MiR-29b controls fetal mouse neurogenesis by regulating ICAT-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Cell Death Dis. 2014 Oct 16;5(10):e1473. doi: 10.1038/cddis.2014.439.

Abstract

β-Catenin has been widely implicated in the regulation of mammalian development and cellular homeostasis. However, the mechanisms by which Wnt/β-catenin signaling components regulate physiological events during brain development remain undetermined. Inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β leads to β-catenin accumulation in the nucleus, where it couples with T-cell factor (TCF), an association that is disrupted by ICAT (inhibitor of β-catenin and T cell factor). In this study, we sought to determine whether regulation of ICAT by members of the microRNA-29 family plays a role during neurogenesis and whether deregulation of ICAT results in defective neurogenesis due to impaired β-catenin-mediated signaling. We found that miR-29b, but not miR-29a or 29c, is significantly upregulated in three-dimensionally cultured neural stem cells (NSCs), whereas ICAT is reduced as aged. Treatment with a miR-29b reduced the reporter activity of a luciferase-ICAT 3'-UTR construct whereas a control (scrambled) miRNA oligonucleotide did not, indicating that miR-29b directly targets the 3'-UTR of ICAT. We also found that treatment with miR-29b diminished NSC self-renewal and proliferation, and controlled their fate, directing their differentiation along certain cell lineages. Furthermore, our in vivo results showed that inhibition of miR-29b by in utero electroporation induced a profound defect in corticogenesis during mouse development. Taken together, our results demonstrate that miR-29b plays a pivotal role in fetal mouse neurogenesis by regulating ICAT-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3' Untranslated Regions / genetics
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Brain / embryology
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Female
  • Fetus / metabolism*
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Models, Biological
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neural Stem Cells / cytology
  • Neural Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Neurogenesis* / genetics
  • Rats
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Up-Regulation / genetics
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway*
  • beta Catenin / metabolism

Substances

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Ctnnbip1 protein, mouse
  • MIRN29 microRNA, mouse
  • MicroRNAs
  • Repressor Proteins
  • beta Catenin