scholarly journals Computational Analysis Revealed miRNAs Produced by Chikungunya Virus Target Genes Associated with Cellular Proliferation and Cell Cycle Regulation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Sajedul Islam ◽  
Md. Abdullah-Al-Kamran Khan

Abstract Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) that causes chikungunya fever, is an alphavirus that belongs to the Togaviridae family containing a single-stranded RNA genome. Mosquitoes of the Aedes species act as the vectors for this virus and can be found in the blood, which can be passed from an infected person to a mosquito through mosquito bites. CHIKV has drawn much attention recently because of its potential of causing an epidemic. As the detailed mechanism of its pathogenesis inside the host system is still lacking, in this in silico research we have hypothesized that CHIKV might create miRNAs, which would target the genes associated with host cellular regulatory pathways, thereby providing the virus with prolonged refuge. Using bioinformatics approaches we found several putative miRNAs produced by CHIKV. Then we predicted the genes of the host targeted by these miRNAs. Functional enrichment analysis of these targeted genes shows the involvement of several biological pathways regulating cellular proliferation and cell cycle, thereby provide themselves with prolonged refuge and facilitate their pathogenesis, which in turn may lead to disease conditions. Finally, we analyzed a publicly available microarray dataset (GSE49985) to determine the altered expression levels of the targeted genes and found four genes (FLNA, GATA6, HES6, and TP53) associated with transcription factor binding, which have significant (Adjusted p-value <0.05) altered expression level. Our finding presents novel miRNAs and their targeted genes, which upon experimental validation could facilitate in developing new therapeutics to combat CHIKV infection and minimize CHIKV mediated diseases.

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-154
Author(s):  
Amina Khan ◽  
Andleeb Zahra ◽  
Sana Mumtaz ◽  
M. Qaiser Fatmi ◽  
Muhammad J. Khan

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of various renal diseases, including Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD). CKD refers to the gradual loss of kidney function with the declining Glomerular Functional Rate (GFR). Objective: This study focused on the regulatory mechanism of miRNA to control gene expression in CKD. Methods: In this context, two lists of Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) were obtained; one from the three selected experiments by setting a cutoff p-value of <0.05 (List A), and one from a list of target genes of miRNAs (List B). Both lists were then compared to get a common dataset of 33 miRNAs, each had a set of DEGs i.e. both up-regulated and down-regulated genes (List C). These data were subjected to functional enrichment analysis, network illustration, and gene homology studies. Results: This study confirmed the active participation of various miRNAs i.e. hsa -miR-15a-5p, hsa-miR-195-5p, hsa-miR-365-3p, hsa-miR-30a-5p, hsa-miR-124-3p, hsa-miR-200b-3p, and hsamiR- 429 in the dysregulation of genes involved in kidney development and function. Integrated analyses depicted that miRNAs modulated renal development, homeostasis, various metabolic processes, immune responses, and ion transport activities. Furthermore, homology studies of miRNA-mRNA hybrid highlighted the effect of partial complementary binding pattern on the regulation of genes by miRNA. Conclusion: The study highlighted the great values of miRNAs as biomarkers in kidney diseases. In addition, the need for further investigations on miRNA-based studies is also commended in the development of diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tools for renal diseases.


Author(s):  
Haiwang Wu ◽  
Yan Ning ◽  
Qingying Yu ◽  
Songping Luo ◽  
Jie Gao

