A program of microRNAs controls osteogenic lineage progression by targeting transcription factor Runx2
Zhang, Ying ; Xie, Ronglin ; Croce, Carlo M. ; Stein, Janet L. ; Lian, Jane B. ; Van Wijnen, Andre J. ; Stein, Gary S.
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UMass Chan Affiliations
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Keywords
Animals
Base Sequence
Blotting, Western
Cell Differentiation
Cell Line
Cell Lineage
Chondrocytes
Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation
Luciferases
Mice
MicroRNAs
NIH 3T3 Cells
Osteoblasts
Osteogenesis
RNA Stability
RNA, Messenger
Cell Biology
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Embargo Expiration Date
Abstract
Lineage progression in osteoblasts and chondrocytes is stringently controlled by the cell-fate-determining transcription factor Runx2. In this study, we directly addressed whether microRNAs (miRNAs) can control the osteogenic activity of Runx2 and affect osteoblast maturation. A panel of 11 Runx2-targeting miRNAs (miR-23a, miR-30c, miR-34c, miR-133a, miR-135a, miR-137, miR-204, miR-205, miR-217, miR-218, and miR-338) is expressed in a lineage-related pattern in mesenchymal cell types. During both osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation, these miRNAs, in general, are inversely expressed relative to Runx2. Based on 3'UTR luciferase reporter, immunoblot, and mRNA stability assays, each miRNA directly attenuates Runx2 protein accumulation. Runx2-targeting miRNAs differentially inhibit Runx2 protein expression in osteoblasts and chondrocytes and display different efficacies. Thus, cellular context contributes to miRNA-mediated regulation of Runx2. All Runx2-targeting miRNAs (except miR-218) significantly impede osteoblast differentiation, and their effects can be reversed by the corresponding anti-miRNAs. These findings demonstrate that osteoblastogenesis is limited by an elaborate network of functionally tested miRNAs that directly target the osteogenic master regulator Runx2.
Source
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jun 14;108(24):9863-8. Epub 2011 May 31. Link to article on publisher's site