MiRNA profile in CD4 positive T cells from HTLV-2 and HIV-1 mono- and co-infected subjects

The HTLV-2/HIV-1 co-infection has been shown to be associated with a delayed progression to AIDS (Turci et al. 2007). Casoli et al. (2007) have demonstrated the key role played by CCL3L1 chemokine, whose expression is induced by HTLV-2 infection, in slowing down HIV-1 disease. MiRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate fundamental cellular processes. Since HTLV-2 creates a cellular environment favourable to itself and adverse to HIV-1, it is supposable that host miRNAs profile can be modulated by HTLV-2 to this aim. Here, we investigated the expression profile of miRNAs in HTLV-2 and HIV-1 mono-infected, in double infected, and HIV-1 exposed uninfected (MEU) subjects.