Background: Recurrent miscarriage (RM) affects 1% to 5% of couples, and the mechanisms still stay unclear. In this study, we explored the underlying molecular mechanism and potential molecular biomarkers of RM as well as constructed a miRNA-mRNA regulation network. Methods: The microarray datasets GSE73025 and GSE22490, which represent mRNA and miRNA profiles, respectively, were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with p-value < 0.05 and fold-change > 2 were identified while the miRNAs with p-value < 0.05 and fold-change > 1.3 were considered as significant differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). Results: A total of 373 DEGs, including 218 up-regulated genes and 155 down-regulated genes, were identified, while 138 up-regulated and 68 down-regulated DEMs were screened out. After functional enrichment analysis, we found GO biological process (BP) terms significantly enriched in the Fc-gamma receptor signaling pathway involved in phagocytosis. Moreover, signaling pathway analyses indicated that the neurotrophin signaling pathway (hsa04722) was the top KEGG enrichment. 6 hub genes (FPR1, C5AR1, CCR1, ADCY7, CXCR2, NPY) were screened out to construct a complex regulation network in RM because they had the highest degree of affecting the network. Besides, we constructed miRNA-mRNA network between DEMs target genes and DEGs in RM, including hsa-miR-1297- KLHL24 and hsa-miR-548a-5p-KLHL24 pairs. Conclusions: In conclusion, the novel differentially expressed molecules in the present study could provide a new sight to explore the pathogenesis of RM as well as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for RM diagnosis and treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pusheng Quan ◽  
Kai Wang ◽  
Shi Yan ◽  
Shirong Wen ◽  
Chengqun Wei ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study aimed to identify potential novel drug candidates and targets for Parkinson’s disease. First, 970 genes that have been reported to be related to PD were collected from five databases, and functional enrichment analysis of these genes was conducted to investigate their potential mechanisms. Then, we collected drugs and related targets from DrugBank, narrowed the list by proximity scores and Inverted Gene Set Enrichment analysis of drug targets, and identified potential drug candidates for PD treatment. Finally, we compared the expression distribution of the candidate drug-target genes between the PD group and the control group in the public dataset with the largest sample size (GSE99039) in Gene Expression Omnibus. Ten drugs with an FDR < 0.1 and their corresponding targets were identified. Some target genes of the ten drugs significantly overlapped with PD-related genes or already known therapeutic targets for PD. Nine differentially expressed drug-target genes with p < 0.05 were screened. This work will facilitate further research into the possible efficacy of new drugs for PD and will provide valuable clues for drug design.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Yuntao Shi ◽  
Yingying Zhuang ◽  
Jialing Zhang ◽  
Mengxue Chen ◽  
Shangnong Wu

Objective. Although noncoding RNAs, especially the microRNAs, have been found to play key roles in CRC development in intestinal tissue, the specific mechanism of these microRNAs has not been fully understood. Methods. GEO and TCGA database were used to explore the microRNA expression profiles of normal mucosa, adenoma, and carcinoma. And the differential expression genes were selected. Computationally, we built the SVM model and multivariable Cox regression model to evaluate the performance of tumorigenic microRNAs in discriminating the adenomas from normal tissues and risk prediction. Results. In this study, we identified 20 miRNA biomarkers dysregulated in the colon adenomas. The functional enrichment analysis showed that MAPK activity and MAPK cascade were highly enriched by these tumorigenic microRNAs. We also investigated the target genes of the tumorigenic microRNAs. Eleven genes, including PIGF, TPI1, KLF4, RARS, PCBP2, EIF5A, HK2, RAVER2, HMGN1, MAPK6, and NDUFA2, were identified to be frequently targeted by the tumorigenic microRNAs. The high AUC value and distinct overall survival rates between the two risk groups suggested that these tumorigenic microRNAs had the potential of diagnostic and prognostic value in CRC. Conclusions. The present study revealed possible mechanisms and pathways that may contribute to tumorigenesis of CRC, which could not only be used as CRC early detection biomarkers, but also be useful for tumorigenesis mechanism studies.


Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wu ◽  
Lingxiang Wu ◽  
Mengyan Zhu ◽  
Ziyu Wang ◽  
Min Wu ◽  
...  

Somatic mutations in 3′-untranslated regions (3′UTR) do not alter amino acids and are considered to be silent in cancers. We found that such mutations can promote tumor progression by altering microRNA (miRNA) targeting efficiency and consequently affecting miRNA–mRNA interactions. We identified 67,159 somatic mutations located in the 3′UTRs of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) which can alter miRNA–mRNA interactions (functional somatic mutations, funcMutations), and 69.3% of these funcMutations (the degree of energy change > 12 kcal/mol) were identified to significantly promote loss of miRNA-mRNA binding. By integrating mRNA expression profiles of 21 cancer types, we found that the expression of target genes was positively correlated with the loss of absolute affinity level and negatively correlated with the gain of absolute affinity level. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that genes carrying funcMutations were significantly enriched in the MAPK and WNT signaling pathways, and analysis of regulatory modules identified eighteen miRNA modules involved with similar cellular functions. Our findings elucidate a complex relationship between miRNA, mRNA, and mutations, and suggest that 3′UTR mutations may play an important role in tumor development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yani Dong ◽  
Likang Lyu ◽  
Daiqiang Zhang ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Haishen Wen ◽  
...  

