Differenzially expressed miRNAs after Legionella pneumophila infection of human macrophages

Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is a common cause of severe community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia. This pathogen is an intracellular, gram-negative bacterium that replicates within alveolar macrophages. It manipulates the host reaction by interfering with intracellular signaling pathways and gene transcription, thus enabling efficient bacterial replication within pulmonary cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators of mRNAs on the post-transcriptional level and modulate the expression of genes by means of mRNA degradation or translation inhibition. They are also directly involved…