| First Author | Sayed D | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | Mol Biol Cell | Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 8 | Pages | 3272-82 |
| PubMed ID | 18508928 | Mgi Jnum | J:225489 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5693366 | Doi | 10.1091/mbc.E08-02-0159 |
| Citation | Sayed D, et al. (2008) MicroRNA-21 targets Sprouty2 and promotes cellular outgrowths. Mol Biol Cell 19(8):3272-82 |
| abstractText | The posttranscriptional regulator, microRNA-21 (miR-21), is up-regulated in many forms of cancer, as well as during cardiac hypertrophic growth. To understand its role, we overexpressed it in cardiocytes where it revealed a unique type of cell-to-cell "linker" in the form of long slender outgrowths and branches. We subsequently confirmed that miR-21 directly targets and down-regulates the expression of Sprouty2 (SPRY2), an inhibitor of branching morphogenesis and neurite outgrowths. We found that beta-adrenergic receptor (betaAR) stimulation induces up-regulation of miR-21 and down-regulation of SPRY2 and is, likewise, associated with connecting cell branches. Knockdown of SPRY2 reproduced the branching morphology in cardiocytes, and vice versa, knockdown of miR-21 using a specific 'miRNA eraser' or overexpression of SPRY2 inhibited betaAR-induced cellular outgrowths. These structures enclose sarcomeres and connect adjacent cardiocytes through functional gap junctions. To determine how this aspect of miR-21 function translates in cancer cells, we knocked it down in colon cancer SW480 cells. This resulted in disappearance of their microvillus-like protrusions accompanied by SPRY2-dependent inhibition of cell migration. Thus, we propose that an increase in miR-21 enhances the formation of various types of cellular protrusions through directly targeting and down-regulating SPRY2. |
