Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 66 in total

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  1. Forouzanfar F, Shojapour M, Asgharzade S, Amini E
    CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets, 2019;18(3):212-221.
    PMID: 30714533 DOI: 10.2174/1871527318666190204104629
    Stroke continues to be a major cause of death and disability worldwide. In this respect, the most important mechanisms underlying stroke pathophysiology are inflammatory pathways, oxidative stress, as well as apoptosis. Accordingly, miRNAs are considered as non-coding endogenous RNA molecules interacting with their target mRNAs to inhibit mRNA translation or reduce its transcription. Studies in this domain have similarly shown that miRNAs are strongly associated with coronary artery disease and correspondingly contributed to the brain ischemia molecular processes. To retrieve articles related to the study subject, i.e. the role of miRNAs involved in inflammatory pathways, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in stroke from the databases of Web of Science, PubMed (NLM), Open Access Journals, LISTA (EBSCO), and Google Scholar; keywords including cerebral ischemia, microRNA (miRNA), inflammatory pathway, oxidative stress, along with apoptosis were used. It was consequently inferred that, miRNAs could be employed as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as therapeutic goals of cerebral ischemia.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  2. Soo TCC, See SA, Bhassu S
    J Invertebr Pathol, 2020 11;177:107497.
    PMID: 33130047 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2020.107497
    Global shrimp aquaculture farmers have suffered major economic losses due to disease outbreaks. A notable shrimp disease is Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND), which is caused by a new strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria (VpAHPND) that mainly inhabits the shrimp gut and damages the hepatopancreas. Fewer studies have investigated whether this disease will affect shrimp muscle functioning or cause any muscle damage. We challenged Penaeus monodon shrimp with VpAHPND bacteria using an immersion method. Expression of Dystrophin gene, an important regulatory gene for maintenance of muscle integrity, was quantified from muscle samples using qRT-PCR. Additional verification was conducted by determining calcium concentration and bta-miR-4286 and dre-miR-107b miRNAs expression. P. monodon dystrophin gene demonstrated the highest expression level during AHPND infection when muscle calcium concentration was detected at its lowest level at 6 h post-infection (hpi). The highest muscle calcium concentration, determined at 36 hpi, was supported by higher bta-miR-4286 miRNA expression and lower dre-miR-107b miRNA expression in VpAHPND-infected samples compared to uninfected samples at the same time point. We deduced an interactive relationship between dystrophin gene expression, calcium concentration, and miRNA expression in P. monodon muscle tissues triggered by the invading VpAHPND bacterium.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  3. Yazit NAA, Juliana N, Das S, Teng NIMF, Fahmy NM, Azmani S, et al.
    Mini Rev Med Chem, 2020;20(17):1781-1790.
    PMID: 32564754 DOI: 10.2174/1389557520666200621182717
    Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction (POCD) refers to the condition of neurocognitive decline following surgery in a cognitive and sensory manner. There are several risk factors, which may be life-threatening for this condition. Neuropsychological assessment of this condition is very important. In the present review, we discuss the association of apolipoprotein epsilon 4 (APOE ε4) and few miRNAs with POCD, and highlight the clinical importance for prognosis, diagnosis and treatment of POCD. Microarray is a genome analysis that can be used to determine DNA abnormalities. This current technique is rapid, efficient and high-throughout. Microarray techniques are widely used to diagnose diseases, particularly in genetic disorder, chromosomal abnormalities, mutations, infectious diseases and disease-relevant biomarkers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that are widely found distributed in eukaryotes. Few miRNAs influence the nervous system development, and nerve damage repair. Microarray approach can be utilized to understand the miRNAs involved and their pathways in POCD development, unleashing their potential to be considered as a diagnostic marker for POCD. This paper summarizes and identifies the studies that use microarray based approaches for POCD analysis. Since the application of microarray in POCD is expanding, there is a need to review the current knowledge of this approach.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  4. Chong ZX, Yeap SK, Ho WY
    J Biomed Sci, 2021 Mar 25;28(1):21.
    PMID: 33761957 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-021-00715-9
    Breast cancer is the most common solid cancer that affects female population globally. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that can regulate post-transcriptional modification of multiple downstream genes. Autophagy is a conserved cellular catabolic activity that aims to provide nutrients and degrade un-usable macromolecules in mammalian cells. A number of in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies have reported that some miRNAs could modulate autophagy activity in human breast cancer cells, and these would influence human breast cancer progression and treatment response. Therefore, this review was aimed to discuss the roles of autophagy-regulating miRNAs in influencing breast cancer development and treatment response. The review would first introduce autophagy types and process, followed by the discussion of the roles of different miRNAs in modulating autophagy in human breast cancer, and to explore how would this miRNA-autophagy regulatory process affect the disease progression or treatment response. Lastly, the potential applications and challenges of utilizing autophagy-regulating miRNAs as breast cancer biomarkers and novel therapeutic agents would be discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  5. Sati ISEE, Parhar I
    Int J Mol Sci, 2021 Dec 17;22(24).
    PMID: 34948346 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413550
    Glioblastoma (GBM), a grade IV brain tumor, is known for its heterogenicity and its resistance to the current treatment regimen. Over the last few decades, a significant amount of new molecular and genetic findings has been reported regarding factors contributing to GBM's development into a lethal phenotype and its overall poor prognosis. MicroRNA (miRNAs) are small non-coding sequences of RNA that regulate and influence the expression of multiple genes. Many research findings have highlighted the importance of miRNAs in facilitating and controlling normal biological functions, including cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Furthermore, miRNAs' ability to initiate and promote cancer development, directly or indirectly, has been shown in many types of cancer. There is a clear association between alteration in miRNAs expression in GBM's ability to escape apoptosis, proliferation, and resistance to treatment. Further, miRNAs regulate the already altered pathways in GBM, including P53, RB, and PI3K-AKT pathways. Furthermore, miRNAs also contribute to autophagy at multiple stages. In this review, we summarize the functions of miRNAs in GBM pathways linked to dysregulation of cell cycle control, apoptosis and resistance to treatment, and the possible use of miRNAs in clinical settings as treatment and prediction biomarkers.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  6. Chong ZX, Ho WY, Yeap SK
    Life Sci, 2024 Jun 15;347:122609.
    PMID: 38580197 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122609
    LIM domains kinase 2 (LIMK2) is a 72 kDa protein that regulates actin and cytoskeleton reorganization. Once phosphorylated by its upstream activator (ROCK1), LIMK2 can phosphorylate cofilin to inactivate it. This relieves the levering stress on actin and allows polymerization to occur. Actin rearrangement is essential in regulating cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and migration. Dysregulation of the ROCK1/LIMK2/cofilin pathway has been reported to link to the development of various solid cancers such as breast, lung, and prostate cancer and liquid cancer like leukemia. This review aims to assess the findings from multiple reported in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies on the potential tumour-regulatory role of LIMK2 in different human cancers. The findings of the selected literature unraveled that activated AKT, EGF, and TGF-β pathways can upregulate the activities of the ROCK1/LIMK2/cofilin pathway. Besides cofilin, LIMK2 can modulate the cellular levels of other proteins, such as TPPP1, to promote microtubule polymerization. The tumour suppressor protein p53 can transactivate LIMK2b, a splice variant of LIMK2, to induce cell cycle arrest and allow DNA repair to occur before the cell enters the next phase of the cell cycle. Additionally, several non-coding RNAs, such as miR-135a and miR-939-5p, could also epigenetically regulate the expression of LIMK2. Since the expression of LIMK2 is dysregulated in several human cancers, measuring the tissue expression of LIMK2 could potentially help diagnose cancer and predict patient prognosis. As LIMK2 could play tumour-promoting and tumour-inhibiting roles in cancer development, more investigation should be conducted to carefully evaluate whether introducing a LIMK2 inhibitor in cancer patients could slow cancer progression without posing clinical harms.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
  7. Qadeer A, Wajid A, Rafey HA, Nawaz S, Khan S, Rahman SU, et al.
    Front Cell Infect Microbiol, 2024;14:1424838.
    PMID: 39165921 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1424838
    Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as key intercellular communication and pathogenesis mediators. Parasitic organisms' helminths, cause widespread infections with significant health impacts worldwide. Recent research has shed light on the role of EVs in the lifecycle, immune evasion, and disease progression of these parasitic organisms. These tiny membrane-bound organelles including microvesicles and exosomes, facilitate the transfer of proteins, lipids, mRNAs, and microRNAs between cells. EVs have been isolated from various bodily fluids, offering a potential diagnostic and therapeutic avenue for combating infectious agents. According to recent research, EVs from helminths hold great promise in the diagnosis of parasitic infections due to their specificity, early detection capabilities, accessibility, and the potential for staging and monitoring infections, promote intercellular communication, and are a viable therapeutic tool for the treatment of infectious agents. Exploring host-parasite interactions has identified promising new targets for diagnostic, therapy, and vaccine development against helminths. This literature review delves into EVS's origin, nature, biogenesis, and composition in these parasitic organisms. It also highlights the proteins and miRNAs involved in EV release, providing a comprehensive summary of the latest findings on the significance of EVs in the biology of helminths, promising targets for therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
  8. Jothy SL, Chen Y, Vijayarathna S, Kanwar JR, Sasidharan S
    Curr Gene Ther, 2015;15(1):15-20.
    PMID: 25478696
    Radiotherapy plays an essential primary role in cancer patients. Regardless of its significant advances in treatment options, tumor recurrence and radio-resistance in cancer cells still occur in a high percentage of patients. Furthermore, the over expression of miRNAs accompanies the development of radio-resistant cancer cells. Consequently, miRNAs might serve as therapeutic targets for the treatment of radio-resistance in cancer cells. The findings of the current research also signify that the use of a natural anti-miRNA substance could inhibit specific miRNAs, and, concurrently, these natural remedies could exhibit radioprotective activity against the healthy cells during radiotherapy. Therefore, in this review, we have reported the association of miRNAs with radio-resistance and the potential uses of natural remedies as green gene therapeutic approaches, as well as radioprotectors against the adverse effects of irradiation on healthy cells during radiotherapy.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
  9. Tan GC, Chan E, Molnar A, Sarkar R, Alexieva D, Isa IM, et al.
    Nucleic Acids Res, 2014 Aug;42(14):9424-35.
    PMID: 25056318 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku656
    We have sequenced miRNA libraries from human embryonic, neural and foetal mesenchymal stem cells. We report that the majority of miRNA genes encode mature isomers that vary in size by one or more bases at the 3' and/or 5' end of the miRNA. Northern blotting for individual miRNAs showed that the proportions of isomiRs expressed by a single miRNA gene often differ between cell and tissue types. IsomiRs were readily co-immunoprecipitated with Argonaute proteins in vivo and were active in luciferase assays, indicating that they are functional. Bioinformatics analysis predicts substantial differences in targeting between miRNAs with minor 5' differences and in support of this we report that a 5' isomiR-9-1 gained the ability to inhibit the expression of DNMT3B and NCAM2 but lost the ability to inhibit CDH1 in vitro. This result was confirmed by the use of isomiR-specific sponges. Our analysis of the miRGator database indicates that a small percentage of human miRNA genes express isomiRs as the dominant transcript in certain cell types and analysis of miRBase shows that 5' isomiRs have replaced canonical miRNAs many times during evolution. This strongly indicates that isomiRs are of functional importance and have contributed to the evolution of miRNA genes.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  10. Tan TT, Chen M, Harikrishna JA, Khairuddin N, Mohd Shamsudin MI, Zhang G, et al.
    Fish Shellfish Immunol, 2013 Oct;35(4):1061-9.
