Journal
MICROORGANISMS
Volume 11, Issue 2, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020412
Keywords
HCMV; HHV-6; coinfection; systemic sclerosis; fibrosis; microRNAs
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Tissue fibrosis, a common cause of organ malfunction, is not well understood. This study investigates the impact of HCMV/HHV-6A coinfection on the expression of pro-fibrotic miRNAs. The results suggest a synergistic effect of the two viruses in inducing enhanced miRNA-driven fibrosis and the potential use of virus-induced miRNAs as biomarkers for SSc.
Tissue fibrosis can affect every type of tissue or organ, often leading to organ malfunction; however, the mechanisms involved in this process are not yet clarified. A role has been hypothesized for Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infections as triggers of systemic sclerosis (SSc), a severe autoimmune disease causing progressive tissue fibrosis, since both viruses and antiviral immune responses toward them have been detected in patients. Moreover, HCMV or HHV-6A infection was reported to increase the expression of fibrosis-associated transcriptional factors and miRNAs in human dermal fibroblasts. However, it is unlikely that they have separate effects in the infected host, as both viruses are highly prevalent in the human population. Thus, our study aimed to investigate, by quantitative real-time PCR microarray, the impact of HCMV/HHV-6A coinfection on the expression of pro-fibrotic miRNAs in coinfected cells, compared to the effect of single viruses. The results showed a possible synergistic effect of the two viruses on pro-fibrotic miRNA expression, thus suggesting that HCMV and HHV-6 may enhance each other and cooperate at inducing enhanced miRNA-driven fibrosis. These data may also suggest a possible use of virus-induced miRNAs as novel diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers for SSc and its clinical treatment.
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