Table 2 COVID-19-associated miRNAs involved in immune response
MicroRNAs | Functions | Types of malignancy | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
miRNA-181a and -b | • Regulation of differentiation and development of immune cells and involvement in pathogenesis | ALL | |
miRNA-129-2 | • It is associated with lung adenocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma through the control of cell growth • In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with HPV positive and keratinocyte cells transfected with HPV, miRNA-129–2-3p shows increased expression • Given the growing understanding of the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and comorbidities, changes in miRNA-129–2-3p expression could be of significant importance | Haematological malignancies, including lymphoma | [155] |
Hypothesis* | |||
  miRNA-223-3p | • Capable of directly targeting NF-κB inhibitor alpha • Notch and NF-κB signaling pathways increase miRNA-223 transcription and decrease FBXW7 tumor suppressor transcription in T-cell ALL cases | ALL | [156] |
  miRNA-16 and miRNA-511 | • miRNA-16 and miRNA-511 were significantly overexpressed in adult B-ALL | ALL | [157] |
 MSTRG.119845.30/hsa-miRNA-20a-5p/TNFRSF1B, MSTRG.119845.30/hsa-miRNA-29b-2-5p/FCGR2A, and MST RG.106112.2/hsa-miRNA-6501-5p/STAT3 | • Investigating DEGs related to the immune and/or inflammatory response of the host and interaction networks of regulatory genes | Peripheral blood samples of COVID-19 patients | [158] |
  miRNA-155 | • An essential role in the pathogenesis and severity of COVID-19 • Good diagnostic clinical biomarker for diagnosis of COVID-19 disease and severity of infection • A key target in cancer and an ideal target for therapeutic inhibition | DLBCL, AML, ALL and CLL | |
  miRNA-34a and miRNA-34a-5p | • Up-regulated mRNAs associated with cell proliferation interacted • Decreased expression of more than 30 distinct oncogenes in different cancer pathways (such as MET, MEK1, MYC, PDGFR-α, CDK4/6, BCL2, WNT 1/3, NOTCH1, CD44), along with genes that help tumors evade the immune system response (PD-L1, DGK) | Lymphoma, MM, and leukemias | |
  miRNA-125 | • Related to the formation and growth of tumors, including proliferation of cancer cells, programmed cell death, invasion and dissemination to other parts of the body, metabolic activity, and immune reactions • Acts as an oncogenic factor or tumor suppressor gene and is also associated with drug resistance in various types of leukemia • Manages cervical cancer progression by controlling VEGF and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways | AML | |
  miRNA-223 | • Reduce inflammation to prevent secondary damage during infection and prevent cancerous changes in myeloid cells • Targets of miRNA-223 involved in inflammation and infection include granzyme B, IKKa, Roquin, and STAT3 • In cancer, confirmed targets are C/EBPb, E2F1, FOXO1, and NFI-A • Viral nucleocapsid proteins can suppress BASCs and regulate the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines | AML, MM, and ALL | |
  miRNA- 150-5p | • It directly inhibits the translation of STAT5b mRNA, which leads to a decrease in total STAT5 protein phosphorylation and can be targeted therapeutically • Overexpression of cellular miRNA-150-5p, which is reduced in COVID-19 patients, can inhibit infection of SARS-CoV-2 target cells • Interaction between cellular miRNA-150-5p and a unique MRE in the NSP10 gene encoded by SARS-CoV-2 | MM, AML, malignant lymphoma, Burkitt lymphomas | |
  miRNA-21 | • Alterations in miRNA-21 concentrations have the potential to modulate LZTFL1 gene expression, which may ultimately lead to organ fibrosis and inflammatory processes • This may provide valuable insights into the progression of severe symptoms associated with COVID-19 • miRNA-21 is effective in inducing apoptosis in cancer therapies targeting p53-deficient tumors • As miRNA-21 exhibits oncogenic properties, it presents an appealing target for the treatment of MM • Confirmed targets of miRNA-21 (PTEN, Rho-B, and BTG2) are associated with AKT dysfunction and extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling | Haematological cancers (MM) | |
  miRNA-29a | • Controls ACE2 and may play an important role in the initiation of COVID-19 infection • miRNA-29 participates in a signaling cascade that includes the phosphatase Ppm1d/Wip1, an important modulator of the DNA damage response, and the tumor suppressor p53 • Genes targeted for the regulation of programmed cell death such as the Bcl-2 family of proteins (cellular leukemia/lymphoma) • Dysregulation of the crucial anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 is frequently observed in cancerous cells | AML, CLL, MCL, and MM | |
  miRNA-31 | • Suppresses the expression of multiple pro-metastatic target genes, thus inhibiting various components of the invasion-metastasis process, including motility, invasion, and anoikis resistance • Significantly up-regulated microRNA in COVID-19 patients was miRNA-31-5p, which could be related to its function in regulating inflammation | CML | |