MicroRNAs in Asthma and Respiratory Infections: Identifying Common Pathways

• Published in: Allergy, asthma & immunology research Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 4 - 23
• Main Authors: Taka, Styliani, Tzani-Tzanopoulou, Panayiota, Wanstall, Hannah, Papadopoulos, Nikolaos G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology 01.01.2020; The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology; The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease; 대한천식알레르기학회
• Subjects: Asthma; Biomarkers; Gene expression; MicroRNAs; miRNA; Nucleotides; Post-transcription; Respiratory tract infection; Review; Viruses; 내과학; respiratory infections, virus; asthma; disease progression; inflammation; MicroRNAs
• ISSN: 2092-7355; 2092-7363
• DOI: 10.4168/aair.2020.12.1.4

MicroRNAs (miRs) are single-stranded RNAs of 18-25 nucleotides. These molecules regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level; several of these are differentially expressed in asthma as well as in viral acute respiratory infections (ARIs), the main triggers of acute asthma exacerbations. In recent years, miRs have been studied in order to discover drug targets as well as biomarkers for diagnosis, disease severity and prognosis. We describe recent findings on miR expression and function in asthma and their role in the regulation of viral ARIs, according to cell tissue specificity and asthma severity. By combining the above information, we identify miRs that may be important in virus-induced asthma exacerbations. This is the first attempt to link miR profiles of asthmatic patients and ARI-induced miRs, addressing the question of whether there might be a specific miR deficit in asthmatic subjects that make them more susceptible and/or reactive to infection.