miRNA microarray profiling in patients with androgenic alopecia and the effects of miR-133b on hair growth

Wenjia Deng; Ting Hu; Le Han; Ben Liu; Xin Tang; Haiyan Chen; Xianyan Chen; Miaojian Wan

doi:10.1016/j.yexmp.2020.104589

miRNA microarray profiling in patients with androgenic alopecia and the effects of miR-133b on hair growth

Exp Mol Pathol. 2021 Feb:118:104589. doi: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2020.104589. Epub 2020 Dec 5.

Authors

Wenjia Deng¹, Ting Hu², Le Han¹, Ben Liu¹, Xin Tang¹, Haiyan Chen¹, Xianyan Chen¹, Miaojian Wan³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 600 Tianhe Road, Guangzhou 510630, China.
² Department of Dermatology, Yuebei People's Hospital, No. 133 South Huimin Road, Shaoguan 512026, Guangdong, China.
³ Department of Dermatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 600 Tianhe Road, Guangzhou 510630, China. Electronic address: wanmj@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33290799
DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2020.104589

Abstract

Objective: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), a common alopecia, is often accompanied by abnormal expression of multiple miRNAs. This study aims to investigate abnormally expressed miRNAs in patients with AGA and their specific molecular mechanism.

Methods: miRNA microarray profiling and qRT-PCR validation were used to screen and verify abnormally expressed miRNAs in patients with AGA. Human hair follicles (HFs) were treated with different concentrations of dihydrotestosterone (DHT, 10^-5, 10^-6, 10^-7 and 10^-8 mol/L) for 10 days. The effects of DHT on HF growth, proliferation, and miRNA expression in cultured HFs were investigated using immunofluorescence staining and qRT-PCR. Moreover, human dermal papilla cells (HDPCs) were treated/transfected with a Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator and/or miR-133b mimic, and then the CCK-8 assay was used to evaluate HDPC proliferation. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the expression of Versican, ALP and β-catenin RESULTS: miRNA microarray profiling identified 43 miRNAs that were significantly differentially expressed in AGA patients, and qRT-PCR verified that 8 miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed. The expression of miR-133b was abnormally high in AGA patients. DHT (10^-5 mol/L) inhibited human HF growth and upregulated miR-133b expression, and DHT (10^-7 mol/L) induced human HF growth and downregulated miR-133b expression. HDPC proliferation was inhibited, and the expression of β-catenin was downregulated in the miR-133b mimic-transfected group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator treatment significantly promoted HDPC proliferation and upregulated the expression of β-catenin (P < 0.05). In addition, the proliferation of HDPCs was not significantly different between the group cotreated with a Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator and miR-133b mimic, and the control group (P > 0.05), but the expression of Versican and ALP was suppressed in the cotreatment group (P < 0.05) CONCLUSION: Our data indicated that patients with androgenic alopecia have specific miRNA expression profiles and that the abnormal expression of miR-133b may inactivate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and ultimately regulate hair growth.

Keywords: Androgenetic alopecia; Dihydrotestosterone; Human dermal papilla cells; Wnt/β-catenin; miR-133b; miRNA microarray profiling.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Alopecia / genetics
Alopecia / metabolism
Alopecia / pathology*
Apoptosis
Biomarkers / metabolism*
Case-Control Studies
Cell Proliferation*
Cells, Cultured
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation*
Hair Follicle / growth & development*
Hair Follicle / metabolism
Humans
Male
MicroRNAs / genetics*
Middle Aged
Prognosis
Wnt Signaling Pathway

Substances

Biomarkers
MIRN133 microRNA, human
MicroRNAs