MiR-218 Promotes Dopaminergic Differentiation and Controls Neuron Excitability and Neurotransmitter Release through the Regulation of a Synaptic-Related Genes Network.

ABSTRACT: In the brain, microRNAs (miRNAs) are believed to play a role in orchestrating synaptic plasticity at a higher level by acting as an additional mechanism of translational regulation, alongside the mRNA/polysome system. Despite extensive research, our understanding of the specific contribution of individual miRNA to the function of dopaminergic neurons (DAn) remains limited. By performing a dopaminergic-specific miRNA screening, we have identified miR-218 as a critical regulator of DAn activity in male and female mice. We have found that miR-218 is specifically expressed in mesencephalic DAn and is able to promote dopaminergic differentiation of embryonic stem cells and functional maturation of transdifferentiated induced DA neurons. Midbrain-specific deletion of both genes encoding for miR-

SUBMITTER: Pulcrano S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10697421 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature