miRNAs as Potential Biomarkers for Viral Hepatitis B and C

Abstract

Around 257 million people are living with hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronic infection and 71 million with hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection. Both HBV and HCV infections can lead to liver complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To take care of these chronically infected patients, one strategy is to diagnose the early stage of fibrosis in order to treat them as soon as possible to decrease the risk of HCC development. microRNAs (or miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs which regulate many cellular processes in metazoans. Their expressions were frequently modulated by up- or down-regulation during fibrosis progression. In the serum of patients with HBV chronic infection (CHB), miR-122 and miR-185 expressions are increased, while miR-29, -143, -21 and miR-223 expressions are decreased during fibrosis progression. In the serum of patients with HCV chronic infection (CHC), miR-143 and miR-223 expressions are increased, while miR-122 expression is decreased during fibrosis progression. This review aims to summarize current knowledge of principal miRNAs modulation involved in fibrosis progression during chronic hepatitis B/C infections. Furthermore, we also discuss the potential use of miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose fibrosis with the intention of prioritizing patients with advanced fibrosis for treatment and surveillance.

Novel Biomarkers of Hepatitis B Virus and Their Use in Chronic Hepatitis B Patient Management

“…Future studies with more diverse and larger patient populations should reconcile the few discrepancies observed among various biomarker correlations and help solidify treatment stopping rules and predictive cutoff values. Measurement and analysis of novel HBV biomarkers will be complemented by the array of host markers that are being investigated to better monitor disease phase, including host genetic markers, micro-RNAs, as well as serum inflammatory and immune markers and cytokines [ 160 , 161 , 162 ]. These markers can be non-invasively measured and so extend the suite of tools for CHB disease activity interpretation.…”

“…These markers can be non-invasively measured and so extend the suite of tools for CHB disease activity interpretation. Genetic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms) have been associated with the risk of developing cirrhosis, fibrosis or HCC [ 160 ], while host miRNA regulation can indicate the development of fibrosis or HCC [ 161 , 163 ]. Additionally, certain cytokines have been observed to correlate with severity of HBV disease and clinical outcomes [ 162 , 164 , 165 , 166 , 167 ].…”

Differentially Expressed MiRNAs of Goat Submandibular Glands Among Three Developmental Stages Are Involved in Immune Functions

“…The growth and development of the SMG is carried out under epithelial-mesenchymal interactions (Wang and Laurie, 2004 ), which are regulated by a complex of signaling molecules, including growth or differentiation factors, cell receptors and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Activation of hepatic stellate cells, exaggerated expression of profibrogenic genes, and/or suppression of antifibrogenic genes can cause excessive and persistent accumulation of the ECM, which further leads to fibrosis (Wynn, 2008 ; Loureiro et al, 2020 ). This indicates that the target genes of the DE miRNAs in clusters 1 and 2 may be related to the growth and development of SMG ECM proteins and that their abnormal expression can cause infectious diseases.…”

Role of Virus-Induced Host Cell Epigenetic Changes in Cancer

“…TRIM35 is a proapototic protein and can inhibit the Warburg effect, whereas RAN is involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport, but also in metastasis. HBV-miR-3 enhances cell invasion and proliferation by e.g., silencing PP1A and PTEN [ 255 , 256 ].…”

“…Several studies showed a role for HBx in up- and downregulating the expression of cellular microRNAs, including miR-10, miR-132, miR-143, and miR-193b. This has been the topic of excellent reviews [ 190 , 255 , 257 , 263 , 291 , 292 ]. HBx modulates microRNA expression by inducing epigenetic changes in microRNA-encoding genes or modulating expression of genes whose products are involved in microRNA biogenesis.…”