The microRNA-29a Modulates Serotonin 5-HT7 Receptor Expression and Its Effects on Hippocampal Neuronal Morphology

Floriana Volpicelli, L. Speranza, S. Pulcrano, R. De Gregorio, M. Crispino, C. De Sanctis, M. Leopoldo, E. Lacivita, U. di Porzio, G. C. Bellenchi, C. Perrone-Capano

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

miRNAs are master regulators of gene expression in diverse biological processes, including the modulation of neuronal cytoarchitecture. The identification of their physiological target genes remains one of the outstanding challenges. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the activation of serotonin receptor 7 (5-HT7R) plays a key role in regulating the neuronal structure, synaptogenesis, and synaptic plasticity during embryonic and early postnatal development of the central nervous system (CNS). In order to identify putative miRNAs targeting the 3′UTR of 5-HT7R mouse transcript, we used a computational prediction tool and detected the miR-29 family members as the only candidates. Thus, since miR-29a is more expressed than other members in the brain, we investigated its possible involvement in the regulation of neuronal morphology mediated by 5-HT7R. By luciferase assay, we show that miR-29a can act as a post-transcriptional regulator of 5-HT7R mRNA. Indeed, it downregulates 5-HT7R gene expression in cultured hippocampal neurons, while the expression of other serotonin receptors is not affected. From a functional point of view, miR-29a overexpression in hippocampal primary cultures impairs the 5HT7R-dependent neurite elongation and remodeling through the inhibition of the ERK intracellular signaling pathway. In vivo, the upregulation of miR-29a in the developing hippocampus parallels with the downregulation of 5-HT7R expression, supporting the hypothesis that this miRNA is a physiological modulator of 5-HT7R expression in the CNS.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)8617-8627
Number of pages11
JournalMolecular Neurobiology
Volume56
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2019

Keywords

  • 5-HT7R
  • Hippocampus
  • Neurite outgrowth
  • Neuronal primary cultures
  • Neuronal structural plasticity
  • miR-29a

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neurology
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The microRNA-29a Modulates Serotonin 5-HT7 Receptor Expression and Its Effects on Hippocampal Neuronal Morphology'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this