Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by post-transcriptional inhibition of mRNA translation. Dysregulation of miRNAs, including circulating miRNAs, has been reported to play an important role in the development of various diseases, including fibrotic diseases. Aberrant expression of miRNAs in the vitreous humor of vitreoretinal diseased eyes has been reported. However, the expression pattern of miRNAs present in the vitreous humor of proliferative vitreoretinal disease (PVD) patients, including proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), remains unknown. To investigate the factors important for the development of PVD, we characterized the miRNAs present in the vitreous humor of PVD patients and analyzed the expression profiles of 377 miRNAs using quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based miRNA arrays. The expression of a specific subset of miRNAs, previously reported to be associated with the development of angiogenesis and fibrosis, was significantly altered in the vitreous of PVD patients. Among these miRNAs, we identified miR-21 as a candidate fibrotic miRNA with an important role in the pathogenesis of PVD. Increased miR-21 levels in the vitreous were associated with retinal fibrosis, including PVR and PDR. Because epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPECs) plays a critical role in retinal fibrosis, the expression of miR-21 in human RPECs was determined. Its expression in RPECs was induced by transforming growth factor-β, a key growth factor involved in fibrogenesis, and was enhanced by high glucose culture conditions, suggesting that miR-21 expression positively correlates with disease progression. Gain- and loss-of-function studies revealed that miR-21 promoted cell proliferation and migration of ARPE-19 cells without affecting EMT-related gene expression. Together, our studies have identified miR-21 as a potential disease-modifying miRNA in the vitreous humor that is involved in the development of retinal fibrosis and may be a novel marker of PVD.
Highlights
Proliferative vitreoretinal diseases (PVDs), including proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), are leading causes of blindness due to tractional retinal detachment resulting from a fibroproliferative response caused by increases of various biologically active growth factors in the eye [1]
To obtain comprehensive miRNA expression profiles from the vitreous humors of PVD patients, we examined the expression profiles of 377 miRNAs from the vitreous humor of six patients affected by macular hole (MH) as the control group and PDR with active fibrovascular membrane as the PVD group using TaqMan1 Low Density Array technology
No significant change in let-7e expression after transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) treatment was observed (Fig 3C). These results suggested that the altered expression of miR-21 and miR-204 in PVD was associated with TGF-β-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPECs)
Summary
Proliferative vitreoretinal diseases (PVDs), including proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), are leading causes of blindness due to tractional retinal detachment resulting from a fibroproliferative response caused by increases of various biologically active growth factors in the eye [1]. Surgical approaches for the treatment of these disorders have significantly improved in the recent past. The microRNAs (miRNAs) are a specific class of noncoding RNAs that are defined as small (approximately 20 nucleotides in length) RNAs that are processed from a much larger primary transcript. Once processed into their mature forms, miRNAs generally bind to complementary sequences at the 30 untranslated region of specific genes. The miRNAs mediate silencing of their bound targets via mRNA destabilization and/or protein translation inhibition, and play critical roles in various biological processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, immune function, and angiogenesis [5]. MiRNAs have been found in various kinds of body fluids, such as serum, plasma, saliva, tears, urine, and breast milk [6]
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