Association of exosomal miR-96-5p and miR-146a-5p with the disease severity in Dengue virus infection.

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles secreted by cells and have a major role in cell-to-cell signaling. As dengue infection progresses from a mild to a severe form of infection, the exosome's microRNA (miRNA) composition might change, which may contribute to pathogenesis. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of serum exosomal miRNAs was performed and their involvement in dengue virus-induced disease progression in an Indian cohort was assessed. Small RNA-seq showed 50 differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs that were significantly dysregulated during dengue infection. After extensive validation, miR-96-5p was found to be significantly upregulated, whereas miR-146a-5p was significantly downregulated with the progression of disease to severe form. Interestingly, a strong positive correlation was found between the expression levels of miR-96-5p and miR-146a-5p and the platelet levels of the patients. Further study of miR-146a-5p showed that it regulates the expression of most of the proteins involved in the immune response. These results suggest that miR-96-5p and miR-146a-5p could be used as diagnostic and prognostic markers for dengue disease progression, in addition to the already available biochemical and pathological parameters. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.