The current landscape of microRNAs (miRNAs) in bacterial pneumonia: opportunities and challenges

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which were initially discovered in Caenorhabditis elegans, can regulate gene expression by recognizing cognate sequences and interfering with the transcriptional or translational machinery. The application of bioinformatics tools for structural analysis and target prediction has largely driven the investigation of certain miRNAs. Notably, it has been found that certain miRNAs which are widely involved in the inflammatory response and immune regulation are closely associated with the occurrence, development, and outcome of bacterial pneumonia. It has been shown that certain miRNA techniques can be used to identify related targets and explore associated signal transduction pathways. This enhances the understanding of bacterial pneumonia, notably for “refractory” or drug-resistant bacterial pneumonia. Although these miRNA-based methods may provide a basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease, they still face various challenges, such as low sensitivity, poor specificity, low silencing efficiency, off-target effects, and toxic reactions. The opportunities and challenges of these methods have been completely reviewed, notably in bacterial pneumonia. With the continuous improvement of the current technology, the miRNA-based methods may surmount the aforementioned limitations, providing promising support for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of “refractory” or drug-resistant bacterial pneumonia.

Circ_0026579 knockdown ameliorates lipopolysaccharide‐induced human lung fibroblast cell injury by regulating CXCR1 via miR‐370‐3p

“…Multiple studies indicate that miRNAs have the potential to mediate inflammatory response and immune regulation in pneumonia development. 27 Considerable data have revealed that miR-370-3p affects pneumonia occurrence through various molecular pathways. For example, miR-370-3p combined with the long noncoding RNA KCNQ1OT1/ miR-370-3p/FOXM1 axis to ameliorate lipopolysaccharide-induced WI-38 cell injury, as revealed by a cellular model of pneumonia.…”

AutophagyNet: High-resolution data source for the analysis of autophagy and its regulation

“…Figure 6 shows that mir-221 also inhibits BECN1. The increase of the expression of this miRNA has been linked with bacterial infection of L. pneumophila as well [61]. Although a direct connection between mir-221 and xenophagy has not been described, their potential connection could indicate that this microRNA plays a role in pathogen defense.…”

MicroRNA therapeutics and nucleic acid nano-delivery systems in bacterial infection: a review

“…5). 145 Strong evidence reveals that miRNA will be a potential nucleic acid therapy gene drug for bacterial treatment, in particular those derived from herbal medicine named exogenous small RNAs.…”