Gene expression changes of human SZ95 sebocyte cell line upon miR-146a inhibitor treatment

We performed whole transcriptome analysis after 72 hours of miR-146a microRNA inhibitor treatment on human immortalized SZ95 sebocyte cell line. miR-146a functions as a negative regulator of inflammatory response in various cell types, its role in sebocyte biology has not been examined so far. Functional gene clustering confirmed that the altered levels of miR-146a may lead to changes in immune response, apoptosis, cell differentiation, and proliferation-related pathways in sebocytes. Importantly, genes could not be clustered into lipid production. Our results suggest that miR-146a in sebocytes may regulate not only TLR-induced inflammation but could be a missing link in connecting it with hyperproliferation, which may have both pathological and therapeutic implications in sebaceous gland-associated diseases, such as acne.