MiR-608 Exerts Anti-inflammatory Effects by Targeting ELANE in Monocytes

miR-608 has been indicated to play an important role in the pathogenesis of various inflammation-related diseases, including sepsis and several types of cancers. However, there is little information about the underlying mechanism, especially in inflammatory cells. In this study, an hsa-miR-608-inhibition cell model was constructed in U937 cells using a lentivirus, and gene expression profiles were determined by a cDNA microarray. Altogether, 682 genes showed a difference greater than 1.2-fold, including 184 genes downregulated and 498 genes upregulated. Among these genes, one potential miR-608-target gene, ELANE, was further investigated. A positive relationship between the expression of miR-608 and that of ELANE was found both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, decreased expression of miR-608 resulted in overexpression of ELANE at both the mRNA and protein levels. Cotransfection of HEK293T cells with a miR-608 mimic inhibited reporter activity, and mutation of the miRNA seed sequences abolished the repression of reporter activity. These results suggest that miR-608 is an important posttranscriptional regulator of ELANE expression in human monocytes and may play an important role in the process of inflammation. miR-608 and neutrophil elastase may be novel targets for the diagnosis or treatment of sepsis.