Decreased levels of microRNA miR-122 in individuals with hepatitis C responding poorly to interferon therapy

Magdalena Sarasin-Filipowicz; Jacek Krol; Ilona Markiewicz; Markus H Heim; Witold Filipowicz

doi:10.1038/nm.1902

Decreased levels of microRNA miR-122 in individuals with hepatitis C responding poorly to interferon therapy

Nat Med. 2009 Jan;15(1):31-3. doi: 10.1038/nm.1902. Epub 2009 Jan 4.

Authors

Magdalena Sarasin-Filipowicz¹, Jacek Krol, Ilona Markiewicz, Markus H Heim, Witold Filipowicz

Affiliation

¹ Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

PMID: 19122656
DOI: 10.1038/nm.1902

Abstract

Several microRNAs (miRNAs), including liver-specific miR-122, have been implicated in the control of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA replication and its response to interferon (IFN) in human hepatoma cells. Our analysis of liver biopsies from subjects with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) undergoing IFN therapy revealed no correlation of miR-122 expression with viral load and markedly decreased pretreatment miR-122 levels in subjects who had no virological response during later IFN therapy; other investigated miRNAs showed only limited changes. These data have implications for the prospect of targeting miRNAs for CHC therapy.

Publication types

Clinical Trial
Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
Biomarkers, Pharmacological / metabolism
Cells, Cultured
Down-Regulation / genetics
Drug Resistance, Viral / genetics
Hepatitis C / drug therapy*
Hepatitis C / genetics
Hepatitis C / metabolism
Hepatitis C / pathology
Humans
Interferon-alpha / therapeutic use*
Liver / metabolism
Liver / pathology
Liver / virology
MicroRNAs / genetics*
MicroRNAs / metabolism
Treatment Failure
Viral Load

Substances

Antiviral Agents
Biomarkers, Pharmacological
Interferon-alpha
MIRN122 microRNA, human
MicroRNAs