MICRORNAS REGULATED BY PREGNANCY TARGET THE HIV INTERACTOME

Abstract

Innate immunity predictors of HIV risk are influenced by reproductive hormone levels, pregnancy, and lactation status. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as post-transcriptional regulators, play key roles in immune regulation and host-virus interactions. We hypothesized that physiological adaptations to pregnancy include the modulation of systemic miRNA expression, which in turn regulates host genes involved in HIV interaction, potentially influencing susceptibility during pregnancy. To test this, we leveraged a large longitudinal cohort from Uganda and Zimbabwe and analyzed 174 serum samples from 88 participants in pre-pregnancy (PP), pregnancy (P), and breastfeeding (BF) states using the HTG EdgeSeq platform. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs in pregnancy were identified with false discovery rate (FDR) View larger version (17K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cd2007org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1f1b9d3org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@dee856org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@6796c2_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG