Zhao J, Li X, Zou M, He J, Han Y, Wu D, Yang H, Wu J. miR-135a inhibition protects A549 cells from LPS-induced apoptosis by targeting Bcl-2.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2014;
452:951-7. [PMID:
25230140 DOI:
10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.09.025]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe clinical condition with high morbidity and mortality. Apoptosis is a key pathologic feature of ALI, and Bcl-2 plays an important role during the pathogenesis of ALI via the regulation of apoptosis. However, the regulation of Bcl-2 during ALI, particularly through microRNAs, remains unclear. We hypothesize that certain miRNAs may play deleterious or protective roles in ALI via the regulation of Bcl-2. The LPS stimulation of A549 cells was used to mimic ALI in vitro. First, we confirmed that Bcl-2 is involved in LPS-induced apoptosis in A549 cells. Then, bioinformatic analyses and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were performed to screen for miRNAs targeting Bcl-2. We observed that miR-135a was markedly increased in LPS-challenged A549 cells. miR-135a inhibition markedly restored Bcl-2 expression and protected A549 cells from LPS-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis and luciferase activity assays were conducted to confirm that miR-135a binds directly to the 3'-untranslated region of Bcl-2 and suppresses its expression. Interestingly, the inhibition of miR-135a did not attenuate apoptosis under LPS-treated conditions when Bcl-2 was knocked down. Therefore, we suggest that miR-135a regulation of LPS-induced apoptosis in A549 cells may depend in part on the regulation of Bcl-2. The miR-135a/Bcl-2 signaling pathway may be a novel therapeutic target for the prevention of ALI.
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