RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol during Pregnancy Modulates MicroRNA Expression Profile in Mothers and Fetuses Reflecting Oncogenic and Immunological Changes
JF Molecular Pharmacology
JO Mol Pharmacol
FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
SP 842
OP 854
DO 10.1124/mol.114.096743
VO 87
IS 5
A1 Narendra P. Singh
A1 Ikbal K. Abbas
A1 Martine Menard
A1 Udai P. Singh
A1 Jiajia Zhang
A1 Prakash Nagarkatti
A1 Mitzi Nagarkatti
YR 2015
UL http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/87/5/842.abstract
AB Prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) is known to cause an increased susceptibility to a wide array of clinical disorders in humans. Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated that prenatal exposure to DES induces thymic atrophy and apoptosis in the thymus. In the current study, we investigated if such effects on the thymus result from alterations in the expression of microRNA (miR). To that end, pregnant C57BL/6 mice who were exposed to DES and miR profiles in thymocytes of both the mother and fetuses on postnatal day 3 (gestation day 17) were studied. Of the 609 mouse miRs examined, we noted 59 altered miRs that were common for both mothers and fetuses, whereas 107 altered miRs were specific to mothers only and 101 altered miRs were specific to fetuses only. Upon further analyses in the fetuses, we observed that DES-mediated changes in miR expression may regulate genes involved in important functions, such as apoptosis, autophagy, toxicity, and cancer. Of the miRs that showed decreased expression following DES treatment, miR-18b and miR-23a were found to possess complementary sequences and binding affinity for 3′ untranslated regions of the Fas ligand (FasL) and Fas, respectively. Transfection studies confirmed that DES-mediated downregulation of miR-18b and miR-23a led to increased FasL and Fas expression. These data demonstrated that prenatal DES exposure can cause alterations in miRs, leading to changes in the gene expression, specifically, miR-mediated increased expression in FasL and Fas causing apoptosis and thymic atrophy.