Dual Functionality of miRNAs During HIV Infection: From Viral Genome Suppression to Immune Response Modulation

As important post-transcriptional and epigenetic regulators of gene expression, miRNAs play a pivotal role in modulating host-virus interactions. While prior reviews have addressed either direct miRNA-HIV genome interactions or miRNA-mediated immune modulation in isolation, the integrated dual functionality of these molecules has not been systematically characterized. This review aimed to comprehensively explore how miRNAs that target the HIV-1 genome simultaneously modulate key innate and adaptive host immune signaling pathways. The conceptual novelty of this study is determined not by the identification of previously unknown miRNA-target gene pairs, but by the systemic integration of two regulatory levels (direct inhibition of the viral genome and modulation of the host cell immune signaling pathways) within a unified analytical framework. Such an integrated approach reveals a proviral regulatory network that remains non-obvious when each of these levels is examined separately.

A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (all years through 2025). In Stage 1, publications reporting experimentally confirmed interactions between host miRNAs and the HIV-1 genome were identified, yielding a curated set of 15 miRNAs. In Stage 2, target genes for each miRNA were retrieved from miRTarBase, TarBase (experimentally validated) and TargetScan 8.0 (in silico predicted). In Stage 3, target genes were manually mapped to key immune signaling pathways (TLR, NF-κB, JAK-STAT). In Stage 4, targeted literature searches were performed for each miRNA-target gene pair to identify direct experimental evidence of interaction. All stages were performed by two independent researchers, with discrepancies resolved by a third.

Fifteen host miRNAs with experimentally confirmed binding to the HIV-1 genome were identified, targeting viral genes including nef, pol, vpr, gag, env, vif, and the 3'-UTR. Thirteen of these miRNAs were found to regulate components of major immune pathways. miR-92a-3p, miR-29a/b-3p, miR-150-5p, and miR-125b-5p emerged as the most pleiotropic regulators, simultaneously suppressing TLR signaling (TLR3, TLR7, TLR8, MyD88, TRAF3/6, IRAK1/4), NF-κB components (REL, RELA, NFKB1), JAK-STAT effectors (STAT1-3, STAT5A/B, JAK2), and negative regulators of cytokine signaling (SOCS and PIAS family proteins). miR-133b and miR-196b-5p were found to selectively regulate SOCS/PIAS proteins without involvement in other analyzed pathways, suggesting potential for selective therapeutic targeting.

The analyzed miRNAs exhibit functional dualism, acting as direct post-transcriptional suppressors of the HIV-1 genome while simultaneously functioning as epigenetic modulators of host immune signaling. These two modes of action are not independent but together form a conceptual framework of a self-reinforcing proviral regulatory network that, based on the synthesis of published evidence, is proposed to promote viral latency and immune evasion. The identified miRNAs represent promising, albeit complex, targets for novel therapeutic strategies aimed at eliminating latent HIV reservoirs.