1
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Tucker EJ, Wong SW, Marri S, Ali S, Fedele AO, Michael MZ, Rojas-Canales D, Li JY, Lim CK, Gleadle JM. SARS-CoV-2 produces a microRNA CoV2-miR-O8 in patients with COVID-19 infection. iScience 2024; 27:108719. [PMID: 38226175 PMCID: PMC10788221 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Many viruses produce microRNAs (miRNAs), termed viral miRNAs (v-miRNAs), with the capacity to target host gene expression. Bioinformatic and cell culture studies suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can also generate v-miRNAs. This patient-based study defines the SARS-CoV-2 encoded small RNAs present in nasopharyngeal swabs of patients with COVID-19 infection using small RNA-seq. A specific conserved sequence (CoV2-miR-O8) is defined that is not expressed in other coronaviruses but is preserved in all SARS-CoV-2 variants. CoV2-miR-O8 is highly represented in nasopharyngeal samples from patients with COVID-19 infection, is detected by RT-PCR assays in patients, has features consistent with Dicer and Drosha generation as well as interaction with Argonaute and targets specific human microRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise J. Tucker
- Department of Renal Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, SA, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, SA, Australia
| | - Soon Wei Wong
- Department of Renal Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, SA, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, SA, Australia
| | - Shashikanth Marri
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, SA, Australia
| | - Saira Ali
- Department of Renal Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, SA, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, SA, Australia
| | - Anthony O. Fedele
- Department of Renal Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, SA, Australia
| | - Michael Z. Michael
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, SA, Australia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Flinders Medical Centre, SA, Australia
| | - Darling Rojas-Canales
- Department of Renal Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, SA, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, SA, Australia
| | - Jordan Y. Li
- Department of Renal Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, SA, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, SA, Australia
| | - Chuan Kok Lim
- Infectious Diseases Laboratories, SA Pathology, SA, Australia
| | - Jonathan M. Gleadle
- Department of Renal Medicine, Flinders Medical Centre, SA, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, SA, Australia
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2
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Omer A. MicroRNAs as powerful tool against COVID-19: Computational perspective. WIREs Mech Dis 2023; 15:e1621. [PMID: 37345625 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is the virus that is responsible for the current pandemic, COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2). MiRNAs, a component of RNAi technology, belong to the family of short, noncoding ssRNAs, and may be crucial in the battle against this global threat since they are involved in regulating complex biochemical pathways and may prevent viral proliferation, translation, and host expression. The complicated metabolic pathways are modulated by the activity of many proteins, mRNAs, and miRNAs working together in miRNA-mediated genetic control. The amount of omics data has increased dramatically in recent years. This massive, linked, yet complex metabolic regulatory network data offers a wealth of opportunity for iterative analysis; hence, extensive, in-depth, but time-efficient screening is necessary to acquire fresh discoveries; this is readily performed with the use of bioinformatics. We have reviewed the literature on microRNAs, bioinformatics, and COVID-19 infection to summarize (1) the function of miRNAs in combating COVID-19, and (2) the use of computational methods in combating COVID-19 in certain noteworthy studies, and (3) computational tools used by these studies against COVID-19 in several purposes. This article is categorized under: Infectious Diseases > Computational Models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankur Omer
- Government College Silodi, MPHED, Katni, Madhya Pradesh, India
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3
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Rojas-Cruz AF, Bermúdez-Santana CI. Computational Prediction of RNA-RNA Interactions between Small RNA Tracks from Betacoronavirus Nonstructural Protein 3 and Neurotrophin Genes during Infection of an Epithelial Lung Cancer Cell Line: Potential Role of Novel Small Regulatory RNA. Viruses 2023; 15:1647. [PMID: 37631989 PMCID: PMC10458423 DOI: 10.3390/v15081647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether RNA-RNA interactions of cytoplasmic RNA viruses, such as Betacoronavirus, might end in the biogenesis of putative virus-derived small RNAs as miRNA-like molecules has been controversial. Even more, whether RNA-RNA interactions of wild animal viruses may act as virus-derived small RNAs is unknown. Here, we address these issues in four