MiRNA Expression Profiling in HIV Pathogenesis, Disease Progression and Response to Treatment: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Aim: A systematic review was conducted to identify the association of miRNA expression with HIV pathogenesis, progression and treatment. Methods: A search of articles was conducted in MEDLINE^®, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Global Health. Results: 35 articles were included. Due to the heterogeneity of HIV phenotypes, a harmonization based on key progression parameters was proposed. The hsa-miR-29 family, hsa-miR-146b-5p and hsa-miR-150-5p, are the most frequently differentially expressed in HIV. Direct comparison of studies was not possible due to heterogeneity in biological samples and miRNA analysis techniques. Conclusion: This is the first attempt to systematically identify miRNA’s different expression in well-defined patient phenotypes and could represent a helpful way to increase general knowledge in this field.

Lay abstract

miRNAs play important role in the regulation of gene expression and are involved in various physiological processes. Dysregulation of their function can lead to human diseases including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, liver conditions and immune dysfunction. The aim of this work is to systematically analyze the current scientific literature to identify miRNAs linked to the mechanism, development and treatment of HIV. A total of 35 articles were included and the miRNAs that were found with significantly different levels in compared groups of subjects (e.g., subjects with HIV vs healthy persons, persons able to limit the disease progression without therapy vs those whose immune system is already compromised by HIV) were highlighted. The most frequently reported miRNAs were: the hsa-miR-29 family, hsa-miR-146b-5p and hsa-miR-150-5p. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to systematically identify the miRNAs associated with HIV and could be a useful contribution to general knowledge in this field.

Keywords::

• AIDS
• disease progression
• highly active antiretroviral therapy
• HIV-1
• microRNA
• pathogenesis

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/epi-2021-0237

Author contributions

CG Leo, P Mincarone and S Sabina conceived and designed the study. CG Leo and P Mincarone developed the search string and retrieved selected works. CG Leo, P Mincarone, MR Tumolo, A Panico, M Guido, A Zizza, R Sedile and S Sabina screened the papers for eligibility and extracted data from the included studies. All the authors analyzed the data. CG Leo and P Mincarone worked on data synthesis with the contributions of S Sabina and R Guarino. CG Leo, P Mincarone and MR Tumolo drafted the manuscript. All the authors revised it critically. R Guarino managed the information system (software and databases) adopted in the review. All authors read and approved the final version for submission and are accountable for all aspects of the work.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank D Moorthly, a methodologist-expert in information retrieval and systematic reviews, who provide suggestions to build the electronic search strategy and A Bodini for having provided precious suggestions for the organization of the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.