Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8344676 | Nitric Oxide | 2018 | 12 Pages |
Abstract
Brachial plexus root avulsion (BPRA) is a type of injury that leads to motor function loss as a result of motoneurons (MNs) degeneration. Here we identified that the reduced expression of rat miR-137-3p in the ventral horn of spinal cord was associated with MNs death. However, the pathophysiological role of miR-137-3p in root avulsion remains poorly understood. We demonstrated that the calcium-activated neutral protease-2 (calpain-2) was a direct target gene of miR-137-3p with miR-137-3p binding to the 3â²-untranslated region of calpain-2. Silencing of calpain-2 suppressed the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), a primary source of nitric oxide (NO). After avulsion 2 weeks, up-regulation of miR-137-3p in the spinal cord reduced calpain-2 levels and nNOS expression inside spinal MNs, resulting in an amelioration of the MNs death. These events provide new insight into the mechanism by which upregulation of miR-137-3p can impair MN survival in the BPRA.
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Authors
Ying Tang, Rao Fu, Ze-Min Ling, Lin-lin Liu, Guang-yin Yu, Wen Li, Xin-yu Fang, Zhe Zhu, Wu-tian Wu, Li-Hua Zhou,