New Insights on the Mobility of Viral and Host Non-Coding RNAs Reveal Extracellular Vesicles as Intriguing Candidate Antiviral Targets

• Main Authors: Iwona K. Wower, Terry D. Brandebourg, Jacek Wower
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Pathogens
• Subjects: lncRNA; miRNA; extracellular vehicles; exosomes; ectasomes; COVID-19
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/11/876

Intercellular communication occurring by cell-to-cell contacts and via secreted messengers trafficked through extracellular vehicles is critical for regulating biological functions of multicellular organisms. Recent research has revealed that non-coding RNAs can be found in extracellular vesicles consistent with a functional importance of these molecular vehicles in virus propagation and suggesting that these essential membrane-bound bodies can be highjacked by viruses to promote disease pathogenesis. Newly emerging evidence that coronaviruses generate non-coding RNAs and use extracellular vesicles to facilitate viral pathogenicity may have important implications for the development of effective strategies to combat COVID-19, a disease caused by infection with the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. This article provides a short overview of our current understanding of the interactions between non-coding RNAs and extracellular vesicles and highlights recent research which supports these interactions as potential therapeutic targets in the development of novel antiviral therapies.