MiR-140-5p inhibits synovial fibroblasts proliferation and inflammatory cytokines secretion through targeting TLR4

Impact of miR-140 Deficiency on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

SCOPE

We have previously shown that loss of miR-140 has a pro-fibrotic effect in the mammary gland. This study aims to investigate whether miR-140 loss and obesity act synergistically to promote non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and to identify the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Liver tissues were isolated from lean-fat-diet and high-fat-diet fed wild-type and miR-140 knockout mice. Using molecular staining and immunohistochemistry techniques, increased development of NAFLD and fibrotic indicators in miR-140 knockout mice were identified. Utilizing an in vitro model system, miR-140 was demonstrated to target TLR-4, and miR-140 overexpression was shown to be sufficient to inhibit palmitic acid signaling through the TLR-4/NFκB pathway.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate that loss of miR-140 results in increased expression of TLR-4, sensitizing cells to palmitic acid signaling and in increased inflammatory activity through the TLR4/NFκB pathway. This signaling axis promotes NAFLD development in a high-fat diet context and indicates the potential utility of miR-140 rescue as a therapeutic strategy in NAFLD.

miR-140-5p/miR-149 Affects Chondrocyte Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Autophagy by Targeting FUT1 in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most prevalent chronic and degenerative joint disease, is characterized by articular cartilage degradation and chondrocyte injury. Increased cell apoptosis and defective cell autophagy in chondrocytes are a feature of degenerative cartilage. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as potential regulators of OA. This study aimed to determine the potential role of miR-140-5p and miR-149 in apoptosis, autophagy, and proliferation in human primary chondrocytes and investigate the underlying mechanism. We revealed the differential expressional profiles of miR-140-5p/149 and fucosyltransferase 1 (FUT1) in the articular cartilage tissues of OA patients and normal people and validated FUT1 was a direct target of miR-140-5p/149. The overexpression of miR-140-5p/149 inhibited apoptosis and promoted proliferation and autophagy of human primary chondrocytes via downregulating FUT1. On the contrary, the downregulation of miR-140-5p/149 inhibited chondrocyte proliferation and autophagy, whereas the effect was reversed by FUT1 knockdown. Taken together, our data suggested that miR-140-5p and miR-149 could mediate the development of OA, which was regulated by FUT1. miR-140-5p/miR-149/FUT1 axis might serve as a predictive biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in OA treatment.