The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) in 1993 followed by developments and discoveries in small RNA biology have redefined the biological landscape by significantly altering the longstanding dogmas that defined gene regulation. These small RNAs play a significant role in modulation of an array of physiological and pathological processes ranging from embryonic development to neoplastic progression. Unique miRNA signatures of various inherited, metabolic, infectious, and neoplastic diseases have added a new dimension to the studies that look at their pathogenesis and highlight their potential to be reliable biomarkers. Also, altering miRNA functionality and the development of novel in vivo delivery systems to achieve targeted modulation of specific miRNA function are being actively pursued as novel approaches for therapeutic intervention in many diseases. Here we review the current body of knowledge on the role of miRNAs in development and disease and discuss future implications.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous RNAs and are widely regarded as one of the most important regulators of gene expression in both plants and animals. To define the roles of miRNAs in fetal lung development, we profiled the miRNA expression pattern during lung development with a miRNA microarray. We identified 21 miRNAs that showed significant changes in expression during lung development. These miRNAs were grouped into four distinct clusters based on their expression pattern. Cluster 1 contained miRNAs whose expression increased as development progressed, while clusters 2 and 3 showed the opposite trend of expression. miRNAs in cluster 4 including miRNA-127 (miR-127) had the highest expression at the late stage of fetal lung development. Quantitative real-time PCR validated the microarray results of six selected miRNAs. In situ hybridization demonstrated that miR-127 expression gradually shifted from mesenchymal cells to epithelial cells as development progressed. Overexpression of miR-127 in fetal lung organ culture significantly decreased the terminal bud count, increased terminal and internal bud sizes, and caused unevenness in bud sizes, indicating improper development. These findings suggest that miR-127 may have an important role in fetal lung development.

aKlotho (aKL) regulates mineral metabolism, and diseases associated with aKL deficiency are characterized by hyperphosphatemia and vascular calcification (VC). aKL is expressed as a membrane-bound protein (mKL) and recognized as the coreceptor for fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) and a circulating soluble form (cKL) created by endoproteolytic cleavage of mKL. The functions of cKL with regard to phosphate metabolism are unclear. We tested the ability of cKL to regulate pathways and phenotypes associated with hyperphosphatemia in a mouse model of CKD-mineral bone disorder and aKL-null mice. Stable delivery of adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing cKL to diabetic endothelial nitric oxide synthase-deficient mice or aKL-null mice reduced serum phosphate levels. Acute injection of recombinant cKL downregulated the renal sodium-phosphate cotransporter Npt2a in aKL-null mice supporting direct actions of cKL in the absence of mKL. aKL-null mice with sustained AAV-cKL expression had a 74%-78% reduction in aorta mineral content and a 72%-77% reduction in mineral volume compared with control-treated counterparts (P,0.01). Treatment of UMR-106 osteoblastic cells with cKL + FGF23 increased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and induced Fgf23 expression. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) or pretreatment with inhibitors of mitogen-activated kinase kinase 1 or FGFR ablated these responses. In summary, sustained cKL treatment reduced hyperphosphatemia in a mouse model of CKD-mineral bone disorder, and it reduced hyperphosphatemia and prevented VC in mice without endogenous aKL. Furthermore, cKL stimulated Fgf23 in an FGFR1-dependent manner in bone cells. Collectively, these findings indicate that cKL has mKL-independent activity and suggest the potential for enhancing cKL activity in diseases of hyperphosphatemia with associated VC.

Alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) trans-differentiation is a process where type II alveolar epithelial cells (AEC II) trans-differentiate into type I alveolar epithelial cells (AEC I) during lung recovery after various injuries, in which AEC I are damaged. This process is critical for lung tissue repair. MicroRNAs are a group of small RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. They have the potential to regulate almost every aspect of cell physiology. However, whether AEC trans-differentiation is regulated by microRNAs is completely unknown. In this study, we found that miR-375 was downregulated during AEC trans-differentiation. The overexpression of miR-375 with an adenoviral vector inhibited alveolar epithelial trans-differentiation as indicated by an increase in the AEC II marker, surfactant protein C, and decreases in the AEC I markers, T1α and advanced glycosylation end product-specific receptor. miR-375 also inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The constitutively activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling with a stabilized form of β-catenin blocked the miR-375 effects. Frizzled 8 was identified as a target of miR-375. In summary, our results demonstrate that miR-375 regulates AEC trans-differentiation through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This discovery may provide new targets for therapeutic intervention to benefit lung recovery from injuries.

