MiR-9, miR-153 and miR-124 are down-regulated by acute exposure to cocaine in a dopaminergic cell model and may contribute to cocaine dependence.

ABSTRACT: Cocaine is one of the most used psychostimulant drugs worldwide. MicroRNAs are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression that are highly expressed in brain, and several studies have shown that cocaine can alter their expression. In a previous study, we identified several protein-coding genes that are differentially expressed in a dopaminergic neuron-like model after an acute exposure to cocaine. Now, we used the prediction tool WebGestalt to identify miRNA molecules potentially involved in the regulation of these genes. Using the same cellular model, we found that seven of these miRNAs are down-regulated by cocaine: miR-124-3p, miR-124-5p, miR-137, miR-101-3p, miR-9-5p, miR-369-3p and miR-153-3p, the last three not previously related to cocaine. Furthermore, we found that three of

SUBMITTER: Cabana-Dominguez J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6117282 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature