Refine
Has Fulltext
- yes (24)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (24)
Year of publication
Document Type
- Doctoral Thesis (24)
Keywords
- miRNS (24) (remove)
Institute
- Graduate School of Life Sciences (10)
- Urologische Klinik und Poliklinik (4)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Anästhesiologie (ab 2004) (2)
- Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik (2)
- Rudolf-Virchow-Zentrum (2)
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (2)
- Institut für Klinische Biochemie und Pathobiochemie (1)
- Institut für Virologie und Immunbiologie (1)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie (1)
- Lehrstuhl für Biochemie (1)
Sonstige beteiligte Institutionen
The obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is the causative agent of
trachoma related blindness and the sexually transmitted pelvic inflammatory disease.
Being an obligate intracellular pathogen, C. trachomatis has an intricate dependency
on the survival of the host cell. This relationship is indispensible owing to the fact that
the pathogen spends a considerable fraction of its biphasic lifecycle within a
cytoplasmic vacuole inside the host cell, the so-called chlamydial inclusion. The
cellular apoptotic-signalling network is governed by several finely tuned regulatory
cascades composed of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins that respond to changes in
the cellular homeostasis. In order to facilitate its intracellular survival, Chlamydia has
been known to inhibit the premature apoptosis of the host cell via the stabilization of
several host anti-apoptotic proteins such as cIAP2 and Mcl-1. While the pro- and
anti-apoptotic proteins are the major regulators of the host apoptotic signalling
network, a class of the small non-coding RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs) has
increasingly gained focus as a new level of regulatory control over apoptosis.
This work investigates the changes in the host miRNA expression profile post
Chlamydia infection using a high throughput miRNA deep sequencing approach.
Several miRNAs previously associated with the modulation for apoptotic signalling
were differentially expressed upon Chlamydia infection in human endothelial cells. Of
the differentially regulated miRNAs, miR-30c-5p was of particular interest since it had
been previously shown to target the tumor suppressor protein p53. Our lab and
others have previously demonstrated that Chlamydia can downregulate the levels of
p53 by promoting its proteasomal degradation. This work demonstrates that
Chlamydia infection promotes p53 downregulation by increasing the abundance of
miR-30c-5p and a successful infection cycle is hindered by a loss of miR-30c-5p.
Over the last decade, dedicated research aimed towards a better understanding of
apoptotic stimuli has greatly improved our grasp on the subject. While extrinsic
stress, deprivation of survival signals and DNA damage are regarded as major
proponents of apoptotic induction, a significant responsibility lies with the
mitochondrial network of the cell. Mitochondrial function and dynamics are crucial to
cell fate determination and dysregulation of either is decisive for cell survival and
pathogenesis of several diseases. The ability of the mitochondrial network to perform
its essential tasks that include ATP synthesis, anti-oxidant defense, and calcium
homeostasis amongst numerous other processes critical to cellular equilibrium is tied
closely to the fission and fusion of individual mitochondrial fragments. It is, thus,
8
unsurprising that mitochondrial dynamics is closely linked to apoptosis. In fact, many
of the proteins involved regulation of mitochondrial dynamics are also involved in
apoptotic signalling. The mitochondrial fission regulator, Drp1 has previously been
shown to be transcriptionally regulated by p53 and is negatively affected by a miR-
30c mediated inhibition of p53. Our investigation reveals a significant alteration in the
mitochondrial dynamics of Chlamydia infected cells affected by the loss of Drp1. We
show that loss of Drp1 upon chlamydial infection is mediated by the miR-30c-5p
induced depletion of p53 and results in a hyper-fused architecture of the
mitochondrial network.
While it is widely accepted that Chlamydia depends on the host cell metabolism for
its intracellular growth and development, the role of mitochondria in an infected cell,
particularly with respect to its dynamic nature, has not been thoroughly investigated.
