Open AccessRegulation of insulin resistance and type II diabetes by hepatitis C virus infection: A driver function of circulating mi RNA s
Author(s) -
Singhal Adit,
Agrawal Aniruddh,
Ling Jun
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/jcmm.13553
Subject(s) - insulin resistance , hepatitis c virus , diabetes mellitus , type 2 diabetes , insulin , rna , hepatocellular carcinoma , virus , immunology , hepatitis c , downregulation and upregulation , medicine , virology , biology , bioinformatics , cancer research , gene , endocrinology , genetics
Hepatitis C virus ( HCV ) infection is a serious worldwide healthcare issue. Its association with various liver diseases including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is well studied. However, the study on the relationship between HCV infection and the development of insulin resistance and diabetes is very limited. Current research has already elucidated some underlying mechanisms, especially on the regulation of metabolism and insulin signalling by viral proteins. More studies have emerged recently on the correlation between HCV infection‐derived mi RNA s and diabetes and insulin resistance. However, no studies have been carried out to directly address if these mi RNA s, especially circulating mi RNA s, have causal effects on the development of insulin resistance and diabetes. Here, we proposed a new perspective that circulating mi RNA s can perform regulatory functions to modulate gene expression in peripheral tissues leading to insulin resistance and diabetes, rather than just a passive factor associated with these pathological processes. The detailed rationales were elaborated through comprehensive literature review and bioinformatic analyses. miR‐122 was identified to be one of the most potential circulating mi RNA s to cause insulin resistance. This result along with the idea about the driver function of circulating mi RNA s will promote further investigations that eventually lead to the development of novel strategies to treat HCV infection‐associated extrahepatic comorbidities.