    PMID: 23816854 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2013.06.017
    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are ~20-22 nucleotides, non protein-coding RNA regulatory genes that post-transcriptionally regulate many protein-coding genes, influencing critical biological and metabolic processes. While the number of known microRNA is increasing, there is currently no published data for miRNA from giant freshwater prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (M. rosenbergii), a commercially cultured and economically important food species. In this study, we identified novel miRNAs in the gill and hepatopancreas of M. rosenbergii. Through a deep parallel sequencing analysis and an in silico data analysis approach, 327 miRNA families were identified from small RNA libraries with reference to both the de novo transcriptome of M. rosenbergii obtained from RNA-Seq and to miRBase (Release 18.0, November 2012). Based on the identified mature miRNA and recovered precursor sequences that form appropriate hairpin structures, three conserved miRNA (miR125, miR750, miR993) and 27 novel miRNA candidates encoding messenger-like non-coding RNA were identified. miR-125, miR-750, G-m0002/H-m0009, G-m0005, G-m0008/H-m0016, G-m0011/H-m0027 and G-m0015 were selected for experimental validation with stem-loop quantitative RT-PCR and were found to be coherent with the expression profile of deep sequencing data as evaluated with Pearson's correlation coefficient (r = 0.835178 for miRNA in gill, r = 0.724131 for miRNA in hepatopancreas). Using a combinatorial approach of pathway enrichment analysis and inverse expression relationship of miRNA and mRNA, four co-expressed novel miRNA candidates (G-m0005, G-m0008/H-m0016, G-m0011/H-m0027, and G-m0015) were found to be associated with energy metabolism. In addition, the expression of the three novel miRNA candidates (G-m0005, G-m0008/H-m0016, and G-m0011/H-m0027) were also found to be significantly reduced at 9 and 24 h post infection in M. rosenbergii challenged with infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus, suggesting a functional role of these miRNAs in crustacean immune defense.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
  11. Gan CS, Wang CW, Tan KS
    Genet. Mol. Res., 2012;11(1):147-52.
    PMID: 22370881 DOI: 10.4238/2012.January.27.1
    Cerebral ischemia or ischemic stroke is mainly attributed to vascular and circulation disorders. Among protein biomarkers, RNA profiles have also been identified as markers of ischemic stroke. MicroRNA-145 expression is ostensibly recognized as marker and modulator of vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype; however, expression levels in ischemic stroke had not been investigated. Employing real-time quantitative PCR, we examined the expression profile of circulatory microRNA-145 in healthy control subjects (N = 14) and ischemic stroke patients (N = 32). Circulatory microRNA-145 expression was significantly higher in ischemic stroke patients than in control subjects. This demonstrates that hemostatic mechanisms are affected by ischemic stroke. We conclude that circulating microRNA-145 has potential as a biomarker for ischemic stroke.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  12. Amila A, Acosta A, Sarmiento ME, Suraiya S, Zafarina Z, Panneerchelvam S, et al.
    Int J Mycobacteriol, 2015 Dec;4(4):341-6.
    PMID: 26964819 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmyco.2015.06.009
    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in diseases development. Therefore, human miRNAs may be able to inhibit the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) in the human host by targeting critical genes of the pathogen. Mutations within miRNAs can alter their target selection, thereby preventing them from inhibiting Mtb genes, thus increasing host susceptibility to the disease.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
  13. Soliman AM, Lin TS, Mahakkanukrauh P, Das S
    Int J Mol Sci, 2020 Oct 13;21(20).
    PMID: 33066062 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207539
    Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancerous bone disease characterized by malignant transformation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. MM is considered to be the second most common blood malignancy, with 20,000 new cases reported every year in the USA. Extensive research is currently enduring to validate diagnostic and therapeutic means to manage MM. microRNAs (miRNAs) were shown to be dysregulated in MM cases and to have a potential role in either progression or suppression of MM. Therefore, researchers investigated miRNAs levels in MM plasma cells and created tools to test their impact on tumor growth. In the present review, we discuss the most recently discovered miRNAs and their regulation in MM. Furthermore, we emphasized utilizing miRNAs as potential targets in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of MM, which can be useful for future clinical management.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
  14. Lucero R, Zappulli V, Sammarco A, Murillo OD, Cheah PS, Srinivasan S, et al.
    Cell Rep, 2020 02 18;30(7):2065-2074.e4.
