title: A transcribed ultraconserved noncoding RNA, Uc.173, is a key molecule for the inhibition of lead-induced neuronal apoptosis.
abstract: As a common toxic metal, lead has significant neurotoxicity to brain development. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) function in multiple biological processes. However, whether lncRNAs are involved in lead-induced neurotoxicity remains unclear. Uc.173 is a lncRNA from a transcribed ultra-conservative region (T-UCR) of human, mouse and rat genomes. We established a lead-induced nerve injury mouse model. It showed the levels of Uc.173 decreased significantly in hippocampus tissue and serum of the model. We further tested the expression of Uc.173 in serum of lead-exposed children, which also showed a tendency to decrease. To explore the effects of Uc.173 on lead-induced nerve injury, we overexpressed Uc.173 in an N2a mouse nerve cell line and found Uc.173 had an inhibitory effect on lead-induced apoptosis of N2a. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of Uc.173 in apoptosis associated with lead-induced nerve injury, we predicted the target microRNAs of Uc.173 by using miRanda, TargetScan and RegRNA. After performing quantitative real-time PCR and bioinformatics analysis, we showed Uc.173 might inter-regulate with miR-291a-3p in lead-induced apoptosis and regulate apoptosis-associated genes. Our study suggests Uc.173 significantly inhibits the apoptosis of nerve cells, which may be mediated by inter-regulation with miRNAs in lead-induced nerve injury.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Aruo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nan
authors.affiliation: Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Xinke
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Lijian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Meiling
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Yuanwei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhenzhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Animal Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Yiguo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002648:Child; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D022661:RNA, Untranslated; D007854:Lead
keywords: Pathology Section; T-UCR; Uc.173; lead; neuronal apoptosis