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Role of microRNAs in host defense against Echinococcus granulosus infection: a preliminary assessment

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Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected helminthic zoonosis caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus s.l. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regulators of gene expression that have been linked with the pathogenesis of several human diseases, but little exists in the available literature about miRNAs in CE. Here, we investigate the expression profiles of 84 microRNAs relevant to the function of lymphocytes and other immune cells during CE infection in the peripheral blood of patients with cysts in active and inactive stages. We applied the microRNA PCR array technology to blood samples from 20 patients with a single hepatic CE cyst in either the active (CE3b) or inactive (CE4–CE5) stage. Our results show a significant upregulation of eight miRNAs (let-7g-5p, let-7a-5p, miR- 26a-5p, miR- 26b-5p, miR- 195-5p, miR- 16-5p, miR- 30c-5p, and miR- 223-3p) in patients with active cysts compared to those with inactive cysts. The high expression of these miRNAs in patients with active cysts suggests their role in a specific host immune response against the infection. Further work in this direction may help shed light on the pathogenesis of human CE.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Marcela Cucher (Universidad de Buenos Aires - IMPAM-UBA-CONICET), for critical evaluation and discussion of the manuscript.

Funding

This study was partially supported by funds granted by the EU FP7 Project HERACLES n. 602051 (to E. Brunetti).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, Pavia, Italy

    Mara Mariconti, Ambra Vola, Raffaella Lissandrin & Enrico Brunetti

  2. Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Mara Mariconti, Tommaso Manciulli, Raffaella Lissandrin & Enrico Brunetti

  3. Department of Microbiology and Virology, San Matteo Hospital Foundation, Pavia, Italy

    Francesca Genco & Valeria Meroni

  4. Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapy, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Valeria Meroni

  5. Instituto de Microbiología y Parasitología Médica, Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (IMPaM, UBA-CONICET), Facultad de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Mara Rosenzvit

  6. Centre for Tropical Diseases, IRCCS Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy

    Francesca Tamarozzi

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  1. Mara Mariconti
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Correspondence to Mara Mariconti.

Ethics declarations

All patients signed an informed consent form for storage and scientific use of the leftover serum at the moment of blood sampling for routine serology. This retrospective study was performed according to the guidelines of Institutional Review Board of San Matteo Hospital Foundation, Pavia, Italy, on the use of biological specimens for scientific purposes in keeping with Italian Law (art.13 D.L gs 196/2003). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The published article unfortunately contained mistake. After replacing the image from colored version to black and white, the Figure 1 caption, unfortunately, was left unupdated.

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Mariconti, M., Vola, A., Manciulli, T. et al. Role of microRNAs in host defense against Echinococcus granulosus infection: a preliminary assessment. Immunol Res 67, 93–97 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-018-9041-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-018-9041-4

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