Recently, the alteration of the immune-associated miR-146a, which is abundantly present in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), was found in some viral infections.
Our study suggested that the induction of miR-146a by SGIV infection may function through a feed-forward mechanism to promote viral infection by restraining anti-viral cellular responses.
Collectively, our data indicate that the HCV-induced increase in miR-146a-5p expression both promotes viral infection and is relevant for pathogenesis of liver disease.
By inhibiting target gene expression, microRNAs (miRNAs) play major roles in various physiological and pathological processes. miR-146a, a miRNA induced upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation and virus infection, is also highly expressed in patients with immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, and psoriasis.
Therefore, our work demonstrates that miR-146a upregulation in CHB causes impaired T cell function, which may contribute to immune defects and immunopathogenesis during chronic viral infection.