Molecular Cancer (Oct 2024)

MicroRNAs are enriched at COVID-19 genomic risk regions, and their blood levels correlate with the COVID-19 prognosis of cancer patients infected by SARS-CoV-2

  • Simone Anfossi,
  • Faezeh Darbaniyan,
  • Joseph Quinlan,
  • Steliana Calin,
  • Masayoshi Shimizu,
  • Meng Chen,
  • Paola Rausseo,
  • Michael Winters,
  • Elena Bogatenkova,
  • Kim-Anh Do,
  • Ivan Martinez,
  • Ziyi Li,
  • Loredana Antal,
  • Tudor Rares Olariu,
  • Ignacio Wistuba,
  • George A. Calin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-024-02094-9
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 1
pp. 1 – 17

Abstract

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Abstract Background Cancer patients are more susceptible to an aggressive course of COVID-19. Developing biomarkers identifying cancer patients at high risk of COVID-19-related death could help determine who needs early clinical intervention. The miRNAs hosted in the genomic regions associated with the risk of aggressive COVID-19 could represent potential biomarkers for clinical outcomes. Patients and methods Plasma samples were collected at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from cancer patients (N = 128) affected by COVID-19. Serum samples were collected from vaccinated healthy individuals (n = 23) at the Municipal Clinical Emergency Teaching Hospital in Timisoara, Romania. An in silico positional cloning approach was used to identify the presence of miRNAs at COVID-19 risk-associated genomic regions: CORSAIRs (COvid-19 RiSk AssocIated genomic Regions). The miRNA levels were measured by RT-qPCR. Results We found that miRNAs were enriched in CORSAIR. Low plasma levels of hsa-miR-150-5p and hsa-miR-93-5p were associated with higher COVID-19-related death. The levels of hsa-miR-92b-3p were associated with SARS-CoV-2 test positivity. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) increased secretion of hsa-miR-150-5p, hsa-miR-93-5p, and hsa-miR-92b-3p after in vitro TLR7/8- and T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated activation. Increased levels of these three miRNAs were measured in the serum samples of healthy individuals between one and nine months after the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. SARS-CoV-2 infection of human airway epithelial cells influenced the miRNA levels inside their secreted extracellular vesicles. Conclusions MiRNAs are enriched at CORSAIR. Plasma miRNA levels can represent a potential blood biomarker for predicting COVID-19-related death in cancer patients.

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