Specific MiRNAs in naïve T cells associated with Hepatitis C Virus-induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Peng Yan^1,2, Pengfei Pang^1,2,3, Xiaojun Hu^1,2,3, Ani Wang⁴, Huitao Zhang^1,2, Yingdong Ma¹, Ke Zhang^1,2,3, Yaochao Ye^1,2, Bin Zhou^1,2,3✉, Junjie Mao^1,2,3✉

1. Center for Interventional Medicine, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000.
2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000.
3. Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000.
4. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000, P.R. China.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). See http://ivyspring.com/terms for full terms and conditions.

Citation:
Yan P, Pang P, Hu X, Wang A, Zhang H, Ma Y, Zhang K, Ye Y, Zhou B, Mao J. Specific MiRNAs in naïve T cells associated with Hepatitis C Virus-induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Cancer 2021; 12(1):1-9. doi:10.7150/jca.49594. Available from https://www.jcancer.org/v12p0001.htm

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the primary cause of hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis, which in turn, notably increase the risk of developing HCC. The systematic immune response plays a vital role in protecting eukaryotic cells from exogenous antigens. In the present study, to determine the association between T cells and miRNAs in HCV-induced HCC (HCV-HCC), bulk mRNA and miRNA sequencing data from HCV-HCC tissues were combined, along with single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from T cells. Deconvoluted bulk RNA-seq data and miRNA profiles enabled the identification of naive CD4+ T cell-associated miRNAs, which may help to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the anti-HCV immune response. Using bulk RNA-seq data, the current analysis presents a feasible method for assessing the relationship between miRNAs and cell components, providing valuable insights into the effects of T cell-associated miRNAs in HCV-HCC.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatitis C virus, microRNAs, naïve T cells