Conditional deletion of miR-204 and miR-211 in murine retinal pigment epithelium results in retinal degeneration

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRs) are short, evolutionarily conserved non-coding RNAs that canonically downregulate expression of target genes. The miR family composed of miR-204 and miR-211 is among the most highly expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in both mouse and human, and also retains high sequence identity. To assess the role of this miR family in the developed mouse eye, we generated two floxed conditional knockout mouse lines crossed to the RPE65-ERT2-Cre driver mouse line to perform an RPE-specific conditional knockout of this miR family in adult mice. After Cre-mediated deletion, we observed retinal structural changes by optical coherence tomography; dysfunction and loss of photoreceptors by retinal imaging; and retinal inflammation marked by subretinal infiltration of immune cells by imaging and immunostaining. Single-cell RNA sequencing of diseased RPE and retinas showed potential miR-regulated target genes, as well as changes in non-coding RNAs in the RPE, rod photoreceptors, and Müller glia. This work thus highlights the role of miR-204 and miR-211 in maintaining RPE function and how the loss of miRs in the RPE exerts effects on the neural retina, leading to inflammation and retinal degeneration.