Genome wide analysis of Mycobacterium leprae for identification of putative microRNAs and their possible targets in human

The pathogen Mycobacterium leprae is the root cause of the dire Hansen's disease, commonly known as Leprosy. Mycobacterium leprae is a distinct species within the genus as it causes peripheral nerve damage. The microRNAs (miRNAs) can effectively regulate the transcripts at the stages of transcription and translation. Although authenticating the existence and roles of microRNAs in bacteria necessitate intensive research, a few reports on bacterial microRNAs were published. In this in silico study, the genome wide investigation of Mycobacterium leprae led to the identification of 30 putative mature microRNAs in the bacterium. Several reports manifest the transmittance of bacterial small RNAs to host cytoplasm and they subsequently target host cellular mRNA molecules. The mature microRNAs predicted in M. leprae might possibly degrade/ inhibit 297 mRNAs in human. Further, the target human genes were subjected to gene network analysis and functional annotation. It was evident that the central mediators of the target gene network were involved in host defence responses to pathogen. A few target genes executed the pivotal processes of nervous system, morphogenesis, homeostatsis, transcription factor binding, cell cycle and cell death.