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Published on: March 18, 2019
miR-129-5p Inhibits Bone Formation Through TCF4
Chong Yin1, Ye Tian1, Yang Yu2
1Lab for Bone Metabolism, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Special Medicine and Health Engineering, Key Lab for Space Biosciences and Biotechnology, Research Center for Special Medicine and Health Systems Engineering, NPU-UAB Joint Laboratory for Bone Metabolism, School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
Abstract:
Osteoporosis is a frequently occurring bone disease in middle-aged and aged men and women. However, current therapies on this disease are still not ideal. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-protein-coding RNA with a length of 18-25 nucleotides. miRNAs have been identified as important regulators for development, metabolism, carcinogenesis, and bone formation. miR-129-5p has been reported as a regulator of cancer and neuroscience, whereas studies about its function on bone formation is still limited. In this study, we investigated the function and mechanism of miR-129-5p on osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. We have assessed the expression of miRNAs in bone mesenchymal stem cells from aging and menopause osteoporosis C57BL6 mice. The expression of miR-129-5p was altered in all osteoporosis models. Besides, the expression of miR-129-5p was negatively correlated with osteoblastic differentiation markers in the femur tissues of C57BL/6 mice of different ages. We further demonstrated that overexpression of miR-129-5p inhibited osteoblast differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cell line, as well as bone formation of C57BL/6 mice. On the other hand, down-regulation of miR-129-5p enhanced osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. We also found that miR-129-5p inhibited Wnt/β-catenin pathway in osteoblast. The target gene of miR-129-5p has been forecasted and proved as Tcf4. We further found that plasmid containing Tcf4-3' UTR sequence enhanced osteoblast differentiation, as well as Wnt/β-catenin pathway in MC3T3-E1 cells. To further investigate the rescue effect of miR-129-5p inhibitor, we manufactured bioengineered novel recombinant miR-129-5p inhibitor through Escherichia coli system and then tested its function. The results showed that the novel recombinant miR-129-5p inhibitor promoted osteoblast differentiation and greatly ameliorated menopause osteoporosis in C57BL6 mice. In conclusion, we have discovered miR-129-5p as an inhibitor of bone formation. miR-129-5p inhibited downstream transcription factors of Wnt/β-catenin pathway through targeting Tcf4. Moreover, novel recombinant miR-129-5p inhibitor showed rescue effect on osteoporosis. This study has revealed a new mechanism of osteogenic differentiation and provided novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of skeletal disorders.
Insights
MicroRNA-129-5p inhibits bone formation by targeting Tcf4 and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. A novel inhibitor of miR-129-5p shows promise for treating osteoporosis.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Osteoporosis is a prevalent bone disease with inadequate current therapies.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of biological processes, including bone formation.
- The role of miR-129-5p in bone formation is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function and mechanism of miR-129-5p in osteoblast differentiation and bone formation.
- To explore miR-129-5p as a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis.
Main Methods:
- Assessed miRNA expression in osteoporosis mouse models.
- Manipulated miR-129-5p levels in cell lines (MC3T3-E1) and mice.
- Investigated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and identified Tcf4 as a target gene.
- Developed and tested a novel recombinant miR-129-5p inhibitor.
Main Results:
- miR-129-5p expression was altered in osteoporosis models and negatively correlated with osteoblast differentiation markers.
- Overexpression of miR-129-5p inhibited osteoblast differentiation and bone formation, while downregulation enhanced it.
- miR-129-5p targets Tcf4, inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
- A novel miR-129-5p inhibitor promoted osteoblast differentiation and ameliorated osteoporosis in mice.
Conclusions:
- miR-129-5p acts as an inhibitor of bone formation by targeting Tcf4 and suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.
- A novel recombinant miR-129-5p inhibitor demonstrates therapeutic potential for osteoporosis.
- This study reveals a new mechanism in osteogenic differentiation and offers novel strategies for skeletal disorder treatment.
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