Identification of miR-671-5p and Its Related Pathways as General Mechanisms of Both Form-Deprivation and Lens-Induced Myopia in Mice

Abstract

Animal models have been indispensable in shaping the understanding of myopia mechanisms, with form-deprivation myopia (FDM) and lens-induced myopia (LIM) being the most utilized. Similar pathological outcomes suggest that these two models are under the control of shared mechanisms. miRNAs play an important role in pathological development. Herein, based on two miRNA datasets (GSE131831 and GSE84220), we aimed to reveal the general miRNA changes involved in myopia development. After a comparison of the differentially expressed miRNAs, miR-671-5p was identified as the common downregulated miRNA in the retina. miR-671-5p is highly conserved and related to 40.78% of the target genes of all downregulated miRNAs. Moreover, 584 target genes of miR-671-5p are related to myopia, from which we further identified 8 hub genes. Pathway analysis showed that these hub genes are enriched in visual learning and extra-nuclear estrogen signaling. Furthermore, two of the hub genes are also targeted by atropine, which strongly supports a key role of miR-671-5p in myopic development. Finally, Tead1 was identified as a possible upstream regulator of miR-671-5p in myopia development. Overall, our study identified the general regulatory role of miR-671-5p in myopia as well as its upstream and downstream mechanisms and provided novel treatment targets, which might inspire future studies.