MicroRNA-124 facilitates lens epithelial cell apoptosis by inhibiting SPRY2 and MMP-2

Liu,Yan; Li,Shuting; Liu,Yao; Lv,Xujing; Zhou,Qing

doi:10.3892/mmr.2021.12020

MicroRNA-124 facilitates lens epithelial cell apoptosis by inhibiting SPRY2 and MMP-2

Authors:
- Yan Liu
- Shuting Li
- Yao Liu
- Xujing Lv
- Qing Zhou
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Affiliations: Department of Ophthalmology, The First People's Hospital of Changzhou, Changzhou, Jiangsu 223000, P.R. China, Department of Third Institute of Clinical Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
Published online on: March 17, 2021 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2021.12020
Article Number: 381
Copyright: © Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Age-related cataract (ARC) is the primary cause of blindness worldwide. Abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) has been reported to be associated with multiple diseases, including ARC. However, the potential role of miR-124 in ARC remains unclear. The present study used the human lens epithelial cell line, SRA01/04, to investigate the potential role of miR-124 in ARC. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis was performed to detect the expression levels of miR-124, protein sprouty homolog 2 (SPRY2) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in ARC tissues, while western blotting was performed to detect the protein levels of SPRY2 and MMP-2. Cell viability and apoptosis of SRA01/04 cells were assessed via Cell Counting Kit-8 and TUNEL assays, respectively. The interaction between miR-124 and SPRY2 or MMP-2 was confirmed via the dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. The results of the present study demonstrated that miR-124 expression was significantly upregulated in ARC tissues, and knockdown of miR-124 increased SRA01/04 cell viability and suppressed apoptosis. In addition, SPRY2 and MMP-2 expression was decreased in ARC tissues, and were demonstrated to directly bind to miR-124. Overexpression of SPRY2 or MMP-2 increased SRA01/04 cell viability and repressed apoptosis, the effects of which were reversed following overexpression of miR-124. Taken together, these results suggested that miR-124 facilitates lens epithelial cell apoptosis by modulating SPRY2 or MMP-2 expression, providing a novel treatment approach for ARC.

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