MicroRNA expression profile of alveolar epithelial cells infected with Aspergillus fumigatus

There are limited number of studies investigating the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in Aspergillus infections. In this study, we designed an in vitro aspergillosis model to identify differentially expressed Aspergillus-related miRNAs. For this purpose, carcinoma cell lines “A549” and “Calu-3” were infected with Aspergillus fumigatus. Total miRNA was isolated at 0, 1, 6, and 24 h post-infection. Quantitative real-time PCR assay was conducted to screen 31 human miRNAs that were possibly related to aspergillosis. Up- and downregulated miRNAs were detected in the infected cells. Highest level of miRNA expression was detected at 6 h post-infection. miR-21, hsa-miR-186-5p, hsa-miR-490-5p, miR-26a-5p, miR-26b-5p, hsa-miR-424-5p, hsa-miR-548d-3p, hsa-miR-196a-5p, miR-150-5p, miR-17-5p, and hsa-miR-99b-5p were found to be significantly upregulated (p < 0.001) at 6 h after A. fumigatus infection compared with the controls. Among the screened miRNAs, hsa-miR-145-5p (p < 0.001); hsa-miR-583 and hsa-miR-3978 (p < 0.01); and miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-4488, and hsa-miR-4454 (p < 0.05) were found to be downregulated compared with the controls. In conclusion, screening the identified miRNAs may reveal the personal predisposition to aspergillosis, which might be valuable from the perspective of personalized medicine.