Published online Oct 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i37.13477
Revised: March 28, 2014
Accepted: June 2, 2014
Published online: October 7, 2014
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate the expression of many target genes via mRNA degradation or translation inhibition. Many studies have shown that miRNAs are involved in the modulation of gene expression and replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and play a pivotal role in host-virus interactions. Increasing evidence also demonstrates that viral infection leads to alteration of the miRNA expression profile in hepatic tissues or circulation. The deregulated miRNAs participate in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) initiation and progression by functioning as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes by targeting various genes involved in cancer-related signaling pathways. The distinct expression pattern of miRNAs may be a useful marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of virus-related diseases considering the limitation of currently used biomarkers. Moreover, the role of deregulated miRNA in host-virus interactions and HCC development suggested that miRNAs may serve as therapeutic targets or as tools. In this review, we summarize the recent findings about the deregulation and the role of miRNAs during HBV/HCV infection and HCC development, and we discuss the possible mechanism of action of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of virus-related diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of using miRNAs as markers for diagnosis and prognosis as well as therapeutic targets and drugs.
Core tip: Chronic hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus infection changed miRNA expression profiles at the tissue or serum level, and the altered miRNAs play pivotal roles in gene expression and replication of the viruses and the development of virus-related diseases. These findings suggest that miRNAs have the potential as novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in virus-related diseases.