title: MicroRNA expression profile in intrauterine hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypoplasia in rats.
abstract: Hypoxia is necessary for fetal development; however, excess hypoxia is detrimental. The mechanisms underlying the effects of hypoxia on lung development remain unclear, although important roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) during lung development have recently been established. However, the effect on lung development at an miRNA expression level, following changes in oxygen tension, have not yet been studied. In the present study, pregnant rats were exposed to a fraction of inspired oxygen of 10.5 or 21% for two days on gestation day 19, following which the body weight, lung wet weight, radial alveolar count (RAC) and mean linear intercept (Lm) of the newborn pups were analyzed on postnatal day 1. To define the role of miRNAs during lung development following intrauterine hypoxia exposure, the miRNA expression pattern was profiled using a miRNA microarray. The newborn rats in the hypoxic group exhibited statistically significant decreases in body weight, lung weight and the RAC, as well as a marked increase in the Lm. A total of 69 miRNAs were identified to have significant changes in expression, including 55 upregulated and 14 downregulated miRNAs. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the microarray results of six selected miRNAs. Therefore, the results indicated that late gestation intrauterine hypoxia exposure may cause lung injury and miRNAs may play important roles in this process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Huiyi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ziqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Mingjie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaohe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhengchang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan 410007, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaocheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shaojie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yue
keywords: hypoxia; lung development; microRNA; microarray; pulmonary hypoplasia