A variant in microRNA-124 is involved in the control of neural cell apoptosis and associated with recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI)

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of rs531564 and the underlying signaling pathways. Methods: Five hundred and twenty- eight spinal cord injury (SCI) patients were genotyped for the analysis of the effect of rs531564 upon the miR-124 expression. Results: By luciferase assays, we validated Bcl-2-like protein 11 (BIM) as a target gene of miR-124 with a negative regulatory relationship between them. We also observed that miR-124 suppressed cell viability and accelerated cell apoptosis. Conclusions: rs531564 could affect the expression of BIM by reducing the expression of miR-124, and it could be a bio-marker for the length of recovery after SCI.

Automated summary

In this study, the role of rs531564 and its underlying signaling pathways were investigated. It was found that rs531564 can affect the expression of BIM through regulation of miR-124, which may serve as a biomarker for the length of recovery after spinal cord injury.