MiR-21 regulates skeletal muscle atrophy and fibrosis by targeting TGF-beta/SMAD7-SMAD2/3 signaling pathway

Autor: Xianmin Song, Fei Liu, Mengjie Chen, Minhui Zhu, Hongliang Zheng, Wei Wang, Donghui Chen, Meng Li, Shicai Chen
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Heliyon, Vol 10, Iss 12, Pp e33062- (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2405-8440
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33062
Popis: Long-term denervation-induced atrophy and fibrosis of skeletal muscle due to denervation leads to poor recovery of muscle function. Studies have shown that the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-Smad signaling pathway plays a central role in muscle atrophy and fibrosis. Recent studies demonstrate the role of microRNAs (miRs) in various pathological conditions, including muscle regeneration. miR-21 has been shown to play a dynamic role in inflammatory responses and in accelerating injury responses to fibrosis. We used both RNA sequencing and quantitative RT-PCR strategies to examine the alternations of miRNAs during denervation-induced gastrocnemius muscle atrophy and fibrosis. Our data showed that MiR-21 was upregulated in denervated gastrocnemius muscle tissue, and TGF-β1treatment increased miR-21 expression. Inhibition of miR-21 reduced gastrocnemius muscle fibrosis and significantly downregulated the expression of p-SMAD2/3 and the fibrosis-associated markers TGF-β1, connective tissue growth factor, alpha smooth muscle actin. Masson's trichrome staining revealed that atrophy and fibrosis in gastrocnemius muscle tissue were reduced in the miR-21 inhibition group compared to the control group. We confirmed that SMAD7 is a direct target of miR-21 using a dual luciferase assay. Furthermore, Immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses revealed that miR-21 inhibition reduced SMAD2/3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. While SMAD7-siRNA abolished the effect. Consequently, the discovery that miR-21 regulates the atrophy and fibrosis of the gastrocnemius muscle offers a possible therapeutic approach for their management.
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