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Published on: August 10, 2018
Altered expression of miR-146a in myasthenia gravis
Jiayin Lu1, Mei Yan, Yuzhong Wang
1Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410078, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to analyze the expression of miR-146a in PBMCs obtained from patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and healthy controls and to investigate the effect of the inhibition of miR-146a on the activation of AchR specific B cells obtained from mice. The expression of miR-146a levels in PBMCs obtained from patients with MG and healthy controls were determined by qRT-PCR. MiR-146a's complementary fragment, AntagomiR-146a, was synthesized as inhibitor, and the nonfunctional fragment, which has similar construction to AntagomiR-146a, was synthesized as negative control inhibitor. The expression of miR-146a, CD40, CD80 and CD86 on AchR specific B cells were analyzed by qRT-PCR and flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of TLR4, NF-κB and Bcl-2 .The expression of miRNA-146a in PBMCs obtained from patients with MG was significantly upregulated compared to healthy controls (P<0.01). Transfection with miR-146a inhibitor dramatically decreased expression of miR-146a, CD40, CD80, TLR4 and NF-κB on AchR specific B cells compared to mock transfected cells. We conclude that abnormal expression/regulation of miR-146a may play an important role in the regulation of AchR specific B cells and contribute to the pathogenesis of MG.
Insights
MicroRNA-146a (miR-146a) is upregulated in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. Inhibiting miR-146a reduces the activation of acetylcholine receptor (AchR) specific B cells, suggesting a role in MG pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder affecting neuromuscular junctions.
- The role of microRNAs, specifically miR-146a, in MG pathogenesis is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze miR-146a expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from MG patients and healthy controls.
- To investigate the impact of miR-146a inhibition on acetylcholine receptor (AchR) specific B cell activation in a mouse model.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to measure miR-146a levels.
- Flow cytometry and qRT-PCR to assess B cell activation markers (CD40, CD80, CD86).
- Western blotting to detect TLR4, NF-κB, and Bcl-2 expression.
Main Results:
- miR-146a was significantly upregulated in PBMCs from MG patients compared to healthy controls (P<0.01).
- Inhibition of miR-146a in AchR specific B cells decreased the expression of miR-146a, CD40, CD80, TLR4, and NF-κB.
Conclusions:
- Abnormal miR-146a expression plays a crucial role in regulating AchR specific B cells.
- miR-146a may contribute to the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis.
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