Global miRNA expression profiling of domestic cat livers following acute Toxoplasma gondii infection

Cong, Wei; Zhang, Xiao-Xuan; He, Jun-Jun; Li, Fa-Cai; Elsheikha, Hany M.; Zhu, Xing-Quan

miR-126 is associated with tumorigenesis and has recently been found to modulate the survival and function of Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) via positive regulation of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway [44] . miR-126 upregulation may activate Toll-like receptor (TLR)/MyD88 signalling in pDCs to secrete large amounts of type I interferons (IFNs), which is essential for host resistance to T. gondii infection. Also, the biological significance of T. gondii-induced upregulation of miR-486 may lie in its ability to augment the host defense mechanisms. miR-486 has been shown to activate nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway [45] , which leads to the production of proinflammatory cytokines, thereby providing a protection against T. gondii infection. Of note, both miR-486 and the NF-κB signaling pathway have oncogenic roles in human cancers, such as glioma progression [45] .