miRNA expression profiles in Dicer WT and KO bone marrow-derived macrophages. Mus musculus

The global change of the miRNA expression profile during atherosclerosis is due to the infiltration of different types of leukocytes into the arterial vessel wall in addition to disease-specific regulation in vascular cells. Monocyte-derived macrophage accumulation in the subintimal region is critical in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. However, the role of Dicer, the key enzyme for miRNA biogenesis, during the development of atherosclerosis is currently unknown. To detect the effect of Dicer on miRNA expression in macrophages, the comparison of the miRNA expression profiles was performed in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from LysM-Cre/Dicerflox/flox/Apoe–/– and LysM-Cre/Dicerwt/wt/Apoe–/– mice. This screening combined with miRNA profiling in atherosclerotic aortas may help to identify the crucial miRNAs that play a role in the macrophage function during atherogenesis. Overall design: Bone marrow cells were harvested from femora of 6-8 week old male LysM-Cre/Dicerflox/flox/Apoe–/– or LysM-Cre/Dicerwt/wt/Apoe–/– mice (3 mice per group), re-suspended in DMEM-F12/10% FCS/10% L929-conditioned medium, and cultured for 7 days to differentiate into primary macrophages. Total RNA was isolated using mirVana microRNA Isolation Kit.