MicroRNA-153 Regulates the Acquisition of Gliogenic Competence by Neural Stem Cells

• We identify miR-153 as a regulator for the acquisition of gliogenic competence
• NFIA and NFIB are physiological targets of miR-153
• Inhibition of miR-153 confers gliogenic competence on early neurogenic NSPCs
• Fine-tuning of NFIA/B expressions by miR-153 is involved in the timing of gliogenesis

SummaryMammalian neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) sequentially generate neurons and glia during CNS development. Here we identified miRNA-153 (miR-153) as a modulator of the temporal regulation of NSPC differentiation. Overexpression (OE) of miR-153 delayed the onset of astrogliogenesis and maintained NSPCs in an undifferentiated state in vitro and in the developing cortex. The transcription factors nuclear factor I (NFI) A and B, essential regulators of the initiation of gliogenesis, were found to be targets of miR-153. Inhibition of miR-153 in early neurogenic NSPCs induced precocious gliogenesis, whereas NFIA/B overexpression rescued the anti-gliogenic phenotypes induced by miR-153 OE. Our results indicate that miR-mediated fine control of NFIA/B expression is important in the molecular networks that regulate the acquisition of gliogenic competence by NSPCs in the developing CNS.

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