Role of microRNAs in oncogenic viral infection diagnosis and therapeutics

Abstract

About 15% of all cancers are considered to be caused by viral infections globally. Most viruses can produce small noncoding RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs) that tailor the expression of host genes, contributing to carcinogenic processes. Typically, miRNAs consist of short (~22 nucleotides) RNA sequences that regulate posttranscriptional gene expression. These play a vital role in development, cellular proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis regulation. In viral infections, miRNAs have been linked with complex cross-talk between host and virus, which might play a crucial role in pathogenesis. Recent studies have unraveled a complex interplay between oncoproteins from viruses, miRNAs encoded by viruses, and host cell genes, which can influence the transformation of normal cells and the proliferation, differentiation, migration, metastasis, and apoptosis of tumor cells. Hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human papillomavirus, human herpesvirus, polyomaviruses, and Epstein–Barr virus, along with transregulating retroviruses such as human immunodeficiency virus, belong to the group of human oncoviruses. These oncoviruses employ their encoded sequences, and miRNAs, in the regulation of tumor growth. The potential activities of virally encoded miRNAs discovered in deadly human viruses indicate that host cell machinery might have impacted viral evolution. Therefore understanding the processes underlying viral miRNA-mediated carcinogenesis might help in the development of novel antivirals and could provide an avenue for the early detection and noninvasive therapy of virus-related malignancies. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.