Novel aspects of tRNA-derived small RNAs with potential impact in infectious diseases

Abstract

The complete understanding of the growing catalog of regulatory non-coding RNAs is going to shed light in different aspects of a wide range of pathogenic mechanisms in human diseases. This review was aimed to highlight recent advances in the small non- coding RNA world that could have implications in the development of new strategies in medical sciences. Among the diverse group of small non-coding RNAs, we highlight the group of tRNA-derived fragments as molecules known for a long time which have recently emerged as novel regulators influencing several aspects of cell biology. We describe here recent advances in the field of tRNA-derived fragments playing key roles in the biology of some infectious agents, including E. coli, A. fumigatus, G. lamblia, Ascaris, T. cruzi, Virus, Prions and a brief overview linking them to cancer biology. Additionally, we focus on the potential implications of these molecules in future biotechnological applications in the development of new biomarkers and as new therapeutic targets.