Abstract:

Hypoxic injuries during fetal distress have been shown to cause reduced expression of microRNA-27a (miR-27a), which regulates sensitivity of cortical neurons to apoptosis. We hypothesized that miR-27a overexpression attenuates hypoxia- and ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis by regulating FOXO1, an important transcription factor for regulating the oxidative stress response. miR-27a mimic was transfected into hippocampal neurons to overexpress miR-27a. Results showed increased hippocampal neuronal viability and decreased caspase-3 expression. The luciferase reporter gene system demonstrated that miR-27a directly binded to FOXO1 3′UTR in hippocampal neurons and inhibited FOXO1 expression, suggesting that FOXO1 was the target gene for miR-27a. These fndings confrm that miR-27a protects hippocampal neurons against oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced injuries. The mechanism might be mediated by modulation of FOXO1 and apoptosis-related gene caspase-3 expression.

Key words: nerve regeneration, brain injury, miR-27a, hypoxic-ischemic, hippocampal neurons, oxygen-glucose deprivation, cell survival, apoptosis; caspase 3, FOXO1, luciferase reporter gene system, neuroprotection, neural regeneration