Interferon-γ alters the microRNA profile of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Numerous studies have demonstrated that interferon-γ (IFN-γ) is an important inflammatory cytokine, which may activate the immunomodulatory abilities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and may influence certain other functions of these cells. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the majority of the biological functions of cells and are important in a variety of biological processes. However, few studies have been performed to investigate whether IFN-γ affects the microRNA profile of MSCs. The aim of the present study was to analyze the microRNA profile of MSCs derived from the umbilical cord (UC-MSCs) cultured in the presence or absence of IFN-γ (IFN-UC-MSCs). An array that detects 754 microRNAs was used to determine the expression profiles. Statistical analysis of the array data revealed that 8 microRNAs were significantly differentially expressed in UC-MSCs and IFN-UC-MSCs. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction validated the differential expression of the 8 identified microRNAs. The target genes of the 8 microRNAs were predicted through two online databases, TargetScan and miRanda, and the predicted results were screened by bioinformatics analysis. The majority of the target genes were involved in the regulation of transcription, signal transduction, proliferation, differentiation and migration. These results may provide insight into the mechanism underlying the regulation of the biological functions of MSCs by IFN-γ, in particular the immunomodulatory activity.