Abstract Background The main features of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are alveolar simplification, pulmonary growth arrest, and abnormal lung function.Multiple studies have highlighted microRNA-29 (miR-29) as a potential biomarker for lung diseases and cancers.Upregulation of miR-29a has been known to downregulate GRB2-associated-binding protein 1 (GAB1), which is often highly expressed in the lung.The current study was designed to investigate the potential role of miR-29a in hyperoxia-induced BPD by targeting GAB1 in a neonatal mouse model.Methods The expression of miR-29a and GAB1 in lung tissues of neonatal mice with hyperoxia-induced BPD and mouse ORG COFFEE SUBSTITUTE alveolar epithelial cells (MLE-12) was determined using RT-qPCR and western blot analysis.
Subsequently, the relationship between miR-29a and GAB1 was verified using in silico analysis.In order to assess the effects of miR-29a or GAB1 on BPD, the pathological characteristics of alveoli, as well as proliferation and apoptosis of cells were measured through gain- and loss-of-function studies.Results Upregulation of miR-29a and downregulation of GAB1 were evident in both lung tissues and MLE-12 cells following BPD modeling.GAB1 was a direct target gene of miR-29a.Inhibition of miR-29a and overexpression of GAB1 were shown to alleviate lung injury, promote cell Anti-Perspirant proliferation and inhibit apoptosis but reduce chord length in lung tissues of neonatal mice following hyperoxia-induced BPD modeling.
Conclusion Altogether, down-regulation of miR-29a can potentially elevate GAB1 expression, reducing cell apoptosis and stimulating proliferation, ultimately retarding the development of BPD in mice.This study highlights the potential of a promising new target for preventing BPD.