Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), an abundant class of small noncoding RNA molecules, which regulate gene expression by functioning as post-transcriptional regulatory factors, have been identified as key components of traumatic brain injury (TBI) progression. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is a recently identified typical miRNA that is involved in the signaling pathways of inflammation, neuronal apoptosis, reactive gliosis, disruption of blood brain barrier, angiogenesis and recovery process induced by physical exercises in TBI. Hence, miR-21 is now considered as a potential therapeutic target of TBI. We review the correlative literature and research progress regarding the roles of miR-21 in TBI in this article.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chauhan NB (2014) Chronic neurodegenerative consequences of traumatic brain injury. Restor Neurol Neurosci 32(2):337–365
Menon DK et al (2010) Position statement: definition of traumatic brain injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 91(11):1637–1640
Carrera E et al (2010) Spontaneous hyperventilation and brain tissue hypoxia in patients with severe brain injury. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 81(7):793–797
Baguley IJ et al (2012) Late mortality after severe traumatic brain injury in New South Wales: a multicentre study. Med J Aust 196(1):40–45
Wright DW et al (2014) Very early administration of progesterone for acute traumatic brain injury. N Engl J Med 371(26):2457–2466
Floyd CL, Lyeth BG (2007) Astroglia: important mediators of traumatic brain injury. Prog Brain Res 161:61–79
Sun D et al (2009) Basic fibroblast growth factor-enhanced neurogenesis contributes to cognitive recovery in rats following traumatic brain injury. Exp Neurol 216(1):56–65
Wong J et al (2005) Apoptosis and traumatic brain injury. Neurocrit Care 3(2):177–182
Ji W et al (2017) Up-regulation of MCM3 relates to neuronal apoptosis after traumatic brain injury in adult rats. Cell Mol Neurobiol 37(4):683–693
Dong H et al (2013) MicroRNA: function, detection, and bioanalysis. Chem Rev 113(8):6207–6233
Londin E et al (2015) Analysis of 13 cell types reveals evidence for the expression of numerous novel primate- and tissue-specific microRNAs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 112(10):E1106–E1115
Friedman RC et al (2009) Most mammalian mRNAs are conserved targets of microRNAs. Genome Res 19(1):92–105
Lu J, Clark AG (2012) Impact of microRNA regulation on variation in human gene expression. Genome Res 22(7):1243–1254
Krek A et al (2005) Combinatorial microRNA target predictions. Nat Genet 37(5):495–500
Li MA, He L (2012) microRNAs as novel regulators of stem cell pluripotency and somatic cell reprogramming. Bioessays 34(8):670–680
Gauthier BR, Wollheim CB (2006) MicroRNAs: ‘ribo-regulators’ of glucose homeostasis. Nat Med 12(1):36–38
Chan JA, Krichevsky AM, Kosik KS (2005) MicroRNA-21 is an antiapoptotic factor in human glioblastoma cells. Cancer Res 65(14):6029–6033
Bi Y, Liu G, Yang R (2009) MicroRNAs: novel regulators during the immune response. J Cell Physiol 218(3):467–472
Chandran R et al (2017) Differential expression of microRNAs in the brains of mice subjected to increasing grade of mild traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj 31(1):106–119
Di Pietro V et al (2017) MicroRNAs as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of mild and severe traumatic brain injury. J Neurotrauma 34(11):1948–1956
Sabirzhanov B et al (2016) miR-711 upregulation induces neuronal cell death after traumatic brain injury. Cell Death Differ 23(4):654–668
Gaudet AD et al (2017) MicroRNAs: roles in regulating neuroinflammation. Neuroscientist 2017:1073858417721150
Si ML et al (2007) miR-21-mediated tumor growth. Oncogene 26(19):2799–2803
Lagos-Quintana M et al (2002) Identification of tissue-specific microRNAs from mouse. Curr Biol 12(9):735–739
Pan X, Wang ZX, Wang R (2010) MicroRNA-21: a novel therapeutic target in human cancer. Cancer Biol Ther 10(12):1224–1232
Tagawa H, Ikeda S, Sawada K (2013) Role of microRNA in the pathogenesis of malignant lymphoma. Cancer Sci 104(7):801–809
Tan KS et al (2009) Expression profile of MicroRNAs in young stroke patients. PLoS ONE 4(11):e7689
Jeyaseelan K, Lim KY, Armugam A (2008) MicroRNA expression in the blood and brain of rats subjected to transient focal ischemia by middle cerebral artery occlusion. Stroke 39(3):959–966
