miRNA Regulated Networks Identified in Cystic Fibrosis

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) offers insight into recent research that has unearthed an miRNA-regulated network implicated in the pathogenesis of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Described in the April edition of DECODED, the international IDT customer newsletter, optimized DIG-labeled DsiRNAs (IDT) were used to develop a novel, enhanced approach for oligonucleotide delivery. Using this delivery technology, researchers led by Dr Paul McCray and Dr Beverly Davidson (Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, IA, USA) showed that the introduction of an miR-138 mimic, developed by IDT, resulted in knockdown of the transcriptional regulator SIN3A, subsequently leading to improved CFTR anion channel functionality on the cell surface, and a partially rescued phenotype.

The discovery sheds light on a previously unrecognized mechanism of CFTR processing, and opens up exciting possibilities for novel therapeutic targets in CF. Dr McCarthy commented on the strength of the collaboration with IDT, observing how the quality of the oligos remained intact for the entirety of the experiments, and provided them with “a really robust tool to look at the questions we were asking”.