ways. First, we use conserved RNA structures undergoing negative selection in the genomes of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 circulating in different bat species, intermediate animals, and human hosts. Second, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify Betacoronavirus-targeting hsa-miRNAs involved in lung cell infection. Third, we employed sophisticated long-range RNA-RNA interactions to refine the seed sequence homology of hsa-miRNAs with conserved RNA structures. Fourth, we used high-throughput RNA sequencing of a Betacoronavirus-infected epithelial lung cancer cell line (Calu-3) to validate the results. We proposed nine potential virus-derived small RNAs: two vsRNAs in SARS-CoV (Bats: SB-vsRNA-ORF1a-3p; SB-vsRNA-S-5p), one vsRNA in MERS-CoV (Bats: MB-vsRNA-ORF1b-3p), and six vsRNAs in SARS-CoV-2 (Bats: S2B-vsRNA-ORF1a-5p; intermediate animals: S2I-vsRNA-ORF1a-5p; and humans: S2H-vsRNA-ORF1a-5p, S2H-vsRNA-ORF1a-3p, S2H-vsRNA-ORF1b-3p, S2H-vsRNA-ORF3a-3p), mainly encoded by nonstructural protein 3. Notably, Betacoronavirus-derived small RNAs targeted 74 differentially expressed genes in infected human cells, of which 55 upregulate the molecular mechanisms underlying acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and the 19 downregulated genes might be implicated in neurotrophin signaling impairment. These results reveal a novel small RNA-based regulatory mechanism involved in neuropathogenesis that must be further studied to validate its therapeutic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Felipe Rojas-Cruz
- Theoretical and Computational RNomics Group, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia;
- Center of Excellence in Scientific Computing, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
| | - Clara Isabel Bermúdez-Santana
- Theoretical and Computational RNomics Group, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia;
- Center of Excellence in Scientific Computing, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
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4
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Saini S, Khurana S, Saini D, Rajput S, Thakur CJ, Singh J, Jaswal A, Kapoor Y, Kumar V, Saini A. In silico analysis of genomic landscape of SARS-CoV-2 and its variant of concerns (Delta and Omicron) reveals changes in the coding potential of miRNAs and their target genes. Gene X 2023; 853:147097. [PMID: 36470485 PMCID: PMC9721428 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.147097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 related morbidities and mortalities are still continued due to the emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2. In the last few years, viral miRNAs have been the centre of study to understand the disease pathophysiology. In this work, we aimed to predict the change in coding potential of the viral miRNAs in SARS-CoV-2's VOCs, Delta and Omicron compared to the Reference (Wuhan origin) strain using bioinformatics tools. After ab-intio based screening by the Vmir tool and validation, we retrieved 22, 6, and 6 pre-miRNAs for Reference, Delta, and Omicron. Most of the predicted unique pre-miRNAs of Delta and Omicron were found to be encoded from the terminal and origin of the genomic sequence, respectively. Mature miRNAs identified by MatureBayes from the unique pre-miRNAs were used for target identification using miRDB. A total of 1786, 216, and 143 high-confidence target genes were captured for GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis. The GO and KEGG pathways terms analysis revealed the involvement of Delta miRNAs targeted genes in the pathways such as Human cytomegalovirus infection, Breast cancer, Apoptosis, Neurotrophin signaling, and Axon guidance whereas the Sphingolipid signaling pathway was found for the Omicron. Furthermore, we focussed our analysis on target genes that were validated through GEO's (Gene Expression Omnibus) DEGs (Differentially Expressed Genes) dataset, in which FGL2, TNSF12, OGN, GDF11, and BMP11 target genes were found to be down-regulated by Reference miRNAs and YAE1 and RSU1 by Delta. Few genes were also observed to be validated among in up-regulated gene set of the GEO dataset, in which MMP14, TNFRSF21, SGMS1, and TMEM192 were related to Reference whereas ZEB2 was detected in all three strains. This study thus provides an in-silico based analysis that deciphered the unique pre-miRNAs in Delta and Omicron compared to Reference. However, the findings need future wet lab studies for validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Saini
- Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India,Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Sector 25, Chandigarh 160014, India,Corresponding authors at: Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India (S. Saini)
| | - Savi Khurana
- Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India
| | - Dikshant Saini
- Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India
| | - Saru Rajput
- Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India
| | - Chander Jyoti Thakur
- Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India
| | - Jeevisha Singh
- Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India
| | - Akanksha Jaswal
- Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India
| | - Yogesh Kapoor
- Department of Engineering and Technology, Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India
| | - Varinder Kumar
- Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India
| | - Avneet Saini
- Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, Sector 25, Chandigarh 160014, India,Corresponding authors at: Department of Bioinformatics, Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma College, Sector 32, Chandigarh 160030, India (S. Saini)
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5
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Diambra L, Alonso AM, Sookoian S, Pirola CJ. Single cell gene expression profiling of nasal ciliated cells reveals distinctive biological processes related to epigenetic mechanisms in patients with severe COVID-19. Comput Biol Med 2022; 148:105895. [PMID: 35926268 PMCID: PMC9338837 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Objective To explore the molecular processes associated with cellular regulatory programs in patients with COVID-19, including gene activation or repression mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. We hypothesized that a comprehensive gene expression profiling of nasopharyngeal epithelial cells might expand our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of severe COVID-19. Methods We used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) profiling of ciliated cells (n = 12,725) from healthy controls (SARS-CoV-2 negative n = 13) and patients with mild/moderate (n = 13) and severe (n = 14) COVID-19. ScRNAseq data at the patient level were used to perform gene set and pathway enrichment analyses. We prioritized candidate miRNA-target interactions and epigenetic mechanisms. Results We found that mild/moderate COVID-19 compared to healthy controls had upregulation of gene expression signatures associated with mitochondrial function, misfolded proteins, and membrane permeability. In addition, we found that compared to mild/moderate disease, severe COVID-19 had downregulation of epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA and histone H3K4 methylation and chromatin remodelling regulation. Furthermore, we found 11-ranked miRNAs that may explain miRNA-dependent regulation of histone methylation, some of which share seed sequences with SARS-CoV-2 miRNAs. Conclusion Our results may provide novel insights into the epigenetic mechanisms mediating the clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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6
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Repurposing Multiple-Molecule Drugs for COVID-19-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Non-Viral Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome via a Systems Biology Approach and a DNN-DTI Model Based on Five Drug Design Specifications. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073649. [PMID: 35409008 PMCID: PMC8998971 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic is currently raging around the world at a rapid speed. Among COVID-19 patients, SARS-CoV-2-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the main contribution to the high ratio of morbidity and mortality. However, clinical manifestations between SARS-CoV-2-associated ARDS and non-SARS-CoV-2-associated ARDS are quite common, and their therapeutic treatments are limited because the intricated pathophysiology having been not fully understood. In this study, to investigate the pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2-associated ARDS and non-SARS-CoV-2-associated ARDS, first, we constructed a candidate host-pathogen interspecies genome-wide genetic and epigenetic network (HPI-GWGEN) via database mining. With the help of host-pathogen RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data, real HPI-GWGEN of COVID-19-associated ARDS and non-viral ARDS were obtained by system modeling, system identification, and Akaike information criterion (AIC) model order selection method to delete the false positives in candidate HPI-GWGEN. For the convenience of mitigation, the principal network projection (PNP) approach is utilized to extract core HPI-GWGEN, and then the corresponding core signaling pathways of COVID-19-associated ARDS and non-viral ARDS are annotated via their core HPI-GWGEN by KEGG pathways. In order to design multiple-molecule drugs of COVID-19-associated ARDS and non-viral ARDS, we identified essential biomarkers as drug targets of pathogenesis by comparing the core signal pathways between COVID-19-associated ARDS and non-viral ARDS. The deep neural network of the drug–target interaction (DNN-DTI) model could be trained by drug–target interaction databases in advance to predict candidate drugs for the identified biomarkers. We further narrowed down these predicted drug candidates to repurpose potential multiple-molecule drugs by the filters of drug design specifications, including regulation ability, sensitivity, excretion, toxicity, and drug-likeness. Taken together, we not only enlighten the etiologic mechanisms under COVID-19-associated ARDS and non-viral ARDS but also provide novel therapeutic options for COVID-19-associated ARDS and non-viral ARDS.
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7
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Maranini B, Ciancio G, Ferracin M, Cultrera R, Negrini M, Sabbioni S, Govoni M. microRNAs and Inflammatory Immune Response in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Narrative Review. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12020288. [PMID: 35207576 PMCID: PMC8879390 DOI: 10.3390/life12020288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has emerged as an international challenge with strong medical and socioeconomic impact. The spectrum of clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 is wide, covering asymptomatic or mild cases up to severe and life-threatening complications. Critical courses of SARS-CoV-2 infection are thought to be driven by the so-called “cytokine storm”, derived from an excessive immune response that induces the release of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. In recent years, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) emerged as potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in both inflammatory and infectious diseases. Therefore, the identification of SARS-CoV-2 miRNAs and host miRNAs is an important research topic, investigating the host–virus crosstalk in COVID-19 infection, trying to answer the pressing question of whether miRNA-based therapeutics can be employed to tackle SARS-CoV-2 complications. In this review, we aimed to directly address ncRNA role in SARS-CoV-2-immune system crosstalk upon COVID-19 infection, particularly focusing on inflammatory pathways and cytokine storm syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Maranini
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.C.); (M.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Giovanni Ciancio
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.C.); (M.G.)
| | - Manuela Ferracin
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Rosario Cultrera
- Infectious Diseases, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;
| | - Massimo Negrini
- Laboratorio per le Tecnologie delle Terapie Avanzate (LTTA), Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;
| | - Silvia Sabbioni
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy;
| | - Marcello Govoni
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.C.); (M.G.)
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8
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Kucher AN, Koroleva IA, Zarubin AA, Nazarenko MS. MicroRNAs as the Potential Regulators of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Modifiers of the COVID-19 Clinical Features. Mol Biol 2022; 56:29-45. [PMID: 35464324 PMCID: PMC9016216 DOI: 10.1134/s0026893322010034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) warrants the identification of factors that may determine both risk and severity of infection. The factors include microRNAs that have a wide regulatory potential and hence are particularly interesting. The review focuses on the potential roles of human microRNAs and the viral genome as well as microRNAs in SARS-CoV-2 infection and clinical features of COVID-19. The review summarizes the information about the human microRNAs that are thought to specifically bind to the SARS-CoV-2 genome and considers their expression levels in various organs (cells) in both healthy state and pathologies that are risk factors for severe COVID-19. Potential mechanisms whereby SARS-CoV-2 may affect the clinical features of COVID-19 are discussed in brief. The mechanisms include blocking of human microRNAs and RNA-binding proteins, changes in gene expression in infected cells, and possible epigenetic modifications of the human genome with the participation of coronavirus microRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. N. Kucher
- Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Iu. A. Koroleva
- Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - A. A. Zarubin
- Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - M. S. Nazarenko
- Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
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9
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Zhu Y, Zhang Z, Song J, Qian W, Gu X, Yang C, Shen N, Xue F, Tang Y. SARS-CoV-2-Encoded MiRNAs Inhibit Host Type I Interferon Pathway and Mediate Allelic Differential Expression of Susceptible Gene. Front Immunol 2022; 12:767726. [PMID: 35003084 PMCID: PMC8733928 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.767726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causing the rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has generated a public health crisis worldwide. The molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and virus–host interactions are still unclear. In this study, we identified four unique microRNA-like small RNAs encoded by SARS-CoV-2. SCV2-miR-ORF1ab-1-3p and SCV2-miR-ORF1ab-2-5p play an important role in evasion of type I interferon response through targeting several genes in type I interferon signaling pathway. Particularly worth mentioning is that highly expressed SCV2-miR-ORF1ab-2-5p inhibits some key genes in the host innate immune response, such as IRF7, IRF9, STAT2, OAS1, and OAS2. SCV2-miR-ORF1ab-2-5p has also been found to mediate allelic differential expression of COVID-19-susceptible gene OAS1. In conclusion, these results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 uses its miRNAs to evade the type I interferon response and links the functional viral sequence to the susceptible genetic background of the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youwei Zhu
- Shanghai Institute of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaoyang Zhang
- Shanghai Institute of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia Song
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Weizhou Qian
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiangqian Gu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China
| | - Chaoyong Yang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,State Key Laboratory for Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, and Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Nan Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Center for Autoimmune Genomics and Etiology (CAGE), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Feng Xue
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanjia Tang
- Shanghai Institute of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, Shanghai, China
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10
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Bugnon LA, Raad J, Merino GA, Yones C, Ariel F, Milone DH, Stegmayer G. Deep Learning for the discovery of new pre-miRNAs: Helping the fight against COVID-19. MACHINE LEARNING WITH APPLICATIONS 2021; 6:100150. [PMID: 34939043 PMCID: PMC8427907 DOI: 10.1016/j.mlwa.2021.100150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been recently found responsible for the pandemic outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In this work, a novel approach based on deep learning is proposed for identifying precursors of small active RNA molecules named microRNA (miRNA) in the genome of the novel coronavirus. Viral miRNA-like molecules have shown to modulate the host transcriptome during the infection progression, thus their identification is crucial for helping the diagnosis or medical treatment of the disease. The existence of the mature miRNAs derived from computationally predicted miRNA precursors (pre-miRNAs) in the novel coronavirus was validated with small RNA-seq data from SARS-CoV-2-infected human cells. The results demonstrate that computational models can provide accurate and useful predictions of pre-miRNAs in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, underscoring the relevance of machine learning in the response to a global sanitary emergency. Moreover, the interpretability of our model shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the viral infection, thus contributing to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the fast development of new treatments. Our study shows how recent advances in machine learning can be used, effectively, in response to public health emergencies. The approach developed in this work could be of great help in future similar emergencies to accelerate the understanding of the singularities of any viral agent and for the development of novel therapies. Data and source code available at: https://sourceforge.net/projects/sourcesinc/files/aicovid/.
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Affiliation(s)
- L A Bugnon
- Research Institute for Signals, Systems and Computational Intelligence (sinc(i)), FICH-UNL, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria UNL, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - J Raad
- Research Institute for Signals, Systems and Computational Intelligence (sinc(i)), FICH-UNL, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria UNL, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - G A Merino
- Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Research and Development Institute (IBB), FI-UNER, CONICET, Ruta 11 km 10.5, Oro Verde, Argentina
| | - C Yones
- Research Institute for Signals, Systems and Computational Intelligence (sinc(i)), FICH-UNL, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria UNL, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - F Ariel
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnologia del Litoral (IAL), CONICET, FBCB, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Colectora Ruta Nacional 168 km 0, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - D H Milone
- Research Institute for Signals, Systems and Computational Intelligence (sinc(i)), FICH-UNL, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria UNL, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - G Stegmayer
- Research Institute for Signals, Systems and Computational Intelligence (sinc(i)), FICH-UNL, CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria UNL, Santa Fe, Argentina
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11
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Saha C, Laha S, Chatterjee R, Bhattacharyya NP. Co-Regulation of Protein Coding Genes by Transcription Factor and Long Non-Coding RNA in SARS-CoV-2 Infected Cells: An In Silico Analysis. Noncoding RNA 2021; 7:74. [PMID: 34940755 PMCID: PMC8708613 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna7040074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered expression of protein coding gene (PCG) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) have been identified in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells and tissues from COVID-19 patients. The functional role and mechanism (s) of transcriptional regulation of deregulated genes in COVID-19 remain largely unknown. In the present communication, reanalyzing publicly available gene expression data, we observed that 66 lncRNA and 5491 PCG were deregulated in more than one experimental condition. Combining our earlier published results and using different publicly available resources, it was observed that 72 deregulated lncRNA interacted with 3228 genes/proteins. Many targets of deregulated lncRNA could also interact with SARS-CoV-2 coded proteins, modulated by IFN treatment and identified in CRISPR screening to modulate SARS-CoV-2 infection. The majority of the deregulated lncRNA and PCG were targets of at least one of the transcription factors (TFs), interferon responsive factors (IRFs), signal transducer, and activator of transcription (STATs), NFκB, MYC, and RELA/p65. Deregulated 1069 PCG was joint targets of lncRNA and TF. These joint targets are significantly enriched with pathways relevant for SARS-CoV-2 infection indicating that joint regulation of PCG could be one of the mechanisms for deregulation. Over all this manuscript showed possible involvement of lncRNA and mechanisms of deregulation of PCG in the pathogenesis of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chinmay Saha
- Department of Genome Science, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Kalyani, Nadia 741235, India;
| | - Sayantan Laha
- Human Genetics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 B. T. Road, Kolkata 700108, India; (S.L.); (R.C.)
| | - Raghunath Chatterjee
- Human Genetics Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, 203 B. T. Road, Kolkata 700108, India; (S.L.); (R.C.)
