title: Ionizing radiation-induced microRNA expression changes in cultured RGC-5 cells.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post‑transcriptional level. It has been demonstrated that miRNAs serve a crucial role in tissue development and the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. The aim of the current study was to investigate the alterations in miRNA expression in a cultured retinal ganglion cell line (RGC‑5 cells) following ionizing radiation injury. Cultured RGC‑5 cells were exposed to X‑rays at doses of 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy using a medical linear accelerator. Alterations in cellular morphology were observed under a phase contrast microscope and cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. Subsequent to exposure to X‑ray radiation for 5 days, the viability of RGC‑5 cells was significantly reduced in the 6 and 8 Gy groups, accompanied by morphological alterations. Total RNA was then extracted from RGC‑5 cells and subjected to miRNA microarray analysis subsequent to exposure to 6 Gy X‑ray radiation for 5 days. The results of the microarray analysis indicated that the expression levels of 12 miRNAs were significantly different between the 6 Gy and control groups, including 6 upregulated miRNAs and 6 downregulated miRNAs. To verify microarray results, a reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) analysis was performed. The data obtained from RT‑qPCR analysis was similar to that of the the microarray analysis for alterations in the expression of the 12 miRNAs. The results of the current study indicated that miRNA expression was sensitive to ionizing radiation, which may serve an important role in mechanisms of radiation injury in retinal ganglion cells.
authors.affiliation: Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Kaijun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Meijuan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Panpan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Guodi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000528:radiation effects*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D051381:Rats; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000528:radiation effects*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs