Evaluation of microRNA Expression in Patients with Herpes Zoster

Computational Screening to Predict MicroRNA Targets in the Flavivirus 3' UTR Genome: An Approach for Antiviral Development

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are molecules that influence messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels by binding to the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of target genes. Host miRNAs can influence flavivirus replication, either by inducing changes in the host transcriptome or by directly binding to viral genomes. The 3' UTR of the flavivirus genome is a conserved region crucial for viral replication. Cells might exploit this well-preserved region by generating miRNAs that interact with it, ultimately impacting viral replication. Despite significant efforts to identify miRNAs capable of arresting viral replication, the potential of all these miRNAs to interact with the flavivirus 3' UTR is still poorly characterised. In this context, bioinformatic tools have been proposed as a fundamental part of accelerating the discovery of interactions between miRNAs and the 3' UTR of viral genomes. In this study, we performed a computational analysis to reveal potential miRNAs from human and mosquito species that bind to the 3' UTR of flaviviruses. In humans, miR-6842 and miR-661 were found, while in mosquitoes, miR-9-C, miR-2945-5p, miR-11924, miR-282-5p, and miR-79 were identified. These findings open new avenues for studying these miRNAs as antivirals against flavivirus infections.

miRNA contributes to neuropathic pains

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a kind of chronic pain caused by direct injury to the peripheral or central nervous system (CNS). microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that mostly interact with the 3 untranslated region of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to regulate the expression of multiple genes. NP is characterized by changes in the expression of receptors and mediators, and there is evidence that miRNAs may contribute to some of these alterations. In this review, we aimed to fully comprehend the connection between NP and miRNA; and also, to establish a link between neurology, biology, and dentistry. Studies have shown that targeting miRNAs may be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of chronic pain and potential target for the prevention of NP.

Early Diagnosis of Herpes Zoster Neuralgia: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND

Early intervention reduces the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Typical shingles are easy to diagnose; however, there is no clear diagnostic method for neuralgia symptoms manifested before the onset of the rash, which can easily cause misdiagnosis. This not only increases the patient's pain, medical expenses, and mental burden, but more importantly, delays the valuable time for early treatment of shingles, and increases the probability of complications and PHN.

OBJECTIVE

In this paper, the diagnostic methods of preherpetic neuralgia were summarized and analyzed, and the current challenges were put forward to provide directions for the early diagnosis of herpes zoster (HZ) in the future.

METHODS

PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) libraries were searched using the terms "herpes zoster," "before the blistering," "diagnosis," and "neuralgia." Clinical trials, reviews, and case reports were collected and reviewed. The period of literature search is from 1 January 1980 to 1 October 2022.

RESULTS

The early diagnosis of herpes zoster neuralgia can reduce misdiagnosis and mistreatment, and timely and effective intervention can significantly reduce the incidence of PHN. The body may possess a mechanism that limits the local breakthrough of the virus in the skin, causing blistering later than the onset of pain. Changes in the plasma proteins of patients with varicella-zoster virus shingles neuralgia may be used as an early diagnostic indicator in patients with HZ neuralgia before eruption.

CONCLUSION

Early diagnosis of HZ neuralgia before eruption can facilitate timely targeted treatment, thereby reducing the incidence of PHN. Proteomic quantitative analysis and validation results can serve as a simple, micro, rapid, and accurate diagnostic method.

Expression and Biological Functions of miRNAs in Chronic Pain: A Review on Human Studies

Chronic pain is a major public health problem and an economic burden worldwide. However, its underlying pathological mechanisms remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and serve key roles in physiological and pathological processes. This review aims to synthesize the human studies examining miRNA expression in the pathogenesis of chronic primary pain and chronic secondary pain. Additionally, to understand the potential pathophysiological impact of miRNAs in these conditions, an in silico analysis was performed to reveal the target genes and pathways involved in primary and secondary pain and their differential regulation in the different types of chronic pain. The findings, methodological issues and challenges of miRNA research in the pathophysiology of chronic pain are discussed. The available evidence suggests the potential role of miRNA in disease pathogenesis and possibly the pain process, eventually enabling this role to be exploited for pain monitoring and management.

Upregulation of microRNA-1303 is a potential prognostic marker of non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the major subtype of lung cancer, imposing a huge disease burden worldwide. MicroRNA-1303 (miR-1303) has been demonstrated to be involved in several diseases, including cancers. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-1303 in NSCLC.

METHODS

We quantified the expression levels of miR-1303 in NSCLC tissues and cells using the qRT-PCR assay. Then the association between miR-1303 expression and clinical characteristics of patients was analyzed using the χ2 test. The Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression assays were used to investigate the prognostic value of miR-1303 in NSCLC. Furthermore, the functional proliferation, migration, and invasion assays were used to explore the miR-1303 functions in vitro.

RESULTS

The expression of miR-1303 was upregulated in NSCLC tissue samples and cells. The upregulation of miR-1303 was associated with TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. The survival time of NSCLC patients with high expression of miR-1303 was shorter than those with low expression. The functional analyses revealed that overexpression of miR-1303 in H1299 and A549 cells promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that miR-1303 may be a potential prognostic biomarker for NSCLC and be involved in the progression of NSCLC.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of human plasma using tandem mass tags to identify novel biomarkers for herpes zoster

Herpes zoster (HZ), commonly called shingles, it is a distinctive syndrome caused by reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV). A better understanding of the biological characteristics of HZ patients can help develop new targeted therapies to improve the prognosis. High-throughput proteomics technology can deeply study the molecular changes in the development and progression of HZ disease and integrate different levels of information, this is important to help make clinical decisions. Circulating blood contains a lot of biological information, we conducted a proteomics study of patient plasma, hoping to identify key proteins that could indicate the development of HZ. Compared to healthy human plasma, we found 44 differentially expressed proteins in the plasma of HZ patients, the main pathways involved in these molecules are MAPK signaling pathway, Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, Acute myeloid leukemia, Transcriptional misregulation in cancer. We found that 27 proteins have direct protein-protein interactions. Based on the comprehensive score, we identified six key molecules as candidate molecules for further study, and then validated another 80 plasma samples (40 HZ patient plasma and 40 healthy human plasma) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoblot assay and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Finally, we found that the expression levels of these three proteins (PLG, F2, VTN) were significantly lower than those of healthy controls (P < .05). To the best of our knowledge, we first used tandem mass tag (TMT) combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to screen for differentially expressed proteins in plasma between HZ patients and healthy individuals. It is preliminarily proved that the plasma protein expression profile of HZ patients is different from that of uninfected patients, it has also been found that these three altered key proteins may be used as biomarkers to test early HZ infection. This study reveals new insights into HZ that help to more accurately identify early HZ patients and to find new therapeutic targets. SIGNIFICANCE: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV; termed human alphaherpesvirus 3 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses) is a herpesvirus that is ubiquitous in humans and can cause chickenpox and herpes zoster (HZ). After the initial infection of varicella, the VZV goes into a dormant state in the sensory ganglia and cranial nerves. As age or immunosuppression increases, the cellular immunity to VZV decreases, and the virus reactivates and spreads along the sensory nerves to the skin, causing a unique prodromal pain followed by a rash. About one in five people around the world may be infected with VZV at some point in their lives. According to statistics, about one-third of infected people will develop HZ in their lifetime, and an estimated 1 million cases of herpes zoster occur in the United States each year. Herpes zoster can occur at any age and is usually less severe in children and young adults, but the greatest morbidity and mortality are observed in elderly and immunocompromised patients. 20% of patients with HZ have complications including vasculitis, increased risk of myocardial infarction, or postherpetic neuralgia, the overall mortality rate of patients with HZ in the United States is close to 5%. Considering the wide clinical severity and complications of this disease, there is a great need for biomarkers that contribute to early diagnosis, classification of risks, and prediction of outcomes, which will help elucidate the mechanisms underlying their clinical development. As a useful tool in biology, quantitative proteomics can repeatedly identify and accurately quantify proteins in a variety of biological samples. Proteomic analysis focuses on translational proteins, which play a direct role in most biological processes. Although a small number of proteins can be studied simultaneously with traditional methods, such as ELISA and Western blotting, typical proteomics studies can simultaneously analyze thousands of proteins for a more comprehensive identification. Proteomics has been successfully applied to human-based disease research, Analysis of exposed and unexposed subjects based on mass spectrometry (MS) has been found to reveal altered expression of proteins that can be identified as intermediate biomarkers of early disease effects. Tandem mass tags (TMTs) are chemical labels used for MS-based identification and quantification of biological molecules. TMTs play an important role in proteomic analysis in a variety of samples such as cells, tissues, and body fluids. The body fluids that are often detected clinically are blood, which are easy to obtain and contain abundant biological information related to physiological and pathological processes, we hope to develop protein biomarkers from these blood. Therefore, in order to better characterize the pathological process of HZ patients, we performed proteomic analysis of HZ patients and healthy human plasma using the TMT method. This comparison aims to identify specific processes in the development of HZ disease through protein profiling, which may help to improve our biological understanding of HZ.

