miRNA expression is modulated over time after focal ischaemia: up-regulation of miR-347 promotes neuronal apoptosis
FEBS JOURNAL
Authors: Gubern, Carme; Camos, Susanna; Ballesteros, Ivan; Rodriguez, Rocio; Romera, Victor G.; Canadas, Roberto; Lizasoain, Ignacio; Moro, Maria A.; Serena, Joaquin; Mallolas, Judith; Castellanos, Mar
Abstract
Despite the large number of molecules reported as being over-expressed after ischaemia, little is known regarding their regulation. miRNAs are potent post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, and reports have shown differentially miRNA expression in response to focal cerebral ischaemia. The present study analysed miRNA expression from acute to late phases of ischaemia to identify specific ischaemia-related miRNAs, elucidate their role, and identify potential targets involved in stroke pathophysiology. Of 112 miRNAs, 32 showed significant changes and different expression profiles. In addition to the previously reported differentially expressed miRNAs, new ischaemia-regulated miRNAs have been found, including miR-347. Forty-seven genes involved in brain functions or related to ischaemia are predicted to be potential targets of the differentially expressed miRNAs after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Analysis of four of these targets (Acsl4, Arf3, Btg2 and Dpysl5) showed them to be differentially regulated by ischaemia at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level. Acsl4, Bnip3l and Phyhip, potential targets of miR-347, were up-regulated after miR-347 over-expression, inducing neuronal apoptotic death. Our findings suggest that miR-347 plays an important role in regulating neuronal cell death, identify Acsl4 as a new protein requiring study in ischaemia, and provide an important resource for future functional studies of miRNAs after ischaemia.
Genome-wide association analysis reveals KCTD12 and miR-383-binding genes in the background of rumination
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
Authors: Eszlari, Nora; Millinghoffer, Andras; Petschner, Peter; Gonda, Xenia; Baksa, Daniel; Pulay, Attila J.; Rethelyi, Janos M.; Breen, Gerome; Deakin, John Francis William; Antal, Peter; Bagdy, Gyorgy; Juhasz, Gabriella
Abstract
Ruminative response style is a passive and repetitive way of responding to stress, associated with several disorders. Although twin and candidate gene studies have proven the genetic underpinnings of rumination, no genome-wide association study (GWAS) has been conducted yet. We performed a GWAS on ruminative response style and its two subtypes, brooding and reflection, among 1758 European adults recruited in the general population of Budapest, Hungary, and Manchester, United Kingdom. We evaluated single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based, gene-based and gene set-based tests, together with inferences on genes regulated by our most significant SNPs. While no genome-wide significant hit emerged at the SNP level, the association of rumination survived correction for multiple testing with KCTD12 at the gene level, and with the set of genes binding miR-383 at the gene set level. SNP-level results were concordant between the Budapest and Manchester subsamples for all three rumination phenotypes. SNP-level results and their links to brain expression levels based on external databases supported the role of KCTD12, SRGAP3, and SETD5 in rumination, CDH12 in brooding, and DPYSL5, MAPRE3, KCNK3, ATXN7L3B, and TPH2 in reflection, among others. The relatively low sample size is a limitation of our study. Results of the first GWAS on rumination identified genes previously implicated in psychiatric disorders underscoring the transdiagnostic nature of rumination, and pointed to the possible role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum in this cognitive process.