MicroRNA-7/Shank3 axis involved in schizophrenia pathogenesis. Issue 8 (August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Jin; Sun, Xin-yang; Zhang, Li-yi
• Is Part Of: Journal of clinical neuroscience. Volume 22:Issue 8(2015:Aug.)
• Page Start: 1254
• Page End: 1257
• Publication Date: 2015-08
• Subjects: Brain -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Neurosciences -- Periodicals; Nervous system -- Surgery -- Periodicals; Brain -- surgery -- Periodicals; Neurosurgical Procedures -- Periodicals; Neurosciences -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2015.01.031
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0967-5868

Abstract

<abstract xml:lang="en" abstract-type="author" id="ab005"> <title id="st100">Abstract</title> <sec> <p id="sp0005">This study aimed to identify the difference of microRNA-7 (miR-7) expression levels between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls and to investigate the regulatory effects of miR-7 on the SHANK3 gene in schizophrenia. miR-7 levels in plasma were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCR) in 50 schizophrenia patients and 50 healthy controls. The hippocampal neuron cell line, HT₂₂, was transfected with lentiviral vector overexpressing or knocking-down miR-7, and the expression levels of SHANK3 mRNA and Shank3 protein were measured by qPCR and immunofluorescence. A luciferase assay was carried out to analyze the regulatory effects of miR-7 on SHANK3. Circulating miR-7 level was significantly increased in schizophrenia patients (<italic>p</italic> = 0.022). Overexpression of miR-7 suppressed the expression of SHANK3 while the levels of SHANK3 mRNA and Shank protein were significantly increased by miR-7 knockdown. We conclude that miR-7 binds to 3-prime untranslated regions of SHANK3 mRNA and causes the alteration of neuronal morphology and function, potentially playing a crucial role in the pathophysiological process of schizophrenia.</p> </sec> </abstract>