title: Chronic academic stress increases a group of microRNAs in peripheral blood.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in regulation of cellular processes in response to changes in environment. In this study, we examined alterations in miRNA profiles in peripheral blood from 25 male medical students two months and two days before the National Examination for Medical Practitioners. Blood obtained one month after the examination were used as baseline controls. Levels of seven miRNAs (miR-16, -20b, -26b, -29a, -126, -144 and -144*) were significantly elevated during the pre-examination period in association with significant down-regulation of their target mRNAs (WNT4, CCM2, MAK, and FGFR1 mRNAs) two days before the examination. State anxiety assessed two months before the examination was positively and negatively correlated with miR-16 and its target WNT4 mRNA levels, respectively. Fold changes in miR-16 levels from two days before to one month after the examination were inversely correlated with those in WNT4 mRNA levels over the same time points. We also confirmed the interaction between miR-16 and WNT4 3'UTR in HEK293T cells overexpressing FLAG-tagged WNT4 3'UTR and miR-16. Thus, a distinct group of miRNAs in periheral blood may participate in the integrated response to chronic academic stress in healthy young men.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Stress Science, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Manami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuwano
authors.forename: Sakurako
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Katsuura-Kamano
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamezaki
authors.forename: Kinuyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akaike
authors.forename: Shizuka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kano
authors.forename: Kensei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rokutan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000235:genetics*; D013663:Teaching; D060528:Wnt4 Protein / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1; D060528:Wnt4 Protein; C502544:CCM2 protein, human; C527111:MIRN126 microRNA, human; C554293:MIRN144 microRNA, human; C505362:MIRN16 microRNA, human; C534451:MIRN20a microRNA, human; C528163:MIRN26 microRNA, human; C532045:MIRN29a microRNA, human; C555581:WNT4 protein, human; C496348:FGFR1 protein, human; C081931:MAK protein, human