A miR-155-ruled microRNA hierarchy in dendritic cell maturation and macrophage activation
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that play important regulatory roles in many cellular pathways. MiRNAs associate with members of the Argonaute (Ago) protein family and bind to partially complementary sequences on mRNAs and induce translational repression or mRNA decay. MiRNA expression can be controlled by transcription factors and can therefore be cell type- or tissue-specific. Here we have analyzed miRNA expression profiles in murine monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages upon stimulation with LPS, LDL, eLDL and oxLDL to identify not only stimuli-specific miRNA, but also to identify a hierarchical miRNA system involving miR-155. For this, miR-155 knockout dendritic cells and macrophages were also sequenced using the same stimuli. Overall design: Sequencing of murine monocyte-derived dendritic cells and macrophages (each wild type and miR-155 knock out cells) matured and stimulated, respectively, by LPS, oxLDL, eLDL or LDL.