Effect of mir-210 overexpression or down-modulation on human umbilical vein cells

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-protein-coding RNAs that are incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) and inhibit gene expression by regulating the stability and/or the translational efficiency of target mRNAs. Previously, we demonstrated that miR-210 is a key player of endothelial cell (EC) response to hypoxia, modulating EC survival, migration and ability to form capillary like-structures. Moreover, the receptor tyrosine kinase ligand Ephrin-A3 was identified as one functionally relevant target. Since each miRNA regulates hundreds of mRNAs, different approaches were combined to identify new miR-210 targets: a Using target prediction software, 32 new miR-210 potential targets were identified. b The proteomic profiling of miR-210 over-expressing ECs identified 11 proteins that were specifically inhibited by miR-210, either directly or indirectly. c Affymetrix based gene expression profiles identified 51 genes that were both down-modulated by miR-210 over-expression and de-repressed when miR-210 was blocked. Surprisingly, only few genes identified either by proteomics or transcriptomics were recognized as miR-210 targets by target prediction algorithms. However, a low-stringency pairing research revealed enrichment for miR-210 putative binding sites, raising the possibility that these genes were targeted via non-canonical recognition sequences. To clarify this issue, miR-210-loaded RISC was purified by immuno-precipitation along with its mRNA targets. The presence of Ephrin-A3 mRNA in the complex validated this approach. We found that 32 potential targets were indeed enriched in miR-210-loaded RISC, and thus can be considered as genuine miR-210 targets. In keeping with this conclusion, we were able to further validate a sub-set of them by 3UTR-reporter assays. Gene ontology analysis of the targets confirmed the known miR-210 activity in differentiation and cell cycle regulation, highlighting new functions such as involvement in RNA processing, DNA binding, development, membrane trafficking and amino acid catabolism. In conclusion, we validated a multidisciplinary approach for miRNAs target identification and indicated novel molecular mechanisms underpinning miR-210 role in EC response to hypoxia.

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Fasanaro P, Greco S, Lorenzi M, Pescatori M, Brioschi M, Kulshreshtha R, Banfi C, Stubbs A, Calin GA, Ivan M, Capogrossi MC, Martelli F