The differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into photoreceptor like cells under the influence of the temporary increase of miR-96 expression

It is well established that the main cause of retinal degeneration is the death of retinal photoreceptors, while effective treatment protocol is currently unavailable. Data from preclinical and clinical trials show that stem cell therapy is a useful way of treating retinal degeneration problems . On the other hand, previous works have shown that miR-183 cluster, miR-183 and miR-96, significantly affects photoreceptor maturation and maintenance in animal models. The aim of this study was to investigate effect of the temporary increase of miR-96 expression on differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into photoreceptor like cells. Here, we show that transfection of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells with miR-96 using the Lipofectamine induce differentiation and progenitors genes expression consisted of CRX ،OTX2 ،PKC ،RHO and Recoverin. Moreover, the up regulation expression of transcription factors CRX and RHO indicates that miRNA-96 could serve as a crucial function in differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into photoreceptor like cells. These findings may provide a new strategy to improve usage of bone marrow stem cells as treatment for retinal dysfunction.

کلیدواژه ها:

Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell ، miRNA-96 ، photoreceptor cell