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miR-135a Regulates Synaptic Transmission and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Amygdala

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Abstract

MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs with a growing relevance in the regulation of gene expression related to brain function and plasticity. They have the potential to orchestrate complex phenomena, such as the neuronal response to homeostatic challenges. We previously demonstrated the involvement of miR-135a in the regulation of early stress response. In the present study, we examine the role of miR-135a in stress-related behavior. We show that the knockdown (KD) of miR-135a in the mouse amygdala induces an increase in anxiety-like behavior. Consistently with behavioral studies, electrophysiological experiments in acute brain slices indicate an increase of amygdala spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents, as a result of miR-135a KD. Furthermore, we presented direct evidences, by in vitro assays and in vivo miRNA overexpression in the amygdala, that two key regulators of synaptic vesicle fusion, complexin-1 and complexin-2, are direct targets of miR-135a. In vitro analysis of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents on miR-135a KD primary neurons indicates unpaired quantal excitatory neurotransmission. Finally, increased levels of complexin-1 and complexin-2 proteins were detected in the mouse amygdala after acute stress, accordingly to the previously observed stress-induced miR-135a downregulation. Overall, our results unravel a previously unknown miRNA-dependent mechanism in the amygdala for regulating anxiety-like behavior, providing evidences of a physiological role of miR-135a in the modulation of presynaptic mechanisms of glutamatergic neurotransmission.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Bio-Fab Research for helpful technical support. This work was supported by Project F57I12000110009 Filas Grant to C.P., ERC-2013 (AdG 340172–MUNCODD) and AriSLA, and full grant 2014 “RNA circuitries in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis pathogenesis” to I.B.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, CNR, c/o Sapienza Universita’ di Roma, Rome, Italy

    Cecilia Mannironi & Carlo Presutti

  2. Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza Universita’ di Roma, Rome, Italy

    Antonio Biundo, Samyutha Rajendran, Silvana Caristi, Giorgia Del Vecchio, Irene Bozzoni, Arianna Rinaldi, Andrea Mele & Carlo Presutti

  3. Istituto di Biologia Cellulare e Neurobiologia, CNR, Rome, Italy

    Samyutha Rajendran, Teresa Ciotti, Arianna Rinaldi & Andrea Mele

  4. Centro di Ricerca in Neurobiologia “D. Bovet”, Sapienza Universita’ di Roma, Rome, Italy

    Samyutha Rajendran, Arianna Rinaldi & Andrea Mele

  5. Fondazione Santa Lucia, I.R.C.C.S, Rome, Italy

    Francesca De Vito, Luana Saba, Silvia Caioli & Cristina Zona

  6. Dipartimento di Medicina dei Sistemi, Universita’ di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy

    Cristina Zona

  7. Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo Scalo, Rome, Italy

    Emerald Perlas

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  1. Cecilia Mannironi
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  2. Antonio Biundo
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Correspondence to Cecilia Mannironi.

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All experiments were conducted in strict accordance to the European Community and Italian Nation regulation of animal use in research, and following NIH guidelines on animal care.

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Mannironi, C., Biundo, A., Rajendran, S. et al. miR-135a Regulates Synaptic Transmission and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Amygdala. Mol Neurobiol 55, 3301–3315 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-017-0564-9

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