miR-155 Inhibits Nucleus Pulposus Cells’ Degeneration through Targeting ERK 12

Abstract EN

We first investigated the difference in microRNA expression between normal NP cells and degenerative NP cells using gene chip.

We have found that the expression of ERK1/2 was decreased with overexpression of miR-155 in normal nucleus pulposus cell.

Expression of ERK1/2 was increased with inhibition of miR-155.

Overexpression or inhibition of miR-155 had no effects on the expression level of mRNA ERK1/2 in nucleus pulposus cell, which showed that miR-155 affected the expression of pERK1/2 after transcription of ERK1/2 mRNA indicating that ERK1/2 was a new target protein regulated by miR-155.

In the degeneration of intervertebral disc, inhibited miR-155 decreased the expressions of extracellular main matrix collagen II and glycosaminoglycan and increased expression of ERK1/2.

Taken together, our data suggested that miR-155 was the identified miRNA which regulated NP cells degenerated through directly targeting ERK1/2.