From the Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 and.
Cancer Biology Program, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston, Texas 77030.
J Biol Chem. 2018 Mar 16;293(11):3925-3936. doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA117.000425. Epub 2018 Jan 29.
The stemness maintenance of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) requires pluripotency transcription factors, including Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2. We have previously reported that protein arginine methyltransferase 7 (PRMT7), an epigenetic modifier, is an essential pluripotency factor that maintains the stemness of mouse ESCs, at least in part, by down-regulating the expression of the anti-stemness microRNA (miRNA) miR-24-2. To gain greater insight into the molecular basis underlying PRMT7-mediated maintenance of mouse ESC stemness, we searched for new PRMT7-down-regulated anti-stemness miRNAs. Here, we show that gene-encoded miR-221-3p and miR-221-5p are anti-stemness miRNAs whose expression levels in mouse ESCs are directly repressed by PRMT7. Notably, both miR-221-3p and miR-221-5p targeted the 3' untranslated regions of mRNA transcripts of the major pluripotency factors Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2 to antagonize mouse ESC stemness. Moreover, miR-221-5p silenced also the expression of its own transcriptional repressor PRMT7. Transfection of miR-221-3p and miR-221-5p mimics induced spontaneous differentiation of mouse ESCs. CRISPR-mediated deletion of the gene, as well as specific antisense inhibitors of miR-221-3p and miR-221-5p, inhibited the spontaneous differentiation of PRMT7-depleted mouse ESCs. Taken together, these findings reveal that the PRMT7-mediated repression of miR-221-3p and miR-221-5p expression plays a critical role in maintaining mouse ESC stemness. Our results also establish miR-221-3p and miR-221-5p as anti-stemness miRNAs that target , , and mRNAs in mouse ESCs.
胚胎干细胞(ESCs)的干性维持需要多能性转录因子,包括 Oct4、Nanog 和 Sox2。我们之前曾报道过,表观遗传修饰酶蛋白精氨酸甲基转移酶 7(PRMT7)是一种必需的多能性因子,它通过下调抗干性 microRNA(miRNA)miR-24-2 的表达,在维持小鼠 ESCs 的干性方面发挥作用,至少在部分程度上如此。为了更深入地了解 PRMT7 介导的维持小鼠 ESC 干性的分子基础,我们寻找新的 PRMT7 下调的抗干性 miRNA。在这里,我们显示基因编码的 miR-221-3p 和 miR-221-5p 是抗干性 miRNA,其在小鼠 ESCs 中的表达水平直接受到 PRMT7 的抑制。值得注意的是,miR-221-3p 和 miR-221-5p 均靶向 Oct4、Nanog 和 Sox2 主要多能性因子的 mRNA 转录本的 3'非翻译区,以拮抗小鼠 ESC 干性。此外,miR-221-5p 还沉默了其自身转录抑制剂 PRMT7 的表达。miR-221-3p 和 miR-221-5p 模拟物的转染诱导小鼠 ESCs 的自发分化。CRISPR 介导的基因缺失以及 miR-221-3p 和 miR-221-5p 的特异性反义抑制剂均抑制了 PRMT7 耗尽的小鼠 ESCs 的自发分化。总之,这些发现表明 PRMT7 介导的 miR-221-3p 和 miR-221-5p 表达的抑制在维持小鼠 ESC 干性中起着关键作用。我们的研究结果还确定了 miR-221-3p 和 miR-221-5p 作为抗干性 miRNA,靶向小鼠 ESCs 中的、和 mRNAs。