miR-224-5p protects dental pulp stem cells from apoptosis by targeting Rac1.

miR-224-5p protects dental pulp stem cells from apoptosis by targeting Rac1. Exp Ther Med. 2020 Jan;19(1):9-18 Authors: Qiao W, Li D, Shi Q, Wang H, Wang H, Guo J Abstract Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are reported to be enriched in stem/progenitor cells, however to the best of our knowledge they have yet to be well documented and characterized. In the present study, in order to characterize DPSCs and the effect of microRNAs (miRs/miRNAs) on DPSC properties, a miRNA array was performed between dental periodontal ligament cells (DPLCs) and DPSCs. The results revealed that miR-224-5p (miR-224) was highly expressed in the DPSCs compared with that in the DPLCs. The transfection of DPSCs with an miR-224 inhibitor impaired cell viability. In addition, miR-224 inhibition significantly promoted cell apoptosis in DPSCscompared with the NC group. In silico analysis and a dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that miR-224 targets the 3'-untranslated region of the Rac family small GTPase 1 (Rac1) gene. miR-224 downregulation resulted in the increased expression of Rac1 in DPSCs compared with DPLCs. Furthermore, miR-224 inhibition caused augmented mitogen-activated protein kinase 8, caspase-3, caspase-9 and Fas ligand expression in DPSC, which may be recovered by Rac1 silencing with transfection with short hairpin RNA-Rac1. Furthermore, Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide flow cytometry indicated that the silencing of Rac...
Source: Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine - Category: General Medicine Tags: Exp Ther Med Source Type: research