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. 2025 Jun;12(3):1872-1882.
doi: 10.1002/ehf2.15194. Epub 2025 Feb 19.

Discovery of miRNAs unique to actively transcribed erythroparvovirus infection in heart failure patients

Ganna Aleshcheva  1 , Sara Salih  2 , Christian Baumeier  1 , Felicitas Escher  1   3   4 , C Thomas Bock  5 , Heinz-Peter Schultheiss  1
Affiliations

Discovery of miRNAs unique to actively transcribed erythroparvovirus infection in heart failure patients

Ganna Aleshcheva et al. ESC Heart Fail. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Aims: miRNAs, small non-coding RNAs, play key roles in gene regulation, cell differentiation and tissue development. They influence viral infection outcomes by directly interacting with viral genomes or modifying the host microenvironment. This study demonstrates miRNAs' ability to selectively suppress transcriptionally active erythroparvovirus, highlighting their potential in antiviral therapies.

Methods and results: Seventy-five endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) specimens from patients with unexplained heart failure were analysed. The samples included 19 with dilated cardiomyopathy and inflammation (DCMi), 12 with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), 25 with inflammation and active erythroparvovirus infection, 13 with active erythroparvovirus infection only and 6 from undiagnosed patients as controls. miRNA expression was measured using TaqMan assays. miR-98, miR-222, miR-106b and miR-197 were significantly upregulated in patients with transcriptionally active erythroparvovirus infection, independent of inflammation (P < 0.005). These miRNAs differentiated these patients from all other groups with over 90% specificity.

Conclusions: These specific miRNAs offer a novel diagnostic tool for active erythroparvovirus infections and hold promise as therapeutic targets, providing safer alternatives to traditional antiviral treatments.

Keywords: Biomarker; Cardiomyopathy; Virus; miRNA.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Confirmation of differentially expressed miRNAs in four patients groups.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Confirmation of differentially expressed miRNAs in patients with transcriptionally active erythroparvovirus infection (DNA + RNA).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Influence of viral load (DNA) on miRNA expression.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Influence of viral load (RNA) on miRNA expression.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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