Downregulation of microRNA-149 in retinal ganglion cells suppresses apoptosis through activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in mouse with glaucoma.

Downregulation of microRNA-149 in retinal ganglion cells suppresses apoptosis through activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in mouse with glaucoma. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2018 Sep 05;: Authors: Nie XG, Fan DS, Huang YX, He YY, Dong BL, Gao F Abstract Glaucoma represents a major cause of blindness, generally associated with elevated intraocular pressure (EIOP). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether microRNA-149 (miR-149) affects retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and the underlying mechanism based on a mouse model of chronic glaucoma with EIOP. The successfully modeled mice were administered with mimics or inhibitors of miR-149. Next, the number of RGCs, ultrastructural changes of RGCs, and purity of RGCs in the retinal tissues were detected. Moreover, the RGCs were collected and subsequently treated with 60 mmHg pressure, and transfected with a series of plasmids aiding in the regulation of the expression of miR-149 and betacellulin (BTC). The levels of miR-149, BTC, PI3K, and Akt were subsequently determined. Finally, RGC viability and apoptosis were detected accordingly. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay provided validation, highlighting BTC was indeed a target gene of miR-149. The downregulation of miR-149 is accompanied by an increased number of RGCs and decreased ultrastructural RGC alterations. Additionally, downregulated miR-149 was noted to increase the levels of BTC, PI3K, and Akt in both the retina...
Source: Am J Physiol Cell Ph... - Category: Cytology Authors: Tags: Am J Physiol Cell Physiol Source Type: research