Minerva Endocrinology 2021 Jun 23

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6507.21.03389-3

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

MicroRNA-365-3p inhibits bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into islet-like cell clusters via targeting Pax6 and inhibiting the MEK/ERK pathway

Wenting WANG ¹, Shu LI ², Yankun HAO ², Baixiang CUI ³, Xuezhi ZHENG ¹, Lei YAN ⁴, Xufang YANG ⁵ ✉

¹ Department of Physiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, China; ² Department of Medical Function, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, China; ³ Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, China; ⁴ Department of Histology and Embryology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, China; ⁵ Department of Pathophysiology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, China

BACKGROUND: Diabetes has severe impacts on the health of patients. The differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into islet-like cell clusters (ICCs) is an effective protocol for the treatment of diabetes. microRNAs (miRs) regulate multiple cellular processes including cell differentiation. This study sought to identify the mechanism of miR-365-3p in the differentiation of bone marrow MSCs (bMSCs) into ICCs.
METHODS: Initially, the differentiation of bMSCs into ICCs was induced. Then, the miR-365-3p expression pattern in the bMSCs and ICCs was detected. Next, the miR-365-3p expression pattern was silenced in bMSCs to assess the effect on differentiation efficiency and measure the expressions of ICC marker genes during the
differentiation of bMSCs into ICCs. The miR-365-3p downstream target genes were predicted and verified. Paired box protein 6 (Pax6) was downregulated in bMSCs with silenced miR-365-3p to evaluate the differentiation of bMSCs into ICCs. Furthermore, the Pax6 downstream pathway was evaluated.
RESULTS: The differentiation of bMSCs into ICCs was successfully induced. The miR-365-3p expression in bMSCs was higher than that in ICCs. miR-365-3p downregulation in bMSCs facilitated the differentiation of bMSCs into ICCs, as evidenced by elevated releases of insulin and C-peptide in ICCs and elevated expressions of ICC marker genes. Our findings denoted that miR-365-3p targeted Pax6. Inhibition of Pax6 expression annulled the promotion of miR-365-3p downregulation on the differentiation of bMSCs into ICCs. Increased phosphorylation levels of MEK and ERK were identified in ICCs after downregulation of miR-365-3p however they were decreased after downregulation of Pax6.
CONCLUSIONS: This study supported that miR-365-3p inhibited the differentiation of bMSCs into ICCs via targeting Pax6 and inhibiting the MEK/ERK pathway.

KEY WORDS: Diabetes; Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; Islet-like cell clusters; microRNA-365-3p; Paired box protein 6; MEK/ERK pathway; Induced differentiation