MiR-200b-3p is upregulated in the placental tissues from patients with preeclampsia and promotes the development of preeclampsia via targeting profilin 2

Exosomal encapsulation of miR-3198 promotes proliferation and migration of trophoblasts in preeclampsia

PURPOSE

Preeclampsia (PE) is a vascular remodeling disorder cloesly linked to trophoblast dysfunction, involving defects in their proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Maternal exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play pivotal roles in the development of PE. However, the mechanism underlying the role of maternal exosomes in trophoblast dysfunction regarding the development of PE is poorly understood.

METHODS

Plasma exosomes from maternal peripheral blood were collected from pregnant women with PE and from those with normal pregnancy. Bioinformatics analysis was used to identify significantly differentially expressed miRNAs under these two conditions. The expression of the miR-3198 gene in plasma exosomes was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm binding of miR-3198 and 3'UTR region of WNT3. Cell proliferation was examined using the Cell Count Kit-8 and EdU assays, and flow cytometry was performed to detect apoptosis and cell cycle. Changes in cell migration were examined using transwell and scratch assays.

RESULTS

Patients with PE showed decreased expression of plasma-derived exosomal miR-3198. The proliferation and migration abilities of HTR-8/SVneo and primary human trophoblast cells were both improved when cocultured with miR-3198-rich exosomes. Exposure to miR-3198-enriched exosomes facilitated cell cycle progression but reduced apoptosis in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Notably, overexpression of miR-3198 partially prevented the inhibitory effects of WNT3 on proliferation and migration in HTR-8/SVneo cells.

CONCLUSION

Exosomal miR-3198 in the maternal peripheral blood may regulate the biological functions of trophoblasts by targeting WNT3 and influence the development of diseases of placental origin.

Unraveling the Role of miR-200b-3p in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Its Therapeutic Potential in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR)

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder in children with unknown etiology. Impaired learning ability was commonly reported in ADHD patients and has been associated with dopamine uptake in the striatum of an animal model. Another evidence also indicated that micro-RNA (miR)-200b-3p is associated with learning ability in various animal models. However, the association between miR-200b-3p and ADHD-related symptoms remains unclear. Therefore, the current study investigated the role of miR-200b-3p in ADHD-related symptoms such as inattention and striatal inflammatory cytokines. To verify the influence of miR-200b-3p in ADHD-related symptoms, striatal stereotaxic injection of miR-200b-3p antagomir (AT) was performed on spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The antioxidant activity and expressions of miR-200b-3p, slit guidance ligand 2 (Slit2), and inflammatory cytokines in the striatum of SHR were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunoblotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The spontaneous alternation of SHR was tested using a three-arm Y-shaped maze. The administration of miR-200b-3p AT or taurine significantly decreased striatal tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 in SHR, along with increased super-oxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities and significantly higher spontaneous alternation. In this paper, we show that miR-200b-3p AT and taurine alleviates ADHD-related symptoms in SHR. These findings provide insights into ADHD's molecular basis and suggest miR-200b-3p as a potential therapeutic target. Concurrently, this study also suggests broad implications for treating neurodevelopmental disorders affecting learning activity such as ADHD.

The Role of ncRNAs in the Immune Dysregulation of Preeclampsia

The main complications causing practically 75% of all maternal deaths are severe bleeding, infections, and high blood pressure during pregnancy (preeclampsia (PE) and eclampsia). The usefulness of ncRNAs as clinical biomarkers has been explored in an extensive range of human diseases including pregnancy-related diseases such as PE. Immunological dysregulation show that the Th1/17:Th2/Treg ratio is "central and causal" to PE. However, there is evidence of the involvement of placenta-expressed miRNAs and lncRNAs in the immunological regulation of crucial processes of placenta development and function during pregnancy. Abnormal expression of these molecules is related to immune physiopathological processes that occur in PE. Therefore, this work aims to describe the importance of miRNAs and lncRNAs in immune dysregulation in PE. Interestingly, multiple ncRNAS are involved in the immune dysregulation of PE participating in type 1 immune response regulation, immune microenvironment regulation in placenta promoting inflammatory factors, trophoblast cell invasion in women with Early-Onset PE (EOPE), placental development, and angiogenesis, promotion of population of M1 and M2, proliferation, invasion, and migration of placental trophoblast cells, and promotion of invasion and autophagy through vias such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR, VEGF/VEGFR1, and TLR9/STAT3.

miRNA-150_R-1 mediates the HIF-1/ErbB signaling pathway to regulate the adhesion of endometrial epithelial cells in cows experiencing retained placenta

Retained placenta (RP) refers to reproductive disorders caused by the failure of fetal membranes to be expelled 12 h after delivery in dairy cows. Postpartum adhesion of the fetal membranes to the uterus causes diseases such as mastitis or endometritis, which threatening the profitability of the dairy industry. Emerging evidence suggests that micro RNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in various processes, such as the occurrence and progression of fetal membranes discharge. However, the molecular mechanisms of miRNAs in RP remain unknown. In this study, we performed RNA-sequencing to characterize the expression profiles of mRNAs and miRNAs in caudal vein blood samples of postpartum Holstein cows whose fetal membranes were discharged normally or retained to identify RP-related genes and evaluate their molecular mechanisms. We identified 44 differentially expressed miRNAs (19 upregulated and 25 downregulated) and 706 differentially expressed mRNAs (325 upregulated and 381 downregulated) in the RP group compared to the normal fetal membranes discharge group. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis revealed that differentially expressed mRNAs were mainly enriched in the extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, and autoimmunity-related biological processes or pathways. Further analyses using RNA-sequencing, a dual luciferase reporter system, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, immunofluorescence, and western blotting verified that endothelial PAS domain protein 1 (EPAS1) is regulated by miR-150_R-1 in endometrial epithelial cells. We demonstrated the relationship between EPAS1 and RP and confirmed that EPAS1 is upregulated in the blood and placenta of cows that experience RP. Further, we proposed a model of the miRNA-mRNA negative regulatory network mediated by the HIF-1/ErbB signaling pathway to show its regulatory role in RP.

Micro-RNAs in Human Placenta: Tiny Molecules, Immense Power

Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding single-stranded RNAs that modulate the expression of various target genes after transcription. The expression and distribution of kinds of miRNAs have been characterized in human placenta during different gestational stages. The identified miRNAs are recognized as key mediators in the regulation of placental development and in the maintenance of human pregnancy. Aberrant expression of miRNAs is associated with compromised pregnancies in humans, and dysregulation of those miRNAs contributes to the occurrence and development of related diseases during pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia (PE), fetal growth restriction (FGR), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), recurrent miscarriage, preterm birth (PTB) and small-for-gestational-age (SGA). Thus, having a better understanding of the expression and functions of miRNAs in human placenta during pregnancy and thereby developing novel drugs targeting the miRNAs could be a potentially promising method in the prevention and treatment of relevant diseases in future. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of the expression pattern and function regulation of miRNAs in human placental development and related diseases.