Guo YB et al (2018) Effects of microRNA-21 on nerve cell regeneration and neural function recovery in diabetes mellitus combined with cerebral infarction rats by targeting PDCD4. Mol Neurobiol 55(3):2494–2505
Buller B et al (2010) MicroRNA-21 protects neurons from ischemic death. FEBS J 277(20):4299–4307
Zhou J, Zhang J (2014) Identification of miRNA-21 and miRNA-24 in plasma as potential early stage markers of acute cerebral infarction. Mol Med Rep 10(2):971–976
Yang CH et al (2014) MicroRNA-21 promotes glioblastoma tumorigenesis by down-regulating insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP3). J Biol Chem 289(36):25079–25087
Sathyan P et al (2015) Mir-21-Sox2 axis delineates glioblastoma subtypes with prognostic impact. J Neurosci 35(45):15097–15112
Hermansen SK et al (2016) miR-21 Is linked to glioma angiogenesis: a co-localization study. J Histochem Cytochem 64(2):138–148
Maachani UB et al (2016) Modulation of miR-21 signaling by MPS1 in human glioblastoma. Oncotarget 7(33):52912–52927
Han Z et al (2014) miR-21 alleviated apoptosis of cortical neurons through promoting PTEN-Akt signaling pathway in vitro after experimental traumatic brain injury. Brain Res 1582:12–20
Lei P et al (2009) Microarray based analysis of microRNA expression in rat cerebral cortex after traumatic brain injury. Brain Res 1284:191–201
Redell JB, Zhao J, Dash PK (2011) Altered expression of miRNA-21 and its targets in the hippocampus after traumatic brain injury. J Neurosci Res 89(2):212–221
Ge XT et al (2014) miR-21 improves the neurological outcome after traumatic brain injury in rats. Sci Rep 4:6718
Harrison EB et al (2016) Traumatic brain injury increases levels of miR-21 in extracellular vesicles: implications for neuroinflammation. FEBS Open Bio 6(8):835–846
Dantzer R et al (2008) From inflammation to sickness and depression: when the immune system subjugates the brain. Nat Rev Neurosci 9(1):46–56
Engelhardt B, Vajkoczy P, Weller RO (2017) The movers and shapers in immune privilege of the CNS. Nat Immunol 18(2):123–131
Kigerl KA et al (2009) Identification of two distinct macrophage subsets with divergent effects causing either neurotoxicity or regeneration in the injured mouse spinal cord. J Neurosci 29(43):13435–13444
Liu G, Abraham E (2013) MicroRNAs in immune response and macrophage polarization. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 33(2):170–177
Sheedy FJ (2015) Turning 21: induction of miR-21 as a key switch in the inflammatory response. Front Immunol 6:19
Lu TX, Munitz A, Rothenberg ME (2009) MicroRNA-21 is up-regulated in allergic airway inflammation and regulates IL-12p35 expression. J Immunol 182(8):4994–5002
Lu TX et al (2011) MicroRNA-21 limits in vivo immune response-mediated activation of the IL-12/IFN-gamma pathway, Th1 polarization, and the severity of delayed-type hypersensitivity. J Immunol 187(6):3362–3373
Murugaiyan G et al (2015) MicroRNA-21 promotes Th17 differentiation and mediates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J Clin Invest 125(3):1069–1080
Sheedy FJ et al (2010) Negative regulation of TLR4 via targeting of the proinflammatory tumor suppressor PDCD4 by the microRNA miR-21. Nat Immunol 11(2):141–147
van den Bosch MW et al (2014) LPS induces the degradation of programmed cell death protein 4 (PDCD4) to release Twist2, activating c-Maf transcription to promote interleukin-10 production. J Biol Chem 289(33):22980–22990
Barnett RE et al (2016) Anti-inflammatory effects of miR-21 in the macrophage response to peritonitis. J Leukoc Biol 99(2):361–371
Thum T et al (2008) MicroRNA-21 contributes to myocardial disease by stimulating MAP kinase signalling in fibroblasts. Nature 456(7224):980–984
Fenoglio C et al (2011) Expression and genetic analysis of miRNAs involved in CD4 + cell activation in patients with multiple sclerosis. Neurosci Lett 504(1):9–12
Sanders KA et al (2016) Next-generation sequencing reveals broad down-regulation of microRNAs in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis CD4 + T cells. Clin Epigenet 8(1):87
Loane DJ, Faden AI (2010) Neuroprotection for traumatic brain injury: translational challenges and emerging therapeutic strategies. Trends Pharmacol Sci 31(12):596–604
Zhang X et al (2005) Bench-to-bedside review: apoptosis/programmed cell death triggered by traumatic brain injury. Crit Care 9(1):66–75
Wang G et al (2013) Scriptaid, a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, protects against traumatic brain injury via modulation of PTEN and AKT pathway: scriptaid protects against TBI via AKT. Neurotherapeutics 10(1):124–142
Hong Y et al (2014) Neuroprotective effect of hydrogen-rich saline against neurologic damage and apoptosis in early brain injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage: possible role of the Akt/GSK3beta signaling pathway. PLoS ONE 9(4):e96212
Zou C et al (2013) Activation of mitochondria-mediated apoptotic pathway in tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate-induced delayed neuropathy. Neurochem Int 62(7):965–972
Garcia-Junco-Clemente P, Golshani P (2014) PTEN: a master regulator of neuronal structure, function, and plasticity. Commun Integr Biol 7(1):e28358
Zhang L et al (2012) miR-21 represses FasL in microglia and protects against microglia-mediated neuronal cell death following hypoxia/ischemia. Glia 60(12):1888–1895
Dong Y, Benveniste EN (2001) Immune function of astrocytes. Glia 36(2):180–190
Liu L, Rudin M, Kozlova EN (2000) Glial cell proliferation in the spinal cord after dorsal rhizotomy or sciatic nerve transection in the adult rat. Exp Brain Res 131(1):64–73
Ridet JL et al (1997) Reactive astrocytes: cellular and molecular cues to biological function. Trends Neurosci 20(12):570–577
Burda JE, Bernstein AM, Sofroniew MV (2016) Astrocyte roles in traumatic brain injury. Exp Neurol 275(Pt 3):305–315
Bhalala OG et al (2012) microRNA-21 regulates astrocytic response following spinal cord injury. J Neurosci 32(50):17935–17947
Levin H, Smith D (2013) Traumatic brain injury: networks and neuropathology. Lancet Neurol 12(1):15–16
Obermeier B, Daneman R, Ransohoff RM (2013) Development, maintenance and disruption of the blood-brain barrier. Nat Med 19(12):1584–1596
Ge X et al (2016) miR-21-5p alleviates leakage of injured brain microvascular endothelial barrier in vitro through suppressing inflammation and apoptosis. Brain Res 1650:31–40
Ge X et al (2015) MiR-21 alleviates secondary blood-brain barrier damage after traumatic brain injury in rats. Brain Res 1603:150–157
Siddiq I et al (2012) Treatment of traumatic brain injury using zinc-finger protein gene therapy targeting VEGF-A. J Neurotrauma 29(17):2647–2659
Yin KJ, Hamblin M, Chen YE (2015) Angiogenesis-regulating microRNAs and ischemic stroke. Curr Vasc Pharmacol 13(3):352–365
Krum JM, Khaibullina A (2003) Inhibition of endogenous VEGF impedes revascularization and astroglial proliferation: roles for VEGF in brain repair. Exp Neurol 181(2):241–257
Skold MK et al (2005) VEGF and VEGF receptor expression after experimental brain contusion in rat. J Neurotrauma 22(3):353–367
Lambert C, Cisternas P, Inestrosa NC (2016) Role of Wnt signaling in central nervous system injury. Mol Neurobiol 53(4):2297–2311
Herbert SP, Stainier DY (2011) Molecular control of endothelial cell behaviour during blood vessel morphogenesis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 12(9):551–564
Suarez Y, Sessa WC (2009) MicroRNAs as novel regulators of angiogenesis. Circ Res 104(4):442–454
Tsai YH et al (2009) The M type K15 protein of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus regulates microRNA expression via its SH2-binding motif to induce cell migration and invasion. J Virol 83(2):622–632
Liu LZ et al (2011) MiR-21 induced angiogenesis through AKT and ERK activation and HIF-1alpha expression. PLoS ONE 6(4):e19139
Griesbach GS, Hovda DA, Gomez-Pinilla F (2009) Exercise-induced improvement in cognitive performance after traumatic brain injury in rats is dependent on BDNF activation. Brain Res 1288:105–115
Bao TH et al (2014) Spontaneous running wheel improves cognitive functions of mouse associated with miRNA expressional alteration in hippocampus following traumatic brain injury. J Mol Neurosci 54(4):622–629
Miao W et al (2015) Voluntary exercise prior to traumatic brain injury alters miRNA expression in the injured mouse cerebral cortex. Braz J Med Biol Res 48(5):433–439
Hu T et al (2015) miR21 is associated with the cognitive improvement following voluntary running wheel exercise in TBI mice. J Mol Neurosci 57(1):114–122
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81272791, 81502159), Jiangsu Young Medical Talents (QNRC2016190).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ji, W., Jiao, J., Cheng, C. et al. MicroRNA-21 in the Pathogenesis of Traumatic Brain Injury. Neurochem Res 43, 1863–1868 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-018-2602-z
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-018-2602-z