The homeobox transcription factor Nkx2-1 regulates microRNAs controlling downstream gene silencing in lung epithelial cells (mRNA)

Cell-specific gene expression is achieved by a combination of mechanisms including transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. The transcription factor Nkx2-1, essential for lung cell differentiation, mainly acts in transcriptional activation but can directly or indirectly repress gene expression. microRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNA that control one of the major mechanisms of gene repression. To identify miRNAs regulated by Nkx2-1 that may mediate its repressing effects, we knocked-down Nkx2-1 in mouse lung epithelial cell lines and systematically identified targets by genome-wide miR and mRNA expression analyses. Nkx2-1 controls expression of miRs known to contribute to lung cell differentiation in development and disease and others not previously described. Amongst the significantly altered miRs, the mir-106a-363 cluster, miR-1195, miR-378, and miR-346 are directly correlated with the levels of Nkx2-1, whereas miR-200c/b, miR-221, and miR- 222 are inversely correlated. These miRNAs are expressed in embryonic lung at day E11.5, and/or E19.5 determined by in-situ hybridization. Expression of predicted targets of mir-1195, mir-346 and miR-200c and mir-221/222 were evaluated by mRNA expression microarrays in Nkx2-1 knockdown cells identifying those anti-correlated to the corresponding miRNA expression. Genes regulated by mir-1195, Cyp2s1 and Map3k2, by mir-346, Klf6, and miR-200c, Myb, Nfib, and Six1, were validated by qRT-PCR. Inhibition of mir-1195 confirms the inverse correlation of this miRNA with its putative targets Cyp2s1 and Map3k2. This miRNA-mRNA expression analysis identifies potential paths of Nkx2-1 mediated gene repression, and contributes to the understanding of gene regulation in lung epithelial differentiation and development.

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Tagne JB, Mohtar OR, Campbell JD, Lakshminarayanan M, Huang J, Hinds AC, Lu J, Ramirez MI