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MicroRNA-26a Promotes Regulatory T cells and Suppresses Autoimmune Diabetes in Mice

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Abstract

Type-1 diabetes (TID) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune cells attack islet β cells, the cells in the pancreas that produce and release the hormone insulin. Mir-26a has been reported to play functions in cellular differentiation, cell growth, cell apoptosis, and metastasis. However, the role of microRNA-26a (Mir-26a) in autoimmune TID has never been investigated. In our current study, we found that pre-Mir-26a (LV-26a)-treated mice had significantly longer normoglycemic time and lower frequency of autoreactive IFN-γ-producing CD4+ cells compared with an empty lentiviral vector (LV-Con)-treated non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Mir-26a suppresses autoreactive T cells and expands Tregs in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, in our adoptive transfer study, the groups receiving whole splenocytes and CD25-depleted splenocytes from LV-Con-treated diabetic NOD mice develop diabetes at 3 to 4 weeks of age. In comparison, mice injected with undepleted splenocytes obtained from LV-26a-treated reversal NOD mice develop diabetes after 6–8 weeks. And depletion of CD25+ cells in the splenocytes of reversed mice abrogates the delay in diabetes onset. In conclusion, Mir-26a suppresses autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice in part through promoted regulatory T cells (Tregs) expression.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Geriatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, No.661, Section 2, The Yellow River Road, Binzhou, Shandong, 256603, China

      Hui Ma, Doufei Shi, Yanhua Mao & Jianguo Cui

    2. Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Binzhou, 256603, China

      Shoutao Zhang

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    1. Hui Ma
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    2. Shoutao Zhang
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    3. Doufei Shi
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    4. Yanhua Mao
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    Correspondence to Hui Ma.

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    Hui Ma and Shoutao Zhang contributed equally to this work.

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    Ma, H., Zhang, S., Shi, D. et al. MicroRNA-26a Promotes Regulatory T cells and Suppresses Autoimmune Diabetes in Mice. Inflammation 39, 1–9 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-015-0215-0

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