Creation of a novel coding program to identify genes controlled by miRNAs during human rhinovirus infection

Human rhinovirus (RV) is the most frequent cause of the common cold, as well as severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Currently, there are no effective and accurate diagnostic tools or antiviral therapies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding sections of RNA involved in the regulation of gene expression and have been shown to be associated with different pathologies. However, the precise role of miRNAs in RV infection is not yet well established. Also, no unified computational framework exists to specifically link miRNA expression with functional gene targets during RV infection. This study aimed to first analyse the impact of RV16 on miRNA expression across the viral life cycle to identify a small panel with altered expression. We then developed a novel bioinformatics pipeline that integrated time-resolved miRNA profiling with multi-database gene-phenotype mapping to identify diagnostic biomarkers and their regulatory networks. Our in-house Python-based tool, combining mirDIP, miRDB and VarElect APIs, predicted seven genes (EZH2, RARG, PTPN13, OLFML3, STAG2, SMARCA2 and CD40LG) implicated in antiviral responses and specifically targeted by RV16 and regulated by our miRNAs. This method therefore offers a scalable approach to interrogate miRNA-gene interactions for viral infections, with potential applications in rapid diagnostics and therapeutic target discovery.