This work attempts to illustrate the dependence of Chlamydia on miR-30c-5p induced
changes in the mitochondrial architecture and highlight the importance of these
modulations for chlamydial growth and development.
MicroRNAs sind kurze, nicht-kodierende Ribonukleinsäuren, die eine wichtige Rolle bei der Genregulation spielen. Sie sind an vielen physiologischen Prozessen beteiligt und werden als vielversprechende Kandidaten für eine neue Generation von Biomarkern gehandelt. Die Quantifizierung von miRNAs aus Blut oder anderen Körperflüssigkeiten verspricht eine frühe Diagnose verschiedener Krankheitsbilder. Dazu zählen neben zahlreichen Krebsformen unter anderem auch Autoimmun- oder Herz-Kreislauferkrankungen. Um diese Biomarker schnell, sensitiv und spezifisch detektieren zu können, werden geeignete Detektionssysteme benötigt. Dabei liegt ein besonderer Fokus auf der Entwicklung von Point-of-Care-Systemen, die eine automatisierte Durchführung mit einfacher Handhabung verlangen.
Mikrochips können als leistungsfähige technische Hilfsmittel für eine robuste und miniaturisierte Signalerfassung an biochemischen Grenzflächen dienen. Auf der Grundlage eines CMOS-Chips mit einem Sensorarray aus interdigitalen Gold-Elektroden sollte in dieser Arbeit eine quantitative und multiplexfähige miRNA-Detektionsmethode mit elektrochemischer Signaltransduktion entworfen und untersucht werden. Weitere wichtige Zielfaktoren waren eine einfache und schnelle Durchführbarkeit, eine hohe Spezifität und eine gute Sensitivität bei gleichzeitigem Verzicht auf Amplifikation und Vormarkierung des Ausgangsmaterials.
Es wurden verschiedene Methoden entworfen, überprüft, untersucht, optimiert und weiterentwickelt. Das beste Ergebnis wurde letztlich mit einem als Sandwich-Ligations-Methode bezeichneten Verfahren erzielt. Dabei wird zunächst ein aus zwei doppelsträngigen Assay-Komponenten und der Ziel-miRNA bestehender dreiteiliger Hybridisierungskomplex gebildet, der eine beidseitige spezifische Ligation der miRNA mit einem auf der Sensoroberfläche immobilisierten Fängerstrang und einem enzymmarkierten Reporterstrang vermittelt. Durch einen anschließenden Waschschritt werden alle überschüssigen Markierungen vom Detektionsbereich entfernt, so dass bei der Detektion nur Reporterenzyme ausgelesen werden, die über die Ziel-miRNA kovalent mit dem immobilisierten Strang verbunden sind. Dieses Signal ist daher proportional zur Ausgangskonzentration der gesuchten miRNA.
Die Methode wurde mit Hilfe von synthetischen miRNAs etabliert und optimiert. Sie erreichte eine analytische Sensitivität von unter 1 pM Ziel-Nukleinsäure bei einer Gesamt-Versuchsdauer von nur 30 Minuten. Konzentrationsreihen demonstrierten einen linearen dynamischen Messbereich zwischen 1 pM und 1 nM, der eine verlässliche Quantifizierung der detektierten miRNAs in diesem Bereich ermöglicht. Die sehr gute Spezfifität des Assays zeigte sich bei der Untersuchung des Einflusses verschiedener IsomiRs auf das Messergebnis sowie im Rahmen von Experimenten mit miRNAs der let-7-Familie. Dabei konnten Ziel-Nukleinsäuren mit Einzelbasenunterschieden klar differenziert werden. Die Multiplexfähigkeit der vorgestellten Methode wurde durch die gleichzeitige Quantifizierung von bis zu acht miRNAs auf einem CMOS-Chip demonstriert, zuzüglich Kontrollen.
Die Validierung der Detektionsmethode erfolgte mit Gesamt-RNA-Extrakten aus Vollblutproben. Dazu wurde ein kardiales Panel aus acht miRNAs, die auf Basis von Studien zu zirkulierenden miRNAs bei Herzerkrankungen ausgewählt wurden, festgelegt. Mit Hilfe der entsprechenden optimierten Detektionskomponenten wurden aus Spenderblut gewonnene endogene miRNAs analysiert. Dabei zeigte sich für fünf der acht Kandidaten sowohl eine solide Korrelation zwischen eingesetzter Gesamt-RNA-Menge und Messsignal, als auch eine gute Reproduzierbarkeit der Ergebnisse.
Die Konzentrationen der übrigen drei miRNAs lagen nah am unteren Detektionslimit und lieferten daher keine verlässlichen Daten. Mit Hilfe sogenannter branched DNA zur Signalamplifikation könnte bei Bedarf die Sensitivität des Assays noch verbessert werden, was durch weitere Experimente dieser Arbeit demonstriert wurde.
Ein Vergleichsexperiment zwischen der Sandwich-Ligations-Methode und qRT-PCR zeigte nur eine schwache Korrelation der Messergebnisse. Dies ist jedoch konsistent mit anderen Studien zur Vergleichbarkeit unterschiedlicher Detektionsmethoden.
Abschließend wurden die miRNAs des kardialen Panels in Gesamt-RNA-Extrakten aus Vollblut von Herzinfarktpatienten und Kontrollen mit der entwickelten Detektionsmethode analysiert und die Ergebnisse verglichen. Dabei konnten Abweichungen in den Konzentrationen von miR-15a und miR-425 aufgedeckt werden. Eine entsprechende diagnostische Untersuchung mit der hier vorgelegten und validierten Detektionsmethode könnte eine Alternative oder Ergänzung zu aktuell eingesetzten proteinbasierten Tests bieten.
microRNAs in chronic pain
(2016)
Chronic pain is a common problem in clinical practice, not well understood clinically, and frequently tough to satisfactorily diagnose. Because the pathophysiology is so complex, finding effective treatments for people with chronic pain has been overall less than successful and typically reduced to an unsatisfactory trial-and-error process, all of which translates into a significant burden to society. Knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the development of chronic pain, and moreover why some patients experience pain and others not, may aid in developing specific treatment regimens. Although nerve injuries are major contributors to pain chronification, they cannot explain the entire phenomenon. Considerable research has underscored the importance of the immune system for the development and maintenance of chronic pain, albeit the exact factors regulating inflammatory reactions remain unclear. Understanding the putative molecular and cellular regulator switches of inflammatory reactions will open novel opportunities for immune modulatory analgesics with putatively higher specificity and less adverse effects. It has become clear that small, non- coding RNA molecules known as microRNAs are in fact potent regulators of many thousands of genes and possibly cross-communicate between cellular pathways in multiple systems acting as so-called “master-switches”. Aberrant expression of miRNAs is now implicated in numerous disorders, including nerve injuries as well as in inflammatory processes. Moreover, compelling evidence supports the idea that miRNAs also regulate pain, and in analogy to the oncology field aid in the differential diagnosis of disease subtypes. In fact, first reports describing characteristic miRNA expression profiles in blood or cerebrospinal fluid of patients with distinct pain conditions are starting to emerge, however evidence linking specific miRNA expression profiles to specific pain disorders is still insufficient. The present thesis aimed at first, identifying specific miRNA signatures in two distinct chronic pain conditions, namely peripheral neuropathies of different etiologies and fibromyalgia syndrome. Second, it aimed at identifying miRNA profiles to better understand potential factors that differentiate painful from painless neuropathies and third, study the mechanistic role of miRNAs in the pathophysiology of pain, to pave the way for new druggable targets.