| | - Nitai P. Bhattacharyya
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, Kolkata 700020, India
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12
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Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Derived Small RNAs and Changes in Circulating Small RNAs Associated with COVID-19. Viruses 2021; 13:v13081593. [PMID: 34452458 PMCID: PMC8402885 DOI: 10.3390/v13081593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cleavage of double-stranded RNA is described as an evolutionary conserved host defense mechanism against viral infection. Small RNAs are the product and triggers of post transcriptional gene silencing events. Up until now, the relevance of this mechanism for SARS-CoV-2-directed immune responses remains elusive. Herein, we used high throughput sequencing to profile the plasma of active and convalescent COVID-19 patients for the presence of small circulating RNAs. The existence of SARS-CoV-2 derived small RNAs in plasma samples of mild and severe COVID-19 cases is described. Clusters of high siRNA abundance were discovered, homologous to the nsp2 3′-end and nsp4 virus sequence. Four virus-derived small RNA sequences have the size of human miRNAs, and a target search revealed candidate genes associated with ageusia and long COVID symptoms. These virus-derived small RNAs were detectable also after recovery from the disease. The additional analysis of circulating human miRNAs revealed differentially abundant miRNAs, discriminating mild from severe cases. A total of 29 miRNAs were reduced or absent in severe cases. Several of these are associated with JAK-STAT response and cytokine storm.
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13
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Halim FS, Parmin NA, Hashim U, Gopinath SCB, Dahalan FA, Zakaria II, Ang WC, Jaapar NF. MicroRNA of N-region from SARS-CoV-2: Potential sensing components for biosensor development. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2021; 69:1696-1711. [PMID: 34378814 PMCID: PMC8427135 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
An oligonucleotide DNA probe has been developed for the application in the DNA electrochemical biosensor for the early diagnosis of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Here, the virus microRNA from the N-gene of severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was used for the first time as a specific target for detecting the virus and became a framework for developing the complementary DNA probe. The sequence analysis of the virus microRNA was carried out using bioinformatics tools including basic local alignment search tools, multiple sequence alignment from CLUSTLW, microRNA database (miRbase), microRNA target database, and gene analysis. Cross-validation of distinct strains of coronavirus and human microRNA sequences was completed to validate the percentage of identical and consent regions. The percent identity parameter from the bioinformatics tools revealed the virus microRNAs' sequence has a 100% match with the genome of SARS-CoV-2 compared with other coronavirus strains, hence improving the selectivity of the complementary DNA probe. The 30 mer with 53.0% GC content of complementary DNA probe 5' GCC TGA GTT GAG TCA GCA CTG CTC ATG GAT 3' was designed and could be used as a bioreceptor for the biosensor development in the clinical and environmental diagnosis of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatin Syakirah Halim
- Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Kangar, Perlis, 01000, Malaysia
| | - N A Parmin
- Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Kangar, Perlis, 01000, Malaysia
| | - Uda Hashim
- Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Kangar, Perlis, 01000, Malaysia
| | - Subash C B Gopinath
- Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Kangar, Perlis, 01000, Malaysia.,Faculty of Chemical Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau, Perlis, 02600, Malaysia
| | - Farrah Aini Dahalan
- Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Arau, Perlis, 02600, Malaysia
| | - Iffah Izzati Zakaria
- Malaysia Genome Institute (MGI), National Institute of Biotechnology (NIBM), Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Wei Chern Ang
- Clinical Research Centre, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Hospital Tuanku Fauziah Perlis, Kangar, Perlis, 01000, Malaysia
| | - Nurfareezah Fareezah Jaapar
- Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Kangar, Perlis, 01000, Malaysia
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14
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Winkle M, El-Daly SM, Fabbri M, Calin GA. Noncoding RNA therapeutics - challenges and potential solutions. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2021; 20:629-651. [PMID: 34145432 PMCID: PMC8212082 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-021-00219-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 759] [Impact Index Per Article: 253.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic targeting of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), represents an attractive approach for the treatment of cancers, as well as many other diseases. Over the past decade, substantial effort has been made towards the clinical application of RNA-based therapeutics, employing mostly antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNAs, with several gaining FDA approval. However, trial results have so far been ambivalent, with some studies reporting potent effects whereas others demonstrated limited efficacy or toxicity. Alternative entities such as antimiRNAs are undergoing clinical testing, and lncRNA-based therapeutics are gaining interest. In this Perspective, we discuss key challenges facing ncRNA therapeutics - including issues associated with specificity, delivery and tolerability - and focus on promising emerging approaches that aim to boost their success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Winkle
- Translational Molecular Pathology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas State University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sherien M El-Daly
- Medical Biochemistry Department, Medical Research Division - Cancer Biology and Genetics Laboratory, Centre of Excellence for Advanced Sciences - National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Muller Fabbri
- Cancer Biology Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - George A Calin
- Translational Molecular Pathology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas State University, Houston, TX, USA.
