Up-Regulation of microRNA-424 Causes an Imbalance in AKT Phosphorylation and Impairs Enteric Neural Crest Cell Migration in Hirschsprung Disease

oleh: Ze Xu, Yingnan Yan, Beilin Gu, Wei Cai, Yang Wang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-04-01

Deskripsi

Insights into the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in disease pathogenesis have made them attractive therapeutic targets, and numerous miRNAs have been functionally linked to Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), a life-threatening genetic disorder due to defective migration, proliferation, and colonization of enteric neural crest cells (ENCCs) in the gut. Recent studies have demonstrated that miR-424 strongly inhibits migration in a variety of cell types and its potential target <i>RICTOR</i> is essential for neural crest cell development. We therefore sought to interrogate how miR-424 and <i>RICTOR</i> contribute to the pathogenesis of HSCR. We utilized HSCR cases and human neural cells to evaluate the miR-424-mediated regulation of RICTOR and the downstream AKT phosphorylation. We further developed an ex vivo model to assess the effects of miR-424 on ENCC migration and proliferation. Then, single-cell atlases of gene expression in both human and mouse fetal intestines were used to determine the characteristics of <i>RICTOR</i> and <i>AKT</i> expression in the developing gut. Our findings demonstrate that miR-424 levels are markedly increased in the colonic tissues of patients with HSCR and that it regulates human neural cell migration by directly targeting <i>RICTOR</i>. Up-regulation of miR-424 leads to decreased AKT phosphorylation levels in a RICTOR-dependent manner, and this, in turn, impairs ENCC proliferation and migration in the developing gut. Interestingly, we further identified prominent <i>RICTOR</i> and <i>AKT</i> expressions in the enteric neurons and other types of enteric neural cells in human and mouse fetal intestines. Our present study reveals the role of the miR-424/RICTOR axis in HSCR pathogenesis and indicates that miR-424 is a promising candidate for the development of targeted therapies against HSCR.