Type II alveolar epithelial cells (AEC II) proliferate and transdifferentiate into type I alveolar epithelial cells (AEC I) when the normal AEC I population is damaged in the lung alveoli. We hypothesized that signaling by transforming growth factor ␤1 (TGF ␤1), through its downstream Smad proteins, is involved in keeping AEC II quiescent in normal cells and its altered signaling may be involved in the trans-differentiation of AEC II to AEC I. In the normal lung, TGF ␤1 and Smad4 were highly expressed in AEC II. Using an in vitro cell culture model, we demonstrated that the trans-differentiation of AEC II into AEC I-like cells began with a proliferative phase, followed by a differentiation phase. The expression of TGF ␤1, Smad2, and Samd3 and their phosphorylated protein forms, and cell cycle inhibitors, p15Ink4b and p21 Cip1 , was lower during the proliferative phase but higher during the differentiation phase. Furthermore, cyclin-dependent kinases 2, 4, and 6 showed an opposite trend of expression. TGF ␤1 secretion into the media increased during the differentiation phase, indicating an autocrine regulation. The addition of TGF ␤1 neutralizing antibody after the proliferative phase and silencing of Smad4 by RNA interference inhibited the trans-differentiation process. In summary, our results suggest that the trans-differentiation of AEC II to AEC I is modulated by signaling through the Smad-dependent TGF ␤1 pathway by altering the expression of proteins that control the G 1 to S phase entry in the cell cycle. Alveolar epithelial cells (AEC)2 II have a multifunctional role in the lung including secretory, synthetic, and progenitor capacities. AEC II serve as remodeling reservoirs for lung epithelium (1). They are the progenitors for AEC I. By virtue of their squamous shape, AEC I cover the major surface area of alveoli and thus are the main epithelial component of the thin air-blood barrier. In contrast, AEC II are limited to the corners of the alveoli. The progenitor function of AEC II is activated when the lung epithelium encounters a variety of disease conditions including acute lung injury (2). AEC II cell proliferation and hyperplasia, followed by trans-differentiation into AEC I is a hallmark of alveolar epithelial injury. This helps to restore the normal air-blood barrier. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in the trans-differentiation process are not clear. Questions regarding the causes of AEC II proliferation and trans-differentiation into AEC I during lung injury and prevention of this in normal alveoli largely remain unanswered.The transforming growth factor ␤ (TGF ␤) superfamily consists of cytokines that are implicated in the regulation of a variety of biological responses (3-6). Its members include isoforms of TGF ␤, bone morphogenetic proteins, Mullerian inhibiting substance, inhibins, and activins. A member of this family, TGF ␤1, regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration in many cell and tissue systems. This cytokine is secreted by various cell types and acts both in...

Ricin is a potential bioweapon that could be used against civilian and military personnel. Aerosol exposure is the most likely route of contact to ricin toxin that will result in the most severe toxicity. Early recognition of ricin exposure is essential if specific antidotes are to be applied. Initial diagnosis will most likely be syndromic, i.e., fitting clinical and laboratory signs into a pattern which then will guide the choice of more specific diagnostic assays and therapeutic interventions. We have studied the pathology of ricin toxin in rhesus macaques exposed to lethal and sublethal ricin aerosols. Animals exposed to lethal ricin aerosols were followed clinically using telemetry, by clinical laboratory analyses and by post-mortem examination. Animals exposed to lethal aerosolized ricin developed fever associated with thermal instability, tachycardia, and dyspnea. In the peripheral blood a marked neutrophilia (without immature bands) developed at 24 h. This was accompanied by an increase in monocytes, but depletion of lymphocytes. Red cell indices indicated hemoconcentration, as did serum chemistries, with modest increases in sodium and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Serum albumin was strikingly decreased. These observations are consistent with the pathological observations of fluid shifts to the lungs, in the form of hemorrhages, inflammatory exudates, and tissue edema. In macaques exposed to sublethal aerosols of ricin, late pathologic consequences included chronic pulmonary fibrosis, likely mediated by M2 macrophages. Early administration of supportive therapy, specific antidotes after exposure or vaccines prior to exposure have the potential to favorably alter this outcome.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a multifactorial chronic lung disease of premature infants. BPD can be attributed to the dysregulation of normal lung development due to ventilation and oxygen toxicity, resulting in pathologic complications of impaired alveolarization and vascularization. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally and are implicated in diverse biological processes and diseases. The objectives of this study are to identify the changed miRNAs and their target genes in neonatal rat lungs in response to hyperoxia exposure. Using miRNA microarray and real-time PCR analyses, we found downregulation of five miRNAs, miR-342, miR-335, miR-150, miR-126*, and miR-151*, and upregulation of two miRNAs, miR-21 and miR-34a. Some of these miRNAs had the highest expression during embryonic and early postnatal development. DNA microarray analysis yielded several genes with conserved binding sites for these altered miRNAs. Glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein b (GPNMB) was experimentally verified as a target of miR-150. In summary, we identified seven miRNAs that were changed in hyperoxia-exposed neonatal lungs. These results provide a basis for deciphering the mechanisms involved in the spatial and temporal regulation of proteins that contribute to the pathogenesis of BPD.

Hemoglobin is the main oxygen carrying heme protein in erythrocytes. In an effort to study the differential gene expression of alveolar epithelial type I and type II cells using DNA microarray technique, we found that the mRNAs of hemoglobin α-and β-chains were expressed in type II cells, but not in type I cells. The microarray data were confirmed by RT-PCR. The mRNA expression of both chains decreased when type II cells trans-differentiated into type I-like cells. Immunocyto/ histochemistry revealed that hemoglobin protein was specifically localized in type II cells of a lung cell mixture and rat lung tissue. The endogenous synthesis of hemoglobin in alveolar epithelial cells suggest that hemoglobin may have unidentified functions other than oxygen transport in the lung.