SnoRNAs and miRNAs Networks Underlying COVID-19 Disease Severity

There is a lack of predictive markers for early and rapid identification of disease progression in COVID-19 patients. Our study aims at identifying microRNAs (miRNAs)/small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) as potential biomarkers of COVID-19 severity. Using differential expression analysis of microarray data (n = 29), we identified hsa-miR-1246, ACA40, hsa-miR-4532, hsa-miR-145-5p, and ACA18 as the top five differentially expressed transcripts in severe versus asymptomatic, and ACA40, hsa-miR-3609, ENSG00000212378 (SNORD78), hsa-miR-1231, hsa-miR-885-3p as the most significant five in severe versus mild cases. Moreover, we found that white blood cell (WBC) count, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), neutrophil (%), lymphocyte (%), red blood cell (RBC) count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, D-Dimer, and albumin are significantly correlated with the identified differentially expressed miRNAs and snoRNAs. We report a unique miRNA and snoRNA profile that is associated with a higher risk of severity in a cohort of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Altogether, we present a differential expression analysis of COVID-19-associated microRNA (miRNA)/small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) signature, highlighting their importance in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Automated summary

This study identified microRNAs (miRNAs) and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) as potential biomarkers of COVID-19 severity through differential expression analysis of microarray data, and found that they are significantly correlated with white blood cell count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin, etc. The study provides a unique miRNA and snoRNA profile associated with a higher risk of severity in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, highlighting the importance of these molecules in SARS-CoV-2 infection.