Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2015, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (2): 314-320.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.143439

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MicroRNA-9 promotes the neuronal differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by activating autophagy

Guang-yu Zhang 1, Jun Wang 1, Yan-jie Jia 2, Rui Han 3, Ping Li 1, Deng-na Zhu 1   

  1. 1 Rehabilitation and Treatment Center for Children with Cerebral Palsy of Henan Province, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
    2 Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
    3 Department of Pediatrics, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
  • Received:2014-08-25 Online:2015-02-17 Published:2015-02-17
  • Contact: Deng-na Zhu, M.D., zhudengna@126.com.
  • Supported by:

    This study was supported by a grant from the Science and Technology Bureau of Zhengzhou City in China, No. 121PPTGG507-11 and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81071114, 81371385.

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Abstract:

MicroRNA-9 (miR-9) has been shown to promote the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neuronal cells, but the precise mechanism is unclear. Our previous study confirmed that increased autophagic activity improved the efficiency of neuronal differentiation in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Accumulating evidence reveals that miRNAs adjust the autophagic pathways. This study used miR-9-1 lentiviral vector and miR-9-1 inhibitor to modulate the expression level of miR-9. Autophagic activity and neuronal differentiation were measured by the number of light chain-3 (LC3)-positive dots, the ratio of LC3-II/LC3, and the expression levels of the neuronal markers enolase and microtubule-associated protein 2. Results showed that LC3-positive dots, the ratio of LC3-II/LC3, and expression of neuron specific enolase and microtubule-associated protein 2 increased in the miR-9+ group. The above results suggest that autophagic activity increased and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were prone to differentiate into neuronal cells when miR-9 was overexpressed, demonstrating that miR-9 can promote neuronal differentiation by increasing autophagic activity.

Key words: nerve regeneration, microRNA-9, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, differentiation, neuron-like cells, autophagy, neuron specific enolase, microtubule-associated protein, LC3, neural regeneration