- The RNA Interference and Non-codingRNA Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas State University, Houston, TX, USA.
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15
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Meng F, Siu GKH, Mok BWY, Sun J, Fung KSC, Lam JYW, Wong NK, Gedefaw L, Luo S, Lee TMH, Yip SP, Huang CL. Viral MicroRNAs Encoded by Nucleocapsid Gene of SARS-CoV-2 Are Detected during Infection, and Targeting Metabolic Pathways in Host Cells. Cells 2021; 10:1762. [PMID: 34359932 PMCID: PMC8307234 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of gene expression that may be used to identify the pathological pathways influenced by disease and cellular interactions. Viral miRNAs (v-miRNAs) encoded by both DNA and RNA viruses induce immune dysregulation, virus production, and disease pathogenesis. Given the absence of effective treatment and the prevalence of highly infective SARS-CoV-2 strains, improved understanding of viral-associated miRNAs could provide novel mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of COVID-19. In this study, SARS-CoV-2 v-miRNAs were identified by deep sequencing in infected Calu-3 and Vero E6 cell lines. Among the ~0.1% small RNA sequences mapped to the SARS-CoV-2 genome, the top ten SARS-CoV-2 v-miRNAs (including three encoded by the N gene; v-miRNA-N) were selected. After initial screening of conserved v-miRNA-N-28612, which was identified in both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, its expression was shown to be positively associated with viral load in COVID-19 patients. Further in silico analysis and synthetic-mimic transfection of validated SARS-CoV-2 v-miRNAs revealed novel functional targets and associations with mechanisms of cellular metabolism and biosynthesis. Our findings support the development of v-miRNA-based biomarkers and therapeutic strategies based on improved understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Meng
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; (F.M.); (G.K.-H.S.); (J.S.); (N.K.W.); (L.G.); (S.L.)
| | - Gilman Kit-Hang Siu
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; (F.M.); (G.K.-H.S.); (J.S.); (N.K.W.); (L.G.); (S.L.)
| | - Bobo Wing-Yee Mok
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jiahong Sun
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; (F.M.); (G.K.-H.S.); (J.S.); (N.K.W.); (L.G.); (S.L.)
| | - Kitty S. C. Fung
- Department of Pathology, United Christian Hospital, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, China;
| | - Jimmy Yiu-Wing Lam
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Chai Wan, Hong Kong, China;
| | - Nonthaphat Kent Wong
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; (F.M.); (G.K.-H.S.); (J.S.); (N.K.W.); (L.G.); (S.L.)
| | - Lealem Gedefaw
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; (F.M.); (G.K.-H.S.); (J.S.); (N.K.W.); (L.G.); (S.L.)
| | - Shumeng Luo
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; (F.M.); (G.K.-H.S.); (J.S.); (N.K.W.); (L.G.); (S.L.)
| | - Thomas M. H. Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China;
| | - Shea Ping Yip
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; (F.M.); (G.K.-H.S.); (J.S.); (N.K.W.); (L.G.); (S.L.)
| | - Chien-Ling Huang
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; (F.M.); (G.K.-H.S.); (J.S.); (N.K.W.); (L.G.); (S.L.)
