MicroRNA-29a May Influence Myopia Development by Regulating Collagen I

The aim of this study was to characterize the regulatory role of microRNA-29a (miR-29a) in myopia, providing support for potential biomarkers and new therapeutic targets of myopia in humans. The miR-29a expression level was detected in the aqueous humor and peripheral blood plasma of 21 high myopic patients and eight cataract control patients using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. iTRAQ analysis of proteomes was conducted to show the regulatory effect of miR-29a on human scleral fibroblasts (SFs) cultured <i>in vitro</i>. We also assessed proliferation, migration, and collagen I synthesis in SF cells, mediated by miR-29a. MiR-29a expression was significantly higher in the aqueous humor of highly myopic patients than in the cataract control patients (fold change: 4.861, p = 0.001). miR-29a inhibited the synthesis of type I collagen in human SF cells and enhanced cell migration, but had no significant effect on cell proliferation. MiR-29a was highly expressed in aqueous humor of myopia patients and inhibited the synthesis of type I collagen in human SF cells <i>in vivo</i>, thereby it may play an important role in myopia development.本研究旨在明确微小RNA-29a（microRNA-29a，miR-29a）在近视发生中的调控功能，为人类近视的潜在生物标志物及新型治疗靶点提供理论依据。研究采用定量聚合酶链式反应，检测了21例高度近视患者与8例白内障对照患者的房水及外周血浆中miR-29a的表达水平。通过体外培养的人巩膜成纤维细胞（SFs），运用同位素标记相对和绝对定量（iTRAQ）蛋白质组学分析，解析了miR-29a对该细胞的调控效应。此外，本研究还评估了miR-29a介导的SF细胞增殖、迁移及I型胶原合成情况。实验结果表明，相较于白内障对照患者，高度近视患者房水中的miR-29a表达水平显著升高（倍数变化：4.861，P=0.001）。miR-29a可抑制人SF细胞内I型胶原的合成，并增强细胞迁移能力，但对细胞增殖无显著影响。综上，miR-29a在近视患者房水中呈高表达状态，且可在体内抑制人SF细胞的I型胶原合成，由此推测其可能在近视的发生发展过程中发挥关键作用。