    PMID: 32075753 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.01.073
    Glioblastoma (GBM) is characterized by aberrant vascularization and a complex tumor microenvironment. The failure of anti-angiogenic therapies suggests pathways of GBM neovascularization, possibly attributable to glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) and their interplay with the tumor microenvironment. It has been established that GSC-derived extracellular vesicles (GSC-EVs) and their cargoes are proangiogenic in vitro. To further elucidate EV-mediated mechanisms of neovascularization in vitro, we perform RNA-seq and DNA methylation profiling of human brain endothelial cells exposed to GSC-EVs. To correlate these results to tumors in vivo, we perform histoepigenetic analysis of GBM molecular profiles in the TCGA collection. Remarkably, GSC-EVs and normal vascular growth factors stimulate highly distinct gene regulatory responses that converge on angiogenesis. The response to GSC-EVs shows a footprint of post-transcriptional gene silencing by EV-derived miRNAs. Our results provide insights into targetable angiogenesis pathways in GBM and miRNA candidates for liquid biopsy biomarkers.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  15. Liew LC, Gailhouste L, Tan GC, Yamamoto Y, Takeshita F, Nakagama H, et al.
    Stem Cells, 2020 04;38(4):504-515.
    PMID: 31828873 DOI: 10.1002/stem.3136
    The role of microRNAs (miRNAs) during mouse early development, especially in endoderm germ layer formation, is largely unknown. Here, via miRNA profiling during endoderm differentiation, we discovered that miR-124a negatively regulates endoderm lineage commitment in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). To further investigate the functional role of miR-124a in early stages of differentiation, transfection of embryoid bodies with miR-124a mimic was performed. We showed that overexpression of miR-124a inhibits endoderm differentiation in vitro through targeting the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of Sox17 and Gata6, revealing the existence of interplay between miR-124a and the Sox17/Gata6 transcription factors in hepato-specific gene regulation. In addition, we presented a feasible in vivo system that utilizes teratoma and gene expression profiling from microarray to quantitatively evaluate the functional role of miRNA in lineage specification. We demonstrated that ectopic expression of miR-124a in teratomas by intratumor delivery of miR-124a mimic and Atelocollagen, significantly suppressed endoderm and mesoderm lineage differentiation while augmenting the differentiation into ectoderm lineage. Collectively, our findings suggest that miR-124a plays a significant role in mESCs lineage commitment.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  16. Mehta M, Chellappan DK, Wich PR, Hansbro NG, Hansbro PM, Dua K
    Future Med Chem, 2020 06;12(11):987-990.
    PMID: 32270706 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2020-0066
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
  17. Lim CH, Zainal NZ, Kanagasundram S, Zain SM, Mohamed Z
    PMID: 27177356 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32457
    Although major progress has been achieved in research and development of antipsychotic medications for bipolar disorder (BPD), knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying this disorder and the action of atypical antipsychotics remains incomplete. The levels of microRNAs (miRNAs)-small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression, including genes involved in neuronal function and plasticity-are frequently altered in psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to examine changes in miRNA expression in bipolar mania patients after treatment with asenapine and risperidone. Using a miRNA microarray, we analyzed miRNA expression in the blood of 10 bipolar mania patients following 12 weeks of treatment with asenapine or risperidone. Selected miRNAs were validated by using real-time PCR. A total of 16 miRNAs were differentially expressed after treatment in the asenapine group, 14 of which were significantly upregulated and the other two significantly downregulated. However, all three differentially expressed miRNAs in the risperidone group were downregulated. MiRNA target gene prediction and gene ontology analysis revealed significant enrichment for pathways associated with immune system response and regulation of programmed cell death and transcription. Our results suggest that candidate miRNAs may be involved in the mechanism of action of both antipsychotics in bipolar mania. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  18. Teoh SL, Das S
    Curr Pharm Des, 2017;23(12):1845-1859.