MicroRNA Biomarkers for Infectious Diseases: From Basic Research to Biosensing

In the pursuit of improved diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, several classes of molecules have been scrutinized as prospective biomarkers. Small (18–22 nucleotide), non-coding RNA transcripts called microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising candidates with extensive diagnostic potential, due to their role in numerous diseases, previously established methods for quantitation and their stability within biofluids. Despite efforts to identify, characterize and apply miRNA signatures as diagnostic markers in a range of non-infectious diseases, their application in infectious disease has advanced relatively slowly. Here, we outline the benefits that miRNA biomarkers offer to the diagnosis, management, and treatment of infectious diseases. Investigation of these novel biomarkers could advance the use of personalized medicine in infectious disease treatment, which raises important considerations for validating their use as diagnostic or prognostic markers. Finally, we discuss new and emerging miRNA detection platforms, with a focus on rapid, point-of-care testing, to evaluate the benefits and obstacles of miRNA biomarkers for infectious disease.

Whole Transcriptome Analyses Reveal Differential mRNA and microRNA Expression Profiles in Primary Human Dermal Fibroblasts Infected with Clinical or Vaccine Strains of Varicella Zoster Virus

Licensed live attenuated vaccines have been developed to prevent varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection, which causes chickenpox and shingles. The genomic sequences of both clinical- and vaccine-derived VZV strains have been analyzed previously. To further characterize the molecular signatures and complexity of wildtype (clinical) versus attenuated (vaccine-derived) VZV-mediated host cellular responses, we performed high-throughput next generation sequencing to quantify and compare the expression patterns of mRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs) in primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) infected with wildtype (YC01 low passage) and attenuated (YC01 high passage, SuduVax, and VarilRix) VZV strains. 3D-multidimensional scaling of the differentially expressed genes demonstrated the distinct grouping of wildtype and attenuated strains. In particular, we observed that HDFs infected with attenuated strains had more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in the retinoic-acid inducible gene–I-like receptor and interferon-mediated signaling pathways compared with wildtype strains. Additionally, miRNA expression patterns were profiled following the infection of HDFs with VZV. Small RNA sequencing identified that several miRNAs were upregulated, including miR-146a-5p, which has been associated with other herpesvirus infections, whereas let-7a-3p was downregulated in both wildtype and attenuated VZV-infected cells. This study identified genes and miRNAs that may be essential in VZV pathogenesis.

In silico identification of microRNAs predicted to regulate N-myristoyltransferase and Methionine Aminopeptidase 2 functions in cancer and infectious diseases

Protein myristoylation is a key protein modification carried out by N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) after Methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2) removes methionine from the amino-terminus of the target protein. Protein myristoylation by NMT augments several signaling pathways involved in a myriad of cellular processes, including developmental pathways and pathways that when dysregulated lead to cancer or immune dysfunction. The emerging evidence pointing to NMT-mediated myristoylation as a major cellular regulator underscores the importance of understanding the framework of this type of signaling event. Various studies have investigated the role that myristoylation plays in signaling dysfunction by examining differential gene or protein expression between normal and diseased states, such as cancers or following HIV-1 infection, however no study exists that addresses the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the regulation of myristoylation. By performing a large scale bioinformatics and functional analysis of the miRNAs that target key genes involved in myristoylation (NMT1, NMT2, MetAP2), we have narrowed down a list of promising candidates for further analysis. Our condensed panel of miRNAs identifies 35 miRNAs linked to cancer, 21 miRNAs linked to developmental and immune signaling pathways, and 14 miRNAs linked to infectious disease (primarily HIV). The miRNAs panel that was analyzed revealed several NMT-targeting mRNAs (messenger RNA) that are implicated in diseases associated with NMT signaling alteration, providing a link between the realms of miRNA and myristoylation signaling. These findings verify miRNA as an additional facet of myristoylation signaling that must be considered to gain a full perspective. This study provides the groundwork for future studies concerning NMT-transcript-binding miRNAs, and will potentially lead to the development of new diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for several important diseases.

Diagnosis and Assessment of Microbial Infections with Host and Microbial MicroRNA Profiles

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) encoded by viral genome or host have been found participating in host-microbe interactions. Differential expression profiles of miRNAs were shown linking to specific disease pathologies which indicated its potency as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers of infectious disease. This was emphasized by the discovery of circulating miRNAs which were found to be remarkably stable in mammalian biofluids. Standardized methods of miRNA quantification including RNA isolation should be established before they will be ready for use in clinical practice.