Three studies were conducted in order to identify miRNA expression signatures that are characteristic for the given chronic pain disorder. The first study measured expression of miR-21, miR-146a and miR-155 in white blood cells, skin and nerve biopsies of patients with peripheral neuropathies. It shows that peripheral neuropathies of different etiologies are associated with increased peripheral miR-21 and miR-146a, but decreased miR-155 expression. More importantly, it was shown that painful neuropathies have increased sural nerve miR-21 and miR-155 expression, but reduced miR-146a and miR-155 expression in distal skin of painful neuropathies. These results point towards the potential use of miRNAs profiles to stratify painful neuropathies. The seconds study extends these findings and first analyzed the role of miR-132-3p in patients and subsequently in an animal model of neuropathic pain. Interestingly, miR-132-3p was upregulated in white blood cells and sural nerve biopsies of patients with painful neuropathies and in animals after spared nerve injury. Pharmacologically modulating the expression of miR-132-3p dose-dependently reversed pain behavior and pain aversion, indicating the pro-nociceptive effect of miR-132-3p in chronic pain. This study thus demonstrates the potential analgesic impact by modulating miRNA expression. Fibromyalgia is associated with chronic widespread pain and, at least in a subgroup, impairment in small nerve fiber morphology and function. Interestingly, the disease probably comprises subgroups with different underlying pathomechanisms. In accordance with this notion, the third study shows that fibromyalgia is associated with both aberrant white blood cell and cutaneous miRNA expression. Being the first of its kind, this study identified miR-let-7d and its downstream target IGF-1R as potential culprit for impaired small nerve fiber homeostasis in a subset of patients with decreased intra-epidermal nerve fiber density. The work presented in this thesis is a substantial contribution towards the goal of better characterizing chronic pain based on miRNA expression signatures and thus pave the way for new druggable targets.
Neuropathic pain, caused by neuronal damage, is a severely impairing mostly chronic condition. Its underlying molecular mechanisms have not yet been thoroughly understood in their variety. In this doctoral thesis, I investigated the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in a murine model of peripheral neuropathic pain. MiRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs known to play a crucial role in post-transcriptional gene regulation, mainly in cell proliferation and differentiation. Initially, expression patterns in affected dorsal root ganglia (DRG) at different time points after setting a peripheral nerve lesion were studied. DRG showed an increasingly differential expression pattern over the course of one week. Interestingly, a similar effect, albeit to a smaller extent, was observed in corresponding contralateral ganglia. Five miRNA (miR-124, miR-137, miR-183, miR-27b, and miR-505) were further analysed. qPCR, in situ hybridization, and bioinformatical analysis point towards a role for miR-137 and -183 in neuropathic pain as both were downregulated. Furthermore, miR-137 is shown to be specific for non-peptidergic non-myelinated nociceptors (C fibres) in DRG. As the ganglia consist of highly heterocellular tissue, I also developed a neuron-specific approach. Primarily damaged neurons were separated from intact adjacent neurons using fluorescence-activated cell-sorting and their gene expression pattern was analysed using a microarray. Thereby, not only were information obtained about mRNA expression in both groups but, by bioinformatical tools, also inferences on miRNA involvement. The general expression pattern was consistent with previous findings. Still, several genes were found differentially expressed that had not been described in this context before. Among these are corticoliberin or cation-regulating proteins like Otopetrin1. Bioinformatical data conformed, in part, to results from whole DRG, e.g. they implied a down-regulation of miR-124, -137, and -183. However, these results were not significant.
In summary, I found that a) miRNA expression in DRG is influenced by nerve lesions typical of neuropathic pain and that b) these changes develop simultaneously to over-expression of galanin, a marker for neuronal damage. Furthermore, several miRNAs (miR-183, -137) exhibit distinct expression patterns in whole-DRG as well as in neuron-specific approaches. Therefore, further investigation of their possible role in initiation and maintenance of neuropathic pain seems promising.
Finally, the differential expression of genes like Corticoliberin or Otopetrin 1, previously not described in neuropathic pain, has already resulted in follow-up projects.
microRNA-221 und ihr Einfluss auf Zytokin-vermittelte Signalwege im Hochrisiko-Karzinom der Prostata
(2016)
Der klinische Verlauf von Prostatakarzinom(PCa)-Erkrankungen ist extrem unterschiedlich und lässt sich mit den bisher üblichen Verfahren wie der feingeweblichen Beurteilung der Prostatastanzbiopsie bzw. des OP-Präparates und der PSA-Wert-Bestimmung nur unzureichend vorhersagen. Für eine bessere Versorgung von PCa-Patienten sind deshalb neuartige Marker notwendig, die das individuelle Progressions-Risiko bestimmen. Ein hoffnungsvoller Ansatz sind miRNA-Vertreter als Prognose-Parameter. Besonders interessant in dieser Hinsicht ist miR-221, die im PCa-Gewebe signifikant niedriger exprimiert wird. Jedoch existieren für diese in den meisten Neoplasien als Onkogen betrachtete miRNA kaum Erklärungsansätze für eine tumorsuppressive Funktion im PCa.
Die vorliegende Arbeit konnte mit Hilfe von Microarray-basierten Expressionsanalysen und deren bioinformatischer Auswertung sowie zell- und molekularbiologischen Experimenten erstmals zeigen, dass miR-221 das protektive Interferon-Signal in PCa-Zellen stärkt und auf diese Weise deren Proliferation hemmt. Daneben konnten zwei prominente Inhibitoren dieses Signals, IRF2 und SOCS3, als neue Zielgene von miR-221 in vitro nachgewiesen und eine Korrelation von miR-221 mit diesen Zielgenen auch in PCa-Nativmaterial identifiziert werden. Somit konnte erstmals ein Mechanismus der – vorher lediglich aufgrund der Herabregulation in PCa-Nativmaterial postulierten – tumorsuppressiven Funktion von miR-221 im Rahmen der PCa-Entstehung und -Progression dargestellt werden.
Eine Aktivierung des JAK / STAT-vermittelten Interferon-Signals durch miR-221 erscheint auch in einem breiteren infektiologischen Kontext interessant – sind doch zahlreiche Virenarten wie das HI-Virus, Hepatitis- und Herpesviren in der Lage, die zelluläre miR-221-Expression zu vermindern und auf diese Weise wohl das antivirale Interferon-Signal zu umgehen. Die Erhöhung der zellulären miR-221-Spiegel könnte nach diesem Prinzip auch Interferon-basierte Therapie-Strategien unterstützen bzw. erst ermöglichen.
Für das PCa müssen weitere experimentelle sowie klinisch-translationale Untersuchungen zeigen, ob miR-221 als Bestandteil einer Biomarker-Signatur dazu beiträgt, Patienten mit einem letalen PCa frühzeitig zu identifizieren und der dringend notwendigen Primärtherapie bzw. einer adjuvanten Behandlung zuzuführen. Im Gegenzug könnte zahlreichen Patienten, deren (hohe) miR-221-Expression im Tumorgewebe einen günstigeren Verlauf prognostiziert, die übermäßige Therapie erspart werden.
Atherosclerosis is accepted to be a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial vessel wall. Several cellular subsets of the immune system are involved in its initiation and progression, such as monocytes, macrophages, T and B cells. Recent research has demonstrated that dendritic cells (DCs) contribute to atherosclerosis, too. DCs are defined by their ability to sense and phagocyte antigens, to migrate and to prime other immune cells, such as T cells. Although all DCs share these functional characteristics, they are heterogeneous with respect to phenotype and origin. Several markers have been used to describe DCs in different lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs; however, none of them has proven to be unambiguous. The expression of surface molecules is highly variable depending on the state of activation and the surrounding tissue. Furthermore, DCs in the aorta or the atherosclerotic plaque can be derived from designated precursor cells or from monocytes. In addition, DCs share both their marker expression and their functional characteristics with other myeloid cells like monocytes and macrophages. The repertoire of aortic DCs in healthy and atherosclerotic mice has just recently started to be explored, but yet there is no systemic study available, which describes the aortic DC compartment. Because it is conceivable that distinct aortic DC subsets exert dedicated functions, a detailed description of vascular DCs is required. The first part of this thesis characterizes DC subsets in healthy and atherosclerotic mice. It describes a previously unrecognized DC subset and also sheds light on the origin of vascular DCs. In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to regulate several cellular functions, such as apoptosis, differentiation, development or proliferation. Although several cell types have been characterized extensively with regard to the miRNAs involved in their regulation, only few studies are available that focus on the role of miRNAs in DCs. Because an improved understanding of the regulation of DC functions would allow for new therapeutic options, research on miRNAs in DCs is required. The second part of this thesis focuses on the role of the miRNA cluster miR- 17~92 in DCs by exploring its functions in healthy and atherosclerotic mice. This thesis clearly demonstrates for the first time an anti-inflammatory and atheroprotective role for the miR17-92 cluster. A model for its mechanism is suggested.
Atherosklerose ist eine chronisch-entzündliche Gefäßerkrankung. Dabei sind alle entscheidenden Zellen des angeborenen und adaptiven Immunsystems involviert. Besonders dendritische Zellen (DCs) expandieren subendothelial während der Progression einer Atherosklerose. Diese können Antigene aufnehmen und daraufhin Zytokine produzieren oder andere Immunzellen aktivieren. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) sind kleine nicht-kodierende Stränge aus Ribonukleinsäure, welche als weitere Ebene der Genregulation wichtige Zellvorgänge beeinflussen können. Diese Arbeit zeigt mögliche Zielproteine des miRNA 17-92 Clusters in dendritischen Zellen auf und schlägt mögliche Modelle vor, wie dadurch Zellvorgänge von DCs in der Atherosklerose reguliert werden könnten.
While TGF-β is able to regulate miRNA expression in numerous cell types, TGF-β-dependent changes in the miRNA profile of CD8+ T cells had not been studied before. Considering that TGF-β suppresses CD8+ T cell effector functions in numerous ways, we wondered whether induction of immune-regulatory miRNAs could add to the known transcriptional effects of TGF-β on immune effector molecules. In this study, we used miRNA arrays, deep sequencing and qRT-PCR to identify miRNAs that are modulated by TGF-β in human CD8+ T cells. Having found that the TGF-β-dependent downregulation of NKG2D surface expression in NK cells and CD8+ T cells does not go along with a corresponding reduction in mRNA levels, this pathway appeared to be a possible target of TGF-β-inducible miRNAs. However, this hypothesis could not be confirmed by miRNA reporter assays. Instead, we observed that DAP10 transcription is suppressed by TGF-β which in turn negatively affects NKG2D surface expression. In spite of promising preliminary experiments, technical difficulties associated with the transfection of primary NK cells and NK cell lines unfortunately precluded the final proof of this hypothesis.
Instead, we focused on the TGF-β-induced changes in the miRNome of CD8+ T cells and confirmed the induction of the miR-23a cluster members, namely miR-23a, miR-27a and miR-24 by three different techniques. Searching for potential targets of these miRNAs which could contribute to the immunosuppressive action of TGF-β in T cells, we identified and confirmed a previously unknown regulation of IFN-γ mRNA by miR-27a and miR-24. Newly generated miRNA reporter constructs further revealed that LAMP1 mRNA is a target of miR-23a. Upon modulation of the miR-23a cluster in CD8+ T cells by the respective miRNA antagomirs and mimics, significant changes in IFN-γ expression confirmed the functional relevance of our findings. Effects on CD107a/LAMP1 expression were, in contrast, rather minimal. Still, overexpression of the miR-23a cluster attenuated the cytotoxic activity of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Taken together, these functional data reveal that the miR-23a cluster not only is induced by TGF-β, but also exerts a suppressive effect on CD8+ T-cell effector functions, even in the absence of TGF-β signaling.
Dynamic interactions and their changes are at the forefront of current research in bioinformatics and systems biology. This thesis focusses on two particular dynamic aspects of cellular adaptation: miRNA and metabolites.
miRNAs have an established role in hematopoiesis and megakaryocytopoiesis, and platelet miRNAs have potential as tools for understanding basic mechanisms of platelet function. The thesis highlights the possible role of miRNAs in regulating protein translation in platelet lifespan with relevance to platelet apoptosis and identifying involved pathways and potential key regulatory molecules. Furthermore, corresponding miRNA/target mRNAs in murine platelets are identified. Moreover, key miRNAs involved in aortic aneurysm are predicted by similar techniques. The clinical relevance of miRNAs as biomarkers, targets, resulting later translational therapeutics, and tissue specific restrictors of genes expression in cardiovascular diseases is also discussed.
In a second part of thesis we highlight the importance of scientific software solution development in metabolic modelling and how it can be helpful in bioinformatics tool development along with software feature analysis such as performed on metabolic flux analysis applications. We proposed the “Butterfly” approach to implement efficiently scientific software programming. Using this approach, software applications were developed for quantitative Metabolic Flux Analysis and efficient Mass Isotopomer Distribution Analysis (MIDA) in metabolic modelling as well as for data management. “LS-MIDA” allows easy and efficient MIDA analysis and, with a more powerful algorithm and database, the software “Isotopo” allows efficient analysis of metabolic flows, for instance in pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella, Listeria). All three approaches have been published (see Appendices).
MicroRNAs are endogenous ≈22 nt long non coding RNA molecules that modulate gene expression
at the post transcriptional level by targeting mRNAs for cleavage or translational repression.
MicroRNA-mRNA interaction involves a contiguous and perfect pairing within complementary
sites usually in the 3’ UTR of the target mRNA. Heart failure is associated with myocyte
hypertrophy and death, due to compensatory pathological remodeling and minimal functional repair
along with microRNA deregulation.
In this study, we identified candidate microRNAs based on their expression strength in
cardiomyocytes and by their ability to regulate hypertrophy. Expression profiling from early and
late stages of heart failure showed several deregulated microRNAs. Of these microRNAs, miR-378
emerged as a potentially interesting microRNA that was highly expressed in the mouse heart and
downregulated in the failing heart. Antihypertrophic activity of miR-378 was first observed by
screening a synthetic miR library for morphologic effects on cardiomyocytes, and validated in vitro proving the tight control of hypertrophy by this miR. We combined bioinformatic target prediction analysis and microarray analysis to identify the targets of miR-378. These analyses suggested that factors of the MAP kinase pathway were enriched among miR-378 targets, namely MAPK1 itself (also termed ERK2), the insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF1R), growth factor receptor bound protein 2 (GRB2) and kinase suppressor of ras 1 (KSR1). Regulation of these targets by miR-378 was then confirmed by mRNA and protein expression analysis. The use of luciferase reporter constructs with natural or mutated miR-378 binding sites further validated these four proteins as direct targets of miR-378. RNA interference with MAPK1 and the other three targets prevented the prohypertrophic effect of antimiR-378, suggesting that they functionally relate to miR-378. In vivo restoration of disease induced loss of miR-378 in a pressure overload mouse model of hypertrophy using adeno associated virus resulted in partial attenuation cardiac hypertrophy and significant improvement in cardiac function along with reduced expression of the four targets in heart.
We conclude from these findings that miR-378 is an antihypertrophic microRNA in cardiomyocytes, and the main mechanism underlying this effect is the suppression of the MAP kinase-signaling pathway on four distinct levels. Restoration of disease-associated loss of miR-378 through cardiomyocyte-targeted AAV-miR-378 may prove as an effective therapeutic strategy in myocardial disease.