Lung fibroblasts express a miR-19a-19b-20a sub-cluster to suppress TGF-β-associated fibroblast activation in murine pulmonary fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: Lung fibroblasts play a pivotal role in pulmonary fibrosis, a devastating lung disease, by producing extracellular matrix. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) suppress numerous genes post-transcriptionally; however, the roles of miRNAs in activated fibroblasts in fibrotic lungs remain poorly understood. To elucidate these roles, we performed global miRNA-expression profiling of fibroblasts from bleomycin- and silica-induced fibrotic lungs and investigated the functions of miRNAs in activated lung fibroblasts. Clustering analysis of global miRNA-expression data identified miRNA signatures exhibiting increased expression during fibrosis progression. Among these signatures, we found that a miR-19a-19b-20a sub-cluster suppressed TGF-β-induced activation of fibroblasts in vitro. Moreover, to elucidate whether f

SUBMITTER: Souma K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6226532 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature