Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small RNAs that play a critical role in the coordination of fundamental cellular processes. Recent studies suggest that miRNAs participate in the cellular stress response (CSR), but their specific involvement remains unclear. In this study, we identify a group of thermally regulated miRNAs (TRMs) that are associated with the CSR. Using miRNA microarrays, we show that dermal fibroblasts differentially express 123 miRNAs when exposed to hyperthermia. Interestingly, only 27 of these miRNAs are annotated in the current Sanger registry. We validated the expression of the annotated miRNAs using qPCR techniques, and we found that the qPCR and microarray data was in well agreement. Computational target-prediction studies revealed that putative targets for the TRMs are heat shock proteins and Argonaute-2—the core functional unit of RNA silencing. These results indicate that cells express a specific group of miRNAs when exposed to hyperthermia, and these miRNAs may function in the regulation of the CSR. Future studies will be conducted to determine if other cells lines differentially express these miRNAs when exposed to hyperthermia.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the National Academy of Sciences NRC for providing Dr. Wilmink with a research associateship at the Air Force Research Laboratory. This work was supported by grants provided by HQAF SGRS Clinical Investigation program: “Neurological Impacts of Nanosecond Electric Pulse Exposure” and “Determination of Cellular Bioeffect Thresholds for Terahertz Frequencies.” A special thank-you is also extended to Dr. Susan Opalenik, my eternal lily pad, and Mr. Luisiana X. Cundin.
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Wilmink, G.J., Roth, C.L., Ibey, B.L. et al. Identification of microRNAs associated with hyperthermia-induced cellular stress response. Cell Stress and Chaperones 15, 1027–1038 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-010-0189-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12192-010-0189-7