    PMID: 28231756 DOI: 10.2174/1381612822666161027120043
    The incidence and mortality due to breast cancer is increasing worldwide. There is a constant quest to know the underlying molecular biology of breast cancer in order to arrive at diagnosis and plan better treatment options. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding and single stranded RNAs which influence the gene expression and physiological condition in any tumor. The miRNAs may act on different pathways in various cancers. Recently, there are research reports on various miRNAs being linked to breast cancers. The important miRNAs associated with breast cancers include miR-21, miR-155, miR-27a, miR-205, miR-145 and miR-320a. In the present review we discuss the role of miRNAs in breast cancer, its importance as diagnostic markers, prognosis and metastasis markers. We also highlight the role of miRNAs with regard to resistance to few anticancerous drugs such as Tamoxifen and Trastuzumab. The role of miRNA in resistance to treatment is one of the core issues discussed in the present review. Much information on the miRNA roles is available particularly in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy setting, because this protocol allows the rapid association of miRNA expression with the treatment response. This review opens the door for designing better therapeutic options in drug resistance cases in breast cancer.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
  19. Ambrose KK, Ishak T, Lian LH, Goh KJ, Wong KT, Ahmad-Annuar A, et al.
    Neurol India, 2017 5 11;65(3):512-517.
    PMID: 28488611 DOI: 10.4103/neuroindia.NI_237_16
    INTRODUCTION: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNA molecules of approximately 22 nucleotides that function as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. They are expressed in a tissue-specific manner and show different expression patterns in development and disease; hence, they can potentially act as disease-specific biomarkers. Several miRNAs have been shown to be deregulated in plasma and skeletal muscles of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) patients.

    METHODS: We evaluated the expression patterns of 11 candidate miRNAs using quantitative real-time PCR in whole blood (n = 10) and muscle biopsy samples (n = 9) of DM1 patients, and compared them to those of normal control samples (whole blood, n = 10; muscle, n = 9).

    RESULTS: In DM1 whole blood, miRNA-133a, -29b, and -33a were significantly upregulated, whereas miRNA-1, -133a, and -29c were significantly downregulated in the skeletal muscles compared to controls.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our findings align to those reported in other studies and point towards pathways that potentially contribute toward pathogenesis in DM1. However, the currently available data is not sufficient for these miRNAs to be made DM1-specific biomarkers because they seem to be common to many muscle pathologies. Hence, they lack specificity, but reinforce the need for further exploration of DM1 biomarkers.

    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism*
  20. Mohamed ZI, Tee SF, Chow TJ, Loh SY, Yong HS, Bakar AKA, et al.
    Asian J Psychiatr, 2019 Feb;40:76-81.
    PMID: 30771755 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.02.001
    Transcription factor 4 (TCF4) gene plays an important role in nervous system development and it always associated with the risk of schizophrenia. Since miRNAs regulate targetgenes by binding to 3'UTRs of target mRNAs, the functional variants located in 3'UTR of TCF4 are highly suggested to affect the gene expressions in schizophrenia. To test the hypothesis regarding the effects of the variants located in 3'UTR of TCF4, we conducted an in silico analysis to identify the functional variants and their predicted functions. In this study, we sequenced the 3'UTR of TCF4 in 13 multiplex schizophrenia families and 14 control families. We found two functional variants carried by three unrelated patients. We determined that the C allele of rs1272363 and the TC insert of rs373174214 might suppress post- transcriptional expression. Secondly, we cloned the region that flanked these two variants into a dual luciferase reporter system and compared the luciferase activities between the pmirGLO-TCF4 (control), pmirGLO-TCF4-rs373174214 and pmirGLO-TCF4-rs1273263. Both pmirGLO-TCF4-rs373174214 and pmirGLO-TCF4-rs1273263 caused lower reporter gene activities, as compared to the control. However, only the C allele of rs1272363 reduced the luciferase activity significantly (p = 0.0231). Our results suggested that rs1273263 is a potential regulator of TCF4 expression, and might be associated with schizophrenia.
    Matched MeSH terms: MicroRNAs/metabolism
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