| First Author | Yan HL | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | Front Mol Neurosci | Volume | 12 |
| Pages | 260 | PubMed ID | 31736707 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:289567 | Mgi Id | MGI:6433161 |
| Doi | 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00260 | Citation | Yan HL, et al. (2019) MiR-137 Deficiency Causes Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Mice. Front Mol Neurosci 12:260 |
| abstractText | Anxiety and depression are major public health concerns worldwide. Although genome-wide association studies have identified several genes robustly associated with susceptibility for these disorders, the molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with anxiety and depression is largely unknown. Reduction of microRNA-137 (miR-137) level has been implicated in the etiology of major depressive disorder. However, little is known about the in vivo impact of the loss of miR-137 on the biology of anxiety and depression. Here, we generated a forebrain-specific miR-137 knockout mouse line, and showed that miR-137 is critical for dendritic and synaptic growth in the forebrain. Mice with miR-137 loss-of-function exhibit anxiety-like behavior, and impaired spatial learning and memory. We then observe an elevated expression of EZH2 in the forebrain of miR-137 knockout mice, and provide direct evidence that knockdown of EZH2 can rescue anxious phenotypes associated with the loss of miR-137. Together our results suggest that loss of miR-137 contributes to the etiology of anxiety, and EZH2 might be a potential therapeutic target for anxiety and depressive phenotypes associated with the dysfunction of miR-137. |
