No abstract

Activation of Toll-like receptors (TLR) 1/2 and 4 are central in inducing inflammation in sebocytes by regulating the expression of protein coding mRNAs, however the microRNA (miRNA) profile in response to TLR activation and thus the possible role of miRNAs in modulating sebocyte functions has not been elucidated. In this work we identified miR-146a to have the highest induction in the TLR1/2 and 4 activated SZ95 sebocytes and found that its increased levels led to the down-regulation of IL-8 secretion, decreased the chemoattractant potential and stimulated the proliferation of sebocytes. Assessing the gene expression profile of SZ95 sebocytes treated with a miR-146a inhibitor, the induction of GNG7 was one of the highest, while when cells were treated with a miR-146a mimic, the expression of GNG7 was down-regulated. These findings correlated with our in situ hybridization results, that compared with control, miR-146a showed an increased, while GNG7 a decreased expression in sebaceous glands of acne samples. Further studies revealed, that when inhibiting the levels of GNG7 in SZ95 sebocytes, cells increased their lipid content and decreased their proliferation. Our findings suggest, that miR-146a could be a potential player in acne pathogenesis by regulating inflammation, inducing proliferation and, through the indirect down-regulation of GNG7, promoting the lipid production of sebocytes.

Activation of Toll-like receptors (TLR) 1/2 and 4 are central in inducing inflammation in sebocytes and in the pathogenesis of acne by regulating the expression of protein coding mRNAs, however the microRNA (miRNA) profile in response to TLR activation and thus the possible role of miRNAs in regulating sebocyte functions has not been elucidated. In this work therefore, we aimed to identify the miRNA with the most abundant induction and to reveal its role in TLR1/2- and 4-activated SZ95 sebocytes. We found that miR-146a, detected with increased expression also in sebaceous glands of acne samples, showed the highest induction levels in the activated sebocytes. When exploring its role, we found that the increased levels of miR-146a led to the down-regulation of IL-8 secretion, decreased the chemoattractant potential and stimulated the proliferation of sebocytes, whereas the latter may be affected by GNG7 down-regulation. According to our results miR-146a may be a potential player in acne pathogenesis by regulating inflammation and by providing a link between inflammation and sebocyte proliferation.