miR-146a and miR-200b alter cognition by targeting NMDA receptor subunits
Sowmya Gunasekaran, R.V. Omkumar
Abstract
. Overexpression of these miRNAs in primary hippocampal neurons caused downregulation of GluN2B and GluN2A proteins. Stereotactic injections of these miRNAs into rat hippocampus caused cognitive deficits in multiple behavioral tests with decreased protein levels of GluN1, GluN2A, GluN2B, AMPAR subunit GluR1, and Neuregulin 1. In pharmacologically treated rat models [MK-801 treated and methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) treated], we found upregulated levels of these miRNAs, implying their involvement in downregulating NMDAR subunits in these models. These results suggest the importance of miR-146a-5p and miR-200b-3p in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory.
Topics & Concepts
Downregulation and upregulationNMDA receptorHippocampal formationHippocampusmicroRNANeuroscienceProtein subunitSchizophrenia (object-oriented programming)CognitionNeuregulin 1ReceptorChemistryBiologyPsychologyBiochemistryGenePsychiatryMicroRNA in disease regulationRNA Research and SplicingRNA Interference and Gene Delivery