Abstract
Abstract Immune responses are dramatically affected by stress, with developing thymocytes undergoing marked atrophy following bacterial infections or steroid injections. MicroRNAs (miRs) have been implicated in stress responses in many different organ systems. We performed miR expression profiling to identify miRs affected by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or dexamethasone induced thymic atropy. Both treatments caused significant reductions in overall thymic cellularity, with the CD4+CD8+ subset primarily affected. Seven and ten distinct miRs were significantly up- and down- regulated, respectively, in the thymic tissue, compared to controls. Synthetic mimics or inhibitors of several of these miRs, including miR-181a, differentially affected T cell development, as assessed in fetal thymic organ culture assays. These findings indicate that many thymic miRs are stress responsive and can influence the efficiency of T cell development.
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