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16
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Multilevel systems biology analysis of lung transcriptomics data identifies key miRNAs and potential miRNA target genes for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Comput Biol Med 2021; 135:104570. [PMID: 34157472 PMCID: PMC8197616 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Background The spread of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected both the public health and the global economy. The current study was aimed at analysing the genetic sequence of this highly contagious corona virus from an evolutionary perspective, comparing the genetic variation features of different geographic strains, and identifying the key miRNAs as well as their gene targets from the transcriptome data of infected lung tissues. Methods A multilevel robust computational analysis was undertaken for viral genetic sequence alignment, phylogram construction, genome-wide transcriptome data interpretation of virus-infected lung tissues, miRNA mapping, and functional biology networking. Results Our findings show both genetic similarities as well as notable differences in the S protein length among SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS viruses. All SARS-CoV-2 strains showed a high genetic similarity with the parent Wuhan strain, but Saudi Arabian, South African, USA, Russia and New Zealand strains carry 3 additional genetic variations like P333L (RNA -dependant RNA polymerase), D614G (spike), and P4715L (ORF1ab). The infected lung tissues demonstrated the upregulation of 282 (56.51%) antiviral defensive response pathway genes and downregulation of 217 (43.48%) genes involved in autophagy and lung repair pathways. By miRNA mapping, 4 key miRNAs (hsa-miR-342-5p, hsa-miR-432-5p, hsa-miR-98-5p and hsa-miR-17-5p), targeting multiple host genes (MYC, IL6, ICAM1 and VEGFA) as well as SARS-CoV2 gene (ORF1ab) were identified. Conclusion Systems biology methods offer a new perspective in understanding the molecular basis for the faster spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The antiviral miRNAs identified in this study may aid in the ongoing search for novel personalized therapeutic avenues for COVID patients.
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Ahmadi A, Moradi S. In silico analysis suggests the RNAi-enhancing antibiotic enoxacin as a potential inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10271. [PMID: 33986351 PMCID: PMC8119475 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89605-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 has currently become the biggest challenge in the world. There is still no specific medicine for COVID-19, which leaves a critical gap for the identification of new drug candidates for the disease. Recent studies have reported that the small-molecule enoxacin exerts an antiviral activity by enhancing the RNAi pathway. The aim of this study is to analyze if enoxacin can exert anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects. We exploit multiple computational tools and databases to examine (i) whether the RNAi mechanism, as the target pathway of enoxacin, could act on the SARS-CoV-2 genome, and (ii) microRNAs induced by enoxacin might directly silence viral components as well as the host cell proteins mediating the viral entry and replication. We find that the RNA genome of SARS-CoV-2 might be a suitable substrate for DICER activity. We also highlight several enoxacin-enhanced microRNAs which could target SARS-CoV-2 components, pro-inflammatory cytokines, host cell components facilitating viral replication, and transcription factors enriched in lung stem cells, thereby promoting their differentiation and lung regeneration. Finally, our analyses identify several enoxacin-targeted regulatory modules that were critically associated with exacerbation of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Overall, our analysis suggests that enoxacin could be a promising candidate for COVID-19 treatment through enhancing the RNAi pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirhossein Ahmadi
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Nano and Bio Science and Technology, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, 75169,, Iran
| | - Sharif Moradi
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
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18
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Zhang S, Amahong K, Sun X, Lian X, Liu J, Sun H, Lou Y, Zhu F, Qiu Y. The miRNA: a small but powerful RNA for COVID-19. Brief Bioinform 2021; 22:1137-1149. [PMID: 33675361 PMCID: PMC7989616 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a severe and rapidly evolving epidemic. Now, although a few drugs and vaccines have been proved for its treatment and prevention, little systematic comments are made to explain its susceptibility to humans. A few scattered studies used bioinformatics methods to explore the role of microRNA (miRNA) in COVID-19 infection. Combining these timely reports and previous studies about virus and miRNA, we comb through the available clues and seemingly make the perspective reasonable that the COVID-19 cleverly exploits the interplay between the small miRNA and other biomolecules to avoid being effectively recognized and attacked from host immune protection as well to deactivate functional genes that are crucial for immune system. In detail, SARS-CoV-2 can be regarded as a sponge to adsorb host immune-related miRNA, which forces host fall into dysfunction status of immune system. Besides, SARS-CoV-2 encodes its own miRNAs, which can enter host cell and are not perceived by the host's immune system, subsequently targeting host function genes to cause illnesses. Therefore, this article presents a reasonable viewpoint that the miRNA-based interplays between the host and SARS-CoV-2 may be the primary cause that SARS-CoV-2 accesses and attacks the host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Zhejiang University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China
| | | | - Xiuna Sun
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Zhejiang University, China
| | - Xichen Lian
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Zhejiang University, China
| | - Jin Liu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Zhejiang University, China
| | - Huaicheng Sun
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Zhejiang University, China
| | - Yan Lou
- Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Clinical Research and Evaluation, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China
| | - Feng Zhu
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Zhejiang University, China
| | - Yunqing Qiu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Clinical Research and Evaluation, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China
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