechanisms of miR-192 family in cancer

By growing research on the mechanisms and functions of microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs), the role of these noncoding RNAs gained more attention in healthcare. Due to the remarkable regulatory role of miRNAs, any dysregulation in their expression causes cellular functional impairment. In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that these small molecules contribute to development, cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and tumor growth. In many studies, the miR-192 family has been suggested as a potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarker and even as a possible therapeutic target for several cancers. However, the mechanistic effects of the miR-192 family on cancer cells are still controversial. Here, we have reviewed each family member of the miR-192 including miR-192, miR-194, and miR-215, and discussed their mechanistic roles in various cancers.

Post-genomic progress in helminth parasitology

Helminth parasitology is an important discipline, which poses often unique technical challenges. One challenge is that helminth parasites, particularly those in humans, are often difficult to obtain alive and in sufficient quantities for study; another is the challenge of studying these organisms in vitro – no helminth parasite life cycle has been fully recapitulated outside of a host. Arguably, the key issue retarding progress in helminth parasitology has been a lack of experimental tools and resources, certainly relative to the riches that have driven many parasitologists to adopt free-living model organisms as surrogate systems. In response to these needs, the past 10–12 years have seen the beginnings of helminth parasitology's journey into the ‘omics’ era, with the release of abundant sequencing resources, and the functional genomics tools with which to test biological hypotheses. To reflect this progress, the 2019 Autumn Symposium of the British Society for Parasitology was held in Queen's University Belfast on the topic of ‘post-genomic progress in helminth parasitology’. This issue presents examples of the current state of play in the field, while this editorial summarizes how genomic datasets and functional genomic tools have stimulated impressive recent progress in our understanding of parasite biology.