1. Overexpression of miR-124 in astrocyte improves neurological deficits in rat with ischemic stroke via DLL4 modulation.
- Author
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Guo X, Jiang P, Pan M, Ding Y, Lin Y, Jiang T, Li R, Wang W, Dai Y, Wang S, Cao Y, Lin H, Yang M, Liu W, and Tao J
- Subjects
- Rats, Animals, Astrocytes metabolism, Neurons metabolism, Ischemic Stroke genetics, Ischemic Stroke metabolism, Stroke complications, Stroke genetics, Stroke metabolism, MicroRNAs genetics, MicroRNAs metabolism, Brain Ischemia metabolism
- Abstract
Background: Astrocytes have been demonstrated to undergo conversion into functional neurons, presenting a promising approach for stroke treatment. However, the development of small molecules capable of effectively inducing this cellular reprogramming remains a critical challenge., Methods: Initially, we introduced a glial cell marker gene, GFaABC1D, as the promoter within an adeno-associated virus vector overexpressing miR-124 into the motor cortex of an ischemia-reperfusion model in rats. Additionally, we administered NeuroD1 as a positive control. Lentiviral vectors overexpressing miR-124 were constructed and transfected into primary rat astrocytes. We assessed the cellular distribution of GFAP, DCX, and NeuN on days 7, 14, and 28, respectively., Results: In rats with ischemic stroke, miR-124-transduced glial cells exhibited positive staining for the immature neuron marker doublecortin (DCX) and the mature neuron marker NeuN after 4 weeks. In contrast, NeuroD1-overexpressing model rats only expressed NeuN, and the positive percentage was higher in co-transfection with miR-124 and NeuroD1. Overexpression of miR-124 effectively ameliorated neurological deficits and motor functional impairment in the model rats. In primary rat astrocytes transduced with miR-124, DCX was not observed after 7 days of transfection, but it appeared at 14 days, with the percentage further increasing to 44.6% at 28 days. Simultaneously, 15.1% of miR-124-transduced cells exhibited NeuN positivity, which was not detected at 7 and 14 days. In vitro, double fluorescence assays revealed that miR-124 targeted Dll4, and in vivo experiments confirmed that miR-124 inhibited the expression of Notch1 and DLL4., Conclusions: The overexpression of miR-124 in astrocytes demonstrates significant potential for improving neurological deficits following ischemic stroke by inhibiting DLL4 expression, and it may facilitate astrocyte-to-neuronal transformation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2023
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