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Isolation, Transfection, and Culture of Primary Human Monocytes
Published on: December 16, 2019
Interplay between microRNAs, Toll-like receptors, and HIV-1: potential implications in HIV-1 replication and chronic
Gokul Swaminathan1, Sonia Navas-Martín, Julio Martín-García
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Center for Molecular Virology and Translational Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
Abstract:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important cellular, small non-coding RNAs that regulate host gene expression and have well-characterized roles in inflammation and infectious diseases. It has become apparent as well that cellular miRNAs can play crucial roles in controlling HIV-1 infection and replication. Whether HIV-1 encodes and is able to express viral miRNAs in infected cells remains controversial. HIV-1 can manipulate the biogenesis of miRNAs as well as the expression profiles of cellular miRNAs. Toll-Like receptors (TLRs) are important pathogen recognition receptors that sense invading pathogens orchestrating innate and adaptive immune responses. Innate immune recognition of HIV-1 infection leads to activation of TLR7/8. Recent evidence has shown that certain miRNAs can also be recognized by TLR7/8 leading to immune activation. However, the potential TLR7/8-mediated recognition of HIV-1 encoded miRNAs and/or cellular miRNAs modulated in HIV-1 infected cells has not been experimentally explored. In this review, we summarize the current literature on HIV-1 infection and miRNAs. Furthermore, we underscore the need for future research on potential miRNA-induced activation of TLR7/8, which might contribute to the chronic immune activation observed in HIV-1 infected patients.
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