MicroRNA 155 host gene (MIR155HG) encodes the microRNA (miR)-155 that regulates various signalling pathways of innate and adaptive immune responses against viral infections.
In the absence of miRNA-155, accumulation of effector CD8(+) T cells was severely reduced during acute and chronic viral infections and control of virus replication was impaired.
MiR-155-5p is one of the best characterized miRNAs and recent data indicate that miR-155-5p plays a critical role in various physiological and pathological processes such as hematopoietic lineage differentiation, immunity, inflammation, viral infections, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Down syndrome.
The inflammatory microRNA-155 is upregulated during acute myocarditis, contributes to the adverse inflammatory response to viral infection of the heart, and is a potential therapeutic target for viral myocarditis.
Exogenous molecular control in vivo of miR-155 expression could open up new ways to restrain malignant growth and viral infections, or to attenuate the progression of cardiovascular diseases.