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Dysregulated Expression Profiles of MicroRNAs of Experimentally Induced Cerebral Aneurysms in Rats
Hyung-Jin Lee1, Jin-Seok Yi, Hong-Jae Lee
1Department of Neurosurgery, Daejeon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon, Korea.
Objective:
Cerebral aneurysm (CA) is an important acquired cerebrovascular disease that can cause catastrophic results. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, playing essential roles in modulating basic physiologic and pathological processes. Currently, evidences have been established about biologic relationship between miRNAs and abdominal aortic aneurysms. However, biologic roles of miRNAs in CA formation have not been explained yet. We employed microarray analysis to detect and compare miRNA expression profiles in late stage of CA in rat model.
Methods:
Twenty-six, 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a CA induction procedure. The control animals (n=11) were fed a normal diet, and the experimental animals (n=26) were fed a normal diet with 1% normal saline for 3 months. Then, the rats were sacrificed, their cerebral arteries were dissected, and the five regions of aneurysmal dilation on the left posterior communicating artery were cut for miRNA microarrays analysis. Six miRNAs (miRNA-1, miRNA-223, miRNA-24-1-5p, miRNA-551b, miRNA-433, and miRNA-489) were randomly chosen for validation using real-time quantitative PCR.
Results:
Among a set of differentially expressed miRNAs, 14 miRNAs were over-expressed more than 200% and 6 miRNAs were down-expressed lower than 50% in the CA tissues.
Conclusion:
The results show that miRNAs might take part in CA formation probably by affecting multiple target genes and signaling pathways. Further investigations to identify the exact roles of these miRNAs in CA formation are required.
Insights
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in cerebral aneurysm (CA) formation. This study identified differentially expressed miRNAs in rat CA tissues, suggesting their involvement in disease pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Cerebral aneurysm (CA) is a significant cerebrovascular disease with potentially devastating outcomes.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of cellular processes, and their involvement in abdominal aortic aneurysms is known.
- The specific roles of miRNAs in cerebral aneurysm development remain largely unexplained.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential expression profiles of miRNAs in the context of cerebral aneurysm formation.
- To identify specific miRNAs that may be involved in the pathogenesis of cerebral aneurysms using a rat model.
Main Methods:
- A rat model of cerebral aneurysm was established using Sprague-Dawley rats.
- Microarray analysis was performed on cerebral artery tissues from rats with induced CA and control groups.
- Quantitative real-time PCR was used to validate the expression levels of six selected miRNAs.
Main Results:
- Microarray analysis revealed significant differential expression of miRNAs in CA tissues compared to controls.
- Specifically, 14 miRNAs were found to be over-expressed by more than 200% in CA tissues.
- Additionally, 6 miRNAs exhibited down-expression lower than 50% in the CA tissues.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that miRNAs are likely involved in the development of cerebral aneurysms.
- These miRNAs may exert their influence by modulating multiple target genes and signaling pathways.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise functions of these identified miRNAs in CA pathogenesis.