MicroRNA expression patterns in human anterior cingulate and motor cortex: A study of dementia with Lewy bodies cases and controls.

Abstract

OVERVIEW:

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we evaluated the expression of miRNAs in anterior cingulate (AC; Brodmann area [BA] 24) and primary motor (MO; BA 4) cortical tissue from aged human brains in the University of Kentucky AD Center autopsy cohort, with a focus on dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

METHODS:

RNA was isolated from gray matter of brain samples with pathology-defined DLB, AD, AD + DLB, and low-pathology controls, with n = 52 cases initially included (n  = 23 with DLB), all with low (<4 h) postmortem intervals. RNA was profiled using Exiqon miRNA microarrays. Quantitative PCR for post hoc replication was performed on separate cases (n = 6 controls) and included RNA isolated from gray matter of MO, AC, primary somatosensory (BA 3), and dorsolateral prefrontal (BA 9) cortical regions.

RESULTS:

The miRNA expression patterns differed substantially according to anatomic location: of the relatively highly-expressed miRNAs, 150/481 (31%) showed expression that was different between AC versus MO (at p < .05 following correction for multiple comparisons), most (79%) with higher expression in MO. A subset of these results were confirmed in qPCR validation focusing on miR-7, miR-153, miR-133b, miR-137, and miR-34a. No significant variation in miRNA expression was detected in association with either neuropathology or sex after correction for multiple comparisons.

CONCLUSION:

A subset of miRNAs (some previously associated with α-synucleinopathy and/or directly targeting α-synuclein mRNA) were differentially expressed in AC and MO, which may help explain why these brain regions show differences in vulnerability to Lewy body pathology.

• Authors: Peter T Nelson, Wang-Xia Wang, Sarah A Janse, Katherine L Thompson
• Journal: Brain research (Brain Res) Vol. 1678 Pg. 374-383 (Jan 01 2018) ISSN: 1872-6240 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 29146111 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• MicroRNAs
• RNA, Messenger

Topics

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Female
• Gyrus Cinguli (metabolism)
• Humans
• Lewy Body Disease (pathology)
• Male
• MicroRNAs (genetics, metabolism)
• Microarray Analysis
• Motor Cortex (metabolism)
• RNA, Messenger (metabolism)