Characterization of Circulating MicroRNAs Related to HIV-1 and Opportunistic Infections

Background. miRNAs are a group of ∼22nt long small RNAs which can regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. The miRNAs in circulating systems like human plasma or serum have been studied as potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis, since they are highly stable, easy to achieve, related to host physiological environment and reflect certain specific types of the cancer. Serological and nucleic acid assays are two commonly used methods for diagnosing of HIV-1 and opportunistic infections. However, a universal biomarker has not been discovered yet. We hypothesize that miRNA profile is specifically changed in response to HIV-1 and opportunistic infections and, therefore, some miRNAs may be used as specific biomarkers in the human circulating systems.;Result. Total RNA was extracted from HIV-1 mono-infected, HCV co-infected patients in chronic phase, and KSHV co-infected patients with Kaposi's sarcoma malignancy and healthy individuals as a control. Expression profile of each sample was detected by microarray hybridization and qRT-PCR. Data were statistically analyzed using hieratical clustering, correlation coefficient and t-test. The results indicated that miRNA level in KSHV co-infected samples changed dramatically, while HIV-1 mono-infected and HCV co-infected patients were comparably similar with healthy individuals. Data of several miRNAs (mir-92a, mir-29b, and mir-486-5p) were further confirmed by qRT-PCR.;Conclusion. The miRNA profiles in plasma of the patients, infected with HIV-1 and opportunistic pathogens have been changed. Selected miRNAs can be used as potential HIV-1 co-infection biomarkers in plasma.