Pathway analysis of microRNA expression profile during murine osteoclastogenesis
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ABSTRACT: Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells specialized in degrading the mineralized bone matrix. Osteoclast differentiation and function are tightly regulated, to prevent excessive or insufficient bone resorption. Several control mechanisms participate in modulating osteoclastogenesis, and an increasing number of reports describe the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in this process. Disrupting the expression of specific miRNAs can result in alterations of osteoclast formation and bone homeostasis. We and others have previously characterized 9 miRNAs whose levels change during osteoclast differentiation, and identified some of the target genes that mediate their function. However, little is known about changes in the miRNA expression profile during osteoclastogenesis. In this study, we isolated a murine primary bone marrow population enriched for osteoclast precursors, and used the Agilent microarray platform to analyze the expression of mature miRNAs after 1, 3, and 5 days of RANKL-driven differentiation. 93 miRNAs showed greater than 2 fold-change during these early, middle, and late stages of osteoclastogenesis. Many of these miRNAs were detected for the first time in osteoclasts, and we validated the expression of selected miRNAs by quantitative RT-PCR. We identified clusters of differentially expressed miRNAs, and performed computational analyses to predict functional pathways that may be regulated by these miRNAs. Several miRNAs were predicted to regulate genes involved in cytoskeletal remodeling, a crucial mechanism for the migration of osteoclast precursors, their maturation, and bone resorbing activity. Our results suggest that clusters of miRNAs differentially expressed during the course of osteoclastogenesis converge on the regulation of several key functional pathways. Overall, this study identified miRNAs expressed during early, middle and late osteoclastogenesis, contributing to understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating this complex differentiation process. Mouse primary bone marrow cultures were enriched for osteoclast precursors by depletion of B220/CD45R+ and CD3+ cells (B and T lymphocytes, respectively). Cells were differentiated with M-CSF and RANKL, and miRNA expression was analyzed at days 1, 3, and 5. Four biological replicates for each time point were used.
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
SUBMITTER: Anne Delany
PROVIDER: E-GEOD-53017 | biostudies-arrayexpress |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress
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