Exploring the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs in Modulating Host-pathogen Interactions: Implications for Bacterial and Viral Infections

Overview

Journal Mol Biol Rep

Date 2025 Jan 12

PMID 39799541

Authors

Rajesh Srinivasan

Ramya Ramadoss

Vanathy Kandasamy

Pajanivel Ranganadin

Siva Ranganathan Green

Anand Kasirajan

Agieshkumar Balakrishna Pillai

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and transfer RNA-derived stress-induced RNAs (tiRNAs) have emerged as crucial players in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in various cellular processes, including immunity and host defense against infections. In recent years, increasing evidence has highlighted their complex role in influencing the host response during viral and bacterial infections. miRNAs have been shown to play multiple roles in host-pathogen interaction like TLR activation and altered disease virulence during bacterial infections. In the context of viral infections, miRNAs are involved in regulating viral replication, pathogenesis, and immune evasion. Similarly, tiRNAs have recently emerged as novel players in bacterial and viral infections such as modulating bacterial growth, adaptation to stress conditions, host antiviral responses, and impacting viral replication and pathogenesis. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the potential of miRNA expression profiles as diagnostic biomarkers to differentiate between bacterial and viral infections. Further discusses the key pathways through which small RNAs regulate bacterial and viral infection-related diseases.

Citing Articles

Combined Prokaryotic Transcriptomics and Proteomics Analysis of Clinical Isolates with Distinctive Cytotoxicity.

Liu N, Li Q, Shan Q Int J Mol Sci. 2025; 26(4).

PMID: 40003955 PMC: 11854922. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26041490.

References

Maudet C, Mano M, Eulalio A . MicroRNAs in the interaction between host and bacterial pathogens. FEBS Lett. 2014; 588(22):4140-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2014.08.002. View

Mirzaei R, Mohammadzadeh R, Mirzaei H, Sholeh M, Karampoor S, Abdi M . Role of microRNAs in Staphylococcus aureus infection: Potential biomarkers and mechanism. IUBMB Life. 2020; 72(9):1856-1869. DOI: 10.1002/iub.2325. View

Wan J, Jiang S, Jiang Y, Ma W, Wang X, He Z . Data Mining and Expression Analysis of Differential lncRNA ADAMTS9-AS1 in Prostate Cancer. Front Genet. 2020; 10:1377. PMC: 7049946. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.01377. View

Aguilar C, Mano M, Eulalio A . Multifaceted Roles of microRNAs in Host-Bacterial Pathogen Interaction. Microbiol Spectr. 2019; 7(3). PMC: 11026079. DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.BAI-0002-2019. View

Das K, Garnica O, Dhandayuthapani S . Modulation of Host miRNAs by Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2016; 6:79. PMC: 4971075. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2016.00079. View

Globinska A, Pawelczyk M, Kowalski M . MicroRNAs and the immune response to respiratory virus infections. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2014; 10(7):963-71. DOI: 10.1586/1744666X.2014.913482. View

Dhahbi J . 5' tRNA Halves: The Next Generation of Immune Signaling Molecules. Front Immunol. 2015; 6:74. PMC: 4333838. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00074. View

Zong T, Yang Y, Zhao H, Li L, Liu M, Fu X . tsRNAs: Novel small molecules from cell function and regulatory mechanism to therapeutic targets. Cell Prolif. 2021; 54(3):e12977. PMC: 7941233. DOI: 10.1111/cpr.12977. View

Letafati A, Najafi S, Mottahedi M, Karimzadeh M, Shahini A, Garousi S . MicroRNA let-7 and viral infections: focus on mechanisms of action. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2022; 27(1):14. PMC: 8853298. DOI: 10.1186/s11658-022-00317-9. View

10.

Schult P, Kummerer B, Hafner M, Paeschke K . Viral hijacking of hnRNPH1 unveils a G-quadruplex-driven mechanism of stress control. Cell Host Microbe. 2024; 32(9):1579-1593.e8. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2024.07.006. View

11.

Sasaran M, Melit L, Dobru E . MicroRNA Modulation of Host Immune Response and Inflammation Triggered by . Int J Mol Sci. 2021; 22(3). PMC: 7866828. DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031406. View

12.

Kawai T, Akira S . Toll-like receptors and their crosstalk with other innate receptors in infection and immunity. Immunity. 2011; 34(5):637-50. DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2011.05.006. View

13.

Taganov K, Boldin M, Chang K, Baltimore D . NF-kappaB-dependent induction of microRNA miR-146, an inhibitor targeted to signaling proteins of innate immune responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006; 103(33):12481-6. PMC: 1567904. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0605298103. View

14.

Li Y, Shi X . MicroRNAs in the regulation of TLR and RIG-I pathways. Cell Mol Immunol. 2012; 10(1):65-71. PMC: 4003181. DOI: 10.1038/cmi.2012.55. View

15.

ONeill L, Sheedy F, McCoy C . MicroRNAs: the fine-tuners of Toll-like receptor signalling. Nat Rev Immunol. 2011; 11(3):163-75. DOI: 10.1038/nri2957. View

16.

Nahid M, Satoh M, Chan E . MicroRNA in TLR signaling and endotoxin tolerance. Cell Mol Immunol. 2011; 8(5):388-403. PMC: 3618661. DOI: 10.1038/cmi.2011.26. View

17.

Jurkin J, Schichl Y, Koeffel R, Bauer T, Richter S, Konradi S . miR-146a is differentially expressed by myeloid dendritic cell subsets and desensitizes cells to TLR2-dependent activation. J Immunol. 2010; 184(9):4955-65. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0903021. View

18.

OConnell R, Taganov K, Boldin M, Cheng G, Baltimore D . MicroRNA-155 is induced during the macrophage inflammatory response. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007; 104(5):1604-9. PMC: 1780072. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0610731104. View

19.

Zhou R, Hu G, Gong A, Chen X . Binding of NF-kappaB p65 subunit to the promoter elements is involved in LPS-induced transactivation of miRNA genes in human biliary epithelial cells. Nucleic Acids Res. 2010; 38(10):3222-32. PMC: 2879527. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq056. View

20.

Hu G, Zhou R, Liu J, Gong A, Eischeid A, Dittman J . MicroRNA-98 and let-7 confer cholangiocyte expression of cytokine-inducible Src homology 2-containing protein in response to microbial challenge. J Immunol. 2009; 183(3):1617-24. PMC: 2906382. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0804362. View