Dynamic changes in microRNA expression during differentiation of rat cochlear progenitor cells in vitro

Abstract

Objective Cochlear progenitor cells could be used to explore the cochlea developmental mechanism and for cell replacement therapy in deafness. MicroRNAs are small, noncoding RNAs that could regulate the cell fate of stem cells, as well as cellular proliferation, differentiation and maturation. An expression profile analysis of microRNAs is necessary to understand their complex roles in differentiating cochlear progenitor cells. Methods The microRNAs microarray was used to analyze microRNA expression changes while differentiating cochlear progenitor cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm and compare the results of the microarray and to detect the expression pattern of several microRNAs during the differentiation of neural stem cells. Results Nearly 100 microRNAs were identified from the microarray. Most showed changes in expression levels as cochlear progenitor cell differentiation progressed. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction result demonstrated that the miR-183 family exhibits cell-specific expression in cochlear progenitor cells compared with neural stem cells. Conclusions The temporal regulation of these microRNAs indicated that they might play different roles in differentiating cochlear progenitor cells, and that specific microRNAs might influence the cell fate determination of cochlear progenitor cells.