Back to Search Start Over

Mir221/222 drive synovial hyperplasia and arthritis by targeting cell cycle inhibitors and chromatin remodeling components

Authors :
Fani Roumelioti
Christos Tzaferis
Dimitris Konstantopoulos
Dimitra Papadopoulou
Alejandro Prados
Maria Sakkou
Anastasios Liakos
Panagiotis Chouvardas
Theodore Meletakos
Yiannis Pandis
Niki Karagianni
Maria C Denis
Maria Fousteri
Maria Armaka
George Kollias
Source :
eLife, Vol 13 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd, 2024.

Abstract

miRNAs constitute fine-tuners of gene expression and are implicated in a variety of diseases spanning from inflammation to cancer. miRNA expression is deregulated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, their specific role in key arthritogenic cells such as the synovial fibroblast (SF) remains elusive. Previous studies have shown that Mir221/222 expression is upregulated in RA SFs. Here, we demonstrate that TNF and IL-1β but not IFN-γ activated Mir221/222 gene expression in murine SFs. SF-specific overexpression of Mir221/222 in huTNFtg mice led to further expansion of SFs and disease exacerbation, while its total ablation led to reduced SF expansion and attenuated disease. Mir221/222 overexpression altered the SF transcriptional profile igniting pathways involved in cell cycle and ECM (extracellular matrix) regulation. Validation of targets of Mir221/222 revealed cell cycle inhibitors Cdkn1b and Cdkn1c, as well as the epigenetic regulator Smarca1. Single-cell ATAC-seq data analysis revealed increased Mir221/222 gene activity in pathogenic SF subclusters and transcriptional regulation by Rela, Relb, Junb, Bach1, and Nfe2l2. Our results establish an SF-specific pathogenic role of Mir221/222 in arthritis and suggest that its therapeutic targeting in specific subpopulations could lead to novel fibroblast-targeted therapies.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2050084X
Volume :
13
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
eLife
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.5d50d4d00c3408c8809b26c70ef81cd
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.84698