MicroRNA 200b is upregulated in the lungs of fetal rabbits with surgically induced diaphragmatic hernia

• Published in: Prenatal diagnosis 2018-08, Vol.38 (9), p.645-653
• Main Authors: Eastwood, Mary Patrice, Deprest, Jan, Russo, Francesca Maria, Wang, Hongmei, Mulhall, Drew, Iwasiow, Barbara, Mahood, Thomas H., Keijzer, Richard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Body weight; Fetuses; Growth factors; Hernia; Hernias; Lungs; miRNA; Occlusion; Polymerase chain reaction; Rabbits; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Surgery; Transforming growth factor
• ISSN: 0197-3851; 1097-0223
• DOI: 10.1002/pd.5318

Objective Profiling of miR‐200b expression and its targets (transforming growth factor [TGF]–β2 and ZEB2) in the surgical rabbit congenital diaphragmatic hernia (DH) model before and after tracheal occlusion (TO). Methods Thirty‐eight timed‐pregnant rabbits had left DH creation on gestational day (GD) 23. On GD28, 17 randomly selected fetuses had TO. We harvested fetuses at GD23, GD28, or GD30. We calculated lung–to–body weight ratios, processed lungs for miR‐200b in situ hybridization and real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and evaluated effects on downstream targets TGF‐β2 or ZEB2. Results We obtained 16 DH fetuses (n = 7 GD28 and n = 9 GD30), 13 TO fetuses (GD30), and 38 control fetuses (n = 15 GD23, n = 11 GD28, and n = 12 GD30). Diaphragmatic hernia lungs were hypoplastic, and TO resulted in control lung–to–body weight ratio levels. Term miR‐200b‐3p levels were significantly upregulated in the hypoplastic compared with control ipsilateral lung (1.906 ± 0.90 vs 0.7429 ± 0.44) (P