Investigation of the miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Circuits and Immune Signatures Associated with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants worldwide, yet its pathogenesis and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The present study sought to explore microRNA-mRNA regulatory networks and immune cells involvement in BPD through a combination of bioinformatic analysis and experimental validation.

Downregulation of APP mediated by miR-15b-5p and miR-20a-5p may be associated with the development of BPD. Additionally, increased CD62L- neutrophil subset might be important for the immune-mediated injury in BPD.

MicroRNA and mRNA microarray datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) were identified in BPD patients compared to control subjects, and their target genes were predicted using miRWalk, miRNet, miRDB, and TargetScan databases. Subsequently, protein-protein interaction (PPI) and functional enrichment analyses were conducted on the target genes. 30 hub genes were screened using the Cytohubba plugin of the Cytoscape software. Additionally, mRNA microarray data was utilized to validate the expression of hub genes and to perform immune infiltration analysis. Finally, real-time PCR (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and flow cytometry were conducted using a mouse model of BPD to confirm the bioinformatics findings.

Two DEMs (miR-15b-5p and miR-20a-5p) targeting genes primarily involved in the regulation of cell cycle phase transition, ubiquitin ligase complex, protein serine/threonine kinase activity, and MAPK signaling pathway were identified. APP and four autophagy-related genes (DLC1, PARP1, NLRC4, and NRG1) were differentially expressed in the mRNA microarray dataset. Analysis of immune infiltration revealed significant differences in levels of neutrophils and naive B cells between BPD patients and control subjects. RT-PCR and IHC confirmed reduced expression of APP in a mouse model of BPD. Although the proportion of total neutrophils did not change appreciably, the activation of neutrophils, marked by loss of CD62L, was significantly increased in BPD mice.