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in multiple biological processes. However, the roles of lncRNAs in the reproduction of half-smooth tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis) are unclear, especially in the molecular regulatory mechanism driving ovarian development and ovulation. Thus, to explore the mRNA and lncRNA mechanisms regulating reproduction, we collected tongue sole ovaries in three stages for RNA sequencing. In stage IV vs. V, we identified 312 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs and 58 DE lncRNAs. In stage V vs. VI, we identified 1,059 DE mRNAs and 187 DE lncRNAs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses showed that DE mRNAs were enriched in ECM-receptor interaction, oocyte meiosis and steroid hormone biosynthesis pathways. Furthermore, we carried out gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify potential reproduction related-pathways additionally, such as fatty metabolism and retinol metabolism. Based on enrichment analysis, DE mRNAs with a potential role in reproduction were selected and classified into six categories, including signal transduction, cell growth and death, immune response, metabolism, transport and catabolism, and cell junction. The interactions of DE lncRNAs and mRNAs were predicted according to antisense, cis-, and trans-regulatory mechanisms. We constructed a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Several lncRNAs were predicted to regulate genes related to reproduction including cyp17a1, cyp19a1, mmp14, pgr, and hsd17b1. The functional enrichment analysis of these target genes of lncRNAs revealed that they were involved in several signaling pathways, such as the TGF-beta, Wnt signaling, and MAPK signaling pathways and reproduction related-pathways such as the progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, oocyte meiosis, and GnRH signaling pathway. RT-qPCR analysis showed that two lncRNAs (XR_522278.2 and XR_522171.2) were mainly expressed in the ovary. Dual-fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments showed that both XR_522278.2 and XR_522171.2 colocalized with their target genes cyp17a1 and cyp19a1, respectively, in the follicular cell layer. The results further demonstrated that lncRNAs might be involved in the biological processes by modulating gene expression. Taken together, this study provides lncRNA profiles in the ovary of tongue sole and further insight into the role of lncRNA involvement in regulating reproduction in tongue sole.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 111-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Comba ◽  
Patrick Dunn ◽  
Anna E Argento ◽  
Padma Kadiyala ◽  
Sebastien Motsch ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Oncostreams represent a novel growth pattern of GBM. In this study we uncovered the cellular and molecular mechanism that regulates the oncostreams function in GBM growth and invasion. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We studied oncostreams organization and function using genetically engineered mouse gliomas models (GEMM), mouse primary patient derived GBM model and human glioma biopsies. We evaluated the molecular landscape of oncostreams by laser capture microdissection (LCM) followed by RNA-Sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Oncostreams are multicellular structures of 10-20 cells wide and 2-400 μm long. They are distributed throughout the tumors in mouse and human GBM. Oncostreams are heterogeneous structures positive for GFAP, Nestin, Olig2 and Iba1 cells and negative for Neurofilament. Using GEMM we found a negative correlation between oncostream density and animal survival. Moreover, examination of patient’s glioma biopsies evidenced that oncostreams are present in high grade but no in low grade gliomas. This suggests that oncostreams may play a role in tumor malignancy. Our data also indicated that oncostreams aid local invasion of normal brain. Transcriptome analysis of oncostreams revealed 43 differentially expressed (DE) genes. Functional enrichment analysis of DE genes showed that “collagen catabolic processes”, “positive regulation of cell migration”, and “extracellular matrix organization” were the most over-represented GO biological process. Network analysis indicated that Col1a1, ACTA2, MMP9 and MMP10 are primary target genes. These genes were also overexpressed in more malignant tumors (WT-IDH) compared to the less malignant (IDH1- R132H) tumors. Confocal time lapse imagining of 3D tumor slices demonstrated that oncostreams display a collective motion pattern within gliomas that has not been seen before. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: In summary, oncostreams are anatomically and molecularly distinctive, regulate glioma growth and invasion, display collective motion and are regulated by the extracellular matrix. We propose oncostreams as novel pathological markers valuable for diagnosis, prognosis and designing therapeutics for GBM patients.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 624
Author(s):  
Kai Xing ◽  
Xitong Zhao ◽  
Yibing Liu ◽  
Fengxia Zhang ◽  
Zhen Tan ◽  
...  

Fatty traits are very important in pig production. However, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in fat deposition is not clearly understood. In this study, we compared adipose miRNAs from three full-sibling pairs of female Landrace pigs, with high and low backfat thickness, to investigate the associated regulatory network. We obtained an average of 17.29 million raw reads from six libraries, 62.27% of which mapped to the pig reference genome. A total of 318 pig miRNAs were detected among the samples. Among them, 18 miRNAs were differentially expressed (p-value < 0.05, |log2fold change| ≥ 1) between the high and low backfat groups; 6 were up-regulated and 12 were down-regulated. Functional enrichment of the predicted target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs, indicated that these miRNAs were involved mainly in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism. Comprehensive analysis of the mRNA and miRNA transcriptomes revealed possible regulatory relationships for fat deposition. Negatively correlated mRNA–miRNA pairs included miR-137–PPARGC1A, miR-141–FASN, and miR-122-5p–PKM, indicating these interactions may be key regulators of fat deposition. Our findings provide important insights into miRNA expression patterns in the backfat tissue of pig and new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of fat deposition in pig.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Yu Sun ◽  
Sheng-Hua Li ◽  
Ji-Wen Cheng ◽  
Gang Chen ◽  
Zhi-Guang Huang ◽  
...  

Background. The expression and mechanism of microRNA-205 (miRNA-205) in prostate cancer (PCa) and its bone metastasis remain controversial. Materials and Methods. The expression and discriminating capability of miRNA-205 were assessed by drawing a forest plot and a summarized receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve, using data available from 27 miRNA-array and miRNA-sequencing datasets. The miRNA-205 target genes were acquired from online prediction tools, differentially upregulated genes in PCa, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after miRNA-205 transfection into PCa cell lines. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted to explore the biological mechanism of miRNA-205 targets. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was applied to verify the protein level of the hub gene. Results. The expression of miRNA-205 in the PCa group (1,461 samples) was significantly lower than that in the noncancer group (510 samples), and the downregulation of miRNA-205 showed excellent sensitivity and specificity in differentiating between the two groups. In bone metastatic PCa, the miRNA-205 level was further reduced than in nonbone metastatic PCa, and it showed a good capability in distinguishing between the two groups. In total, 153 miRNA-205 targets were screened through the three aforementioned methods. Based on the results of functional enrichment analysis, the targets of miRNA-205 were mainly enriched during chromosome segregation and phospholipid-translocating ATPase activity and in the spindle microtubule and the p53 signaling pathway. CDK1 had the highest connectivity in the PPI network analysis and was screened as one of the hub genes. A statistically significant negative correlation between miRNA-205 and CDK1 was observed. The expression of CDK1 in PCa samples was pronouncedly upregulated in terms of both the mRNA level and the protein level when compared with noncancer samples. Conclusion. miRNA-205 may play a vital role in PCa tumorigenesis and bone metastasis by targeting CDK1.


Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1108
Author(s):  
Dina Hesham ◽  
Shahenda El-Naggar

Embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes (ETMR) is an aggressive and rare pediatric embryonal brain tumor. Amplification of C19MC microRNA cluster and expression of LIN28 are distinctive features of ETMR. Despite the increasing efforts to decipher ETMR, the biology remains poorly understood. To date, the role of aberrant alternative splicing in ETMR has not been thoroughly investigated. In the current study, a comprehensive analysis was performed on published unprocessed RNA-seq reads of tissue-matched ETMR and fetal controls datasets. Gene expression was quantified in samples using Kallisto/sleuth pipeline. For the alternative splicing analysis, STAR, SplAdder and rMATS were used. Functional enrichment analysis was subsequently performed using Metascape. The expression analysis identified a total of 3622 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ETMR and fetal controls while 1627 genes showed differential alternative splicing patterns. Interestingly, genes with significant alternative splicing events in ETMR were identified to be involved in signaling pathways such as ErbB, mTOR and MAPK pathways as well as ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, cell cycle and autophagy. Moreover, up-regulated DEGs with alternative splicing events were involved in important biological processes including nuclear transport, regulation of cell cycle and regulation of Wnt signaling pathway. These findings highlight the role of aberrant alternative splicing in shaping the ETMR tumor landscape, and the identified pathways constitute potential therapeutic targets.


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