Computational analysis to predict functional role ofhsa-miR-3065-3pas an antiviral therapeutic agent for treatment of triple infections: HCV, HIV-1, and HBV

Abstract

BackgroundTriple infection (TI) with HIV-1, HCV, and HBV (TI) is highly prevalent in intravenous drug users (IDUs). These TI patients have a faster progression to AIDS, and even after antiretroviral therapy (ART) the prognosis of their disease is poor. The use of microRNA (miRNA) to silence genes holds potential applications for anti-HCV therapy.MethodsWe analyzed the role of human miRNAs (hsa-miRs) in TI by computational analyses for HCV, HIV-1, and HBV showing identity to these three viral genomes.ResultsWe identified one unique miRNA, hsa-miR-3065-3p, that shares significant mutual identity to these three viral genomes (∼61–83%). In addition, hsa-miR-99, hsa-miR-548, and hsa-miR-122 also showed mutual identity with these three viral genomes, albeit at a lower degree (∼52–88%).ConclusionHere, we present evidence using essential components of bioinformatics tools, and hypothesize that utility of hsa-miR-3065-3p and perhaps miR-548 would be potential antiviral therapeutic agents in the treatment of TI patients because it shows near perfect alignment in the seed region for all three viruses. We also make an argument that current proposed therapy with hsa-miR-122 may not be the optimal choice for HCV patients since it lacks essential gene alignment and may be harmful for the patients.

A Computational Approach for Predicting Role of Human MicroRNAs in MERS-CoV Genome

“…As shown in Table 1 , 11 sequences were identified as candidate miRNA precursor based on significant sequence similarity with human miRNAs. Human miRNAs which show minimum 19 bp sequence similarity with candidate miRNA precursor were selected as primary target miRNAs [ 32 ]. For potential miRNA targets, near or near to perfect alignment of those miRNAs seed region (2–7) were chosen that located at the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR) of the candidate miRNA precursor.…”

MiR-548-3p functions as an anti-oncogenic regulator in breast cancer

“…Khokhar et al predicated that miR-548 showed near perfect alignment in the seed region for all three viruses HIV-1, HCV, and HBV. They thoght that miR-548 would be potential antiviral therapeutic agents in patients with triple infection [8]. However, miR-548 in breast cancer have not been fully elucidated.…”

Identification of homologous human miRNAs as antivirals towards COVID‐19 genome

“…Viral miRNAs have been shown to cause mRNA degradation in host cells, regulating various molecular pathways. 42 , 43 As a result, it is crucial to annotate the novel coronavirus's miRNA in order to achieve a deeper understanding of the virus and create new anti‐miR/antiviral therapy tools. Based on our theoretical findings, we believe that the host miRNA‐4476 plays a significant role in the host‐pathogen interaction and that recognizing this relationship would aid in the development of future antiviral therapeutics.…”