Preprint Article Version 2 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Experimental Dengue Virus Type 4 Infection Increases the Expression of MicroRNAs-15/16, Triggering a Caspase-Induced Apoptosis Pathway

Version 1 : Received: 15 December 2022 / Approved: 19 December 2022 / Online: 19 December 2022 (04:24:34 CET)
Version 2 : Received: 25 January 2023 / Approved: 26 January 2023 / Online: 26 January 2023 (10:47:59 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Casseb, S.M.M.; Melo, K.F.L.; Carvalho, C.A.M.; Santos, C.R.; Franco, E.C.S.; Vasconcelos, P.F.C. Experimental Dengue Virus Type 4 Infection Increases the Expression of MicroRNAs-15/16, Triggering a Caspase-Induced Apoptosis Pathway. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45, 4589-4599. Casseb, S.M.M.; Melo, K.F.L.; Carvalho, C.A.M.; Santos, C.R.; Franco, E.C.S.; Vasconcelos, P.F.C. Experimental Dengue Virus Type 4 Infection Increases the Expression of MicroRNAs-15/16, Triggering a Caspase-Induced Apoptosis Pathway. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2023, 45, 4589-4599.

Abstract

The World Health Organization has estimated an annual occurrence of approximately 392 million Dengue virus (DENV) infections in more than 100 countries where the virus is endemic, and this represents a serious threat to humanity. DENV is a serologic group with four distinct serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4) belonging to the genus Flavivirus, in the family Flaviviridae. Dengue is the most widespread mosquito-borne disease in the world. The ~10.7 kb DENV genome encodes three structural proteins (capsid [C], pre-membrane [prM], and envelope [E]) and seven non-structural (NS) proteins (NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, and NS5). The NS1 protein is a membrane-associated dimer and a secreted, lipid-associated hexamer. Dimeric NS1 is found on membranes both in cellular compartments and cell surfaces. Secreted NS1 (sNS1) is often present in patient serum at very high levels, which correlates with severe dengue symptoms. This study was conducted to discover how NS1 protein, microRNAs-15/16 (miRNAs-15/16), and apoptosis are related during DENV-4 infection in human liver cell lines. Huh 7.5 and HepG2 cells were infected with DENV-4, and miRNAs-15/16, viral load, NS1 protein, and caspases-3/7 were quantified after different times of infection. This study demonstrated that miRNAs-15/16 are overexpressed during infection of HepG2 and Huh 7.5 cells by DENV-4 and have a relationship with NS1 protein expression, viral load, and activity of caspases-3/7, thus making these miRNAs potential injury markers during DENV infection in human hepatocytes.

Keywords

Apoptosis; Dengue Virus; microRNAs; Viral Nonstructural Proteins

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Virology

Comments (1)

Comment 1
Received: 26 January 2023
Commenter: Samir Casseb
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: Author
Comment: Dear,
We made changes to the text in relation to the discussion and the text as requested by reviewers.
+ Respond to this comment

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 1
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.