title: MicroRNA Expression Profiling of Human Respiratory Epithelium Affected by Invasive Candida Infection.
abstract: Invasive candidiasis is potentially life-threatening systemic fungal infection caused by Candida albicans (C. albicans). Candida enters the blood stream and disseminate throughout the body and it is often observed in hospitalized patients, immunocompromised individuals or those with chronic diseases. This infection is opportunistic and risk starts with the colonization of C. albicans on mucocutaneous surfaces and respiratory epithelium. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs which are involved in the regulation of virtually every cellular process. They regulate and control the levels of mRNA stability and post-transcriptional gene expression. Aberrant expression of miRNAs has been associated in many disease states, and miRNA-based therapies are in progress. In this study, we investigated possible variations of miRNA expression profiles of respiratory epithelial cells infected by invasive Candida species. For this purpose, respiratory epithelial tissues of infected individuals from hospital laboratory were accessed before their treatment. Invasive Candida infection was confirmed by isolation of Candia albicans from the blood cultures of the same infected individuals. The purity of epithelial tissues was assessed by flow cytometry (FACSCalibur cytometer; BD Biosciences, Heidelberg, Germany) using statin antibody (S-44). TaqMan quantitative real-time PCR (in a TaqMan Low Density Array format) was used for miRNA expression profiling. MiRNAs investigated, the levels of expression of 55 miRNA were significantly altered in infected tissues. Some miRNAs showed dramatic increase (miR-16-1) or decrease of expression (miR-17-3p) as compared to control. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of these miRNA-targeted genes suggests that Candidal infection affect many important biological pathways. In summary, disturbance in miRNA expression levels indicated the change in cascade of pathological processes and the regulation of respiratory epithelial functions following invasive Candidal infection. These findings contribute to our understanding of host cell response to Candidal systemic infections.
authors: Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan, Pakistan.
authors: Syed Aun
authors: SA
authors: Muhammad
authors: Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, 22060, Pakistan.
authors: Nighat
authors: N
authors: Fatima
authors: University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors: Nawazish-I-Husain
authors: NI
authors: Syed
authors: Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), Seattle, WA, United States of America.
authors: Xiaogang
authors: X
authors: Wu
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America.
authors: X Frank
authors: XF
authors: Yang
authors: Indiana Center for Systems Biology and Personalized Medicine, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America; School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America; Department of Computer and Information Science, School of Science Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, United States of America; Institute of Biopharmaceutical Informatics and Technology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors: Jake Y
authors: JY
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans; D058365:Candidiasis, Invasive / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs