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Overexpression of miR-22-3p and miR-29c-3p in CFU-Hill colonies is related to senescence process among children with low birth weight

Pediatric Research (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

The current study mainly focused on provide further insights into the association of the miR-22-3p and miR-29c-3p expression in CFU-Hill colonies with birth weight and senescence process in children.

Methods

This cross-sectional study evaluated 61 children (32 boys, 29 girls). The CFU-Hill colonies number was evaluated in vitro by cell culture technique and senescence was detected by β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) assay. Expression of miR-22-3p and miR-29c-3p isolated from CFU-Hill colonies were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

Birth weight was correlated with both CFU-Hill colonies and %SA-β-Gal positive staining. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the senescence was a predictor of the lower CFU-Hill colonies number, while only the birth weight was a predictor of senescence of CFU-Hill colonies. Overexpression of miR-22-3p and miR-29c-3p was observed in CFU-Hill colonies isolated from children with low birth weight (LBW). Interestingly, we found a significant correlation between %SA-β-Gal cells staining positive for both miR-22-3p and miR-29c-3p.

Conclusion

The LBW is associated with decreased CFU-Hill colonies number and high senescence of these cells. The overexpression of miR-22-3p and miR-29c-3p may be partially responsible for this alteration due to regulation of several pathways related to the senescence process.

Impact

  • The study establishes a significant correlation between birth weight and the number of CFU-Hill colonies, suggesting that birth weight could be a predictive biomarker for vascular health in children.

  • Data indicates that cellular senescence is a predictor of reduced CFU-Hill colony numbers. This suggests that the aging process of these cells could be an important factor in understanding the vascular health issues in children with low birth weight.

  • The overexpression of miR-22-3p and miR-29c-3p in children with low birth weight and their correlation with increased cellular senescence highlight these microRNAs as possible molecular mechanisms influencing the aging of CFU-Hill colonies.

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Fig. 1: Association between birth weight, CFU-Hill colonies, and senescence process.
Fig. 2: Expression of miR-22-3p and its association with CFU-Hill colonies and senescence process.
Fig. 3: Expression of miR-29c-3p and its association with CFU-Hill colonies and senescence process.
Fig. 4: Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathways with their P values.

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Data availability

The data underlying this study will be shared on reasonable request to the corresponding author.

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Funding

This study was funded by a project grant from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) (N°. 2015/20082-7) (N°. 2018/04013-3). Franco MC receives a research grant from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) (N° 302879/2019-6) and CAPES-PRINT (N°. 88881.310737/2018-01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physiology Department, School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Paula R. P. Souza, Fernanda Thomazini & Maria do Carmo Franco

  2. Post-Graduate Program in Translational Medicine, Medicine Department, School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Paula R. P. Souza & Fernanda Thomazini

  3. Nephrology Division, Medicine Department, School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Livia V. Souza & Carla L. Freitas

Authors
  1. Paula R. P. Souza
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  2. Fernanda Thomazini
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  3. Livia V. Souza
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  4. Carla L. Freitas
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  5. Maria do Carmo Franco
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Contributions

P.R.P.S., F.T., L.V.S. and C.L.F. contributed to the investigation, acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work, and drafted the manuscript. M.C.F. contributed to the conceptualization, data curation, supervision, funding acquisition, project administration, and writing—review & editing. All authors critically revised the manuscript, gave final approval, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of work ensuring integrity and accuracy.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria do Carmo Franco.

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Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of São Paulo (approval number: 3.318.000). Written informed consent was obtained from all parents or guardians, while written assent was obtained from all children.

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Souza, P.R.P., Thomazini, F., Souza, L.V. et al. Overexpression of miR-22-3p and miR-29c-3p in CFU-Hill colonies is related to senescence process among children with low birth weight. Pediatr Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-024-03128-0

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