MicroRNA-7 inhibits neuronal apoptosis in a cellular Parkinson’s disease model by targeting Bax and Sirt2

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease. MicroRNA-7 (miR-7) displays neuroprotective properties against PD. However, the biological roles of miR-7 and its underlying molecular mechanisms in PD remain unclear. We demonstrated herein that 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP+) confers toxic effects on dopaminergic neuron in a dose-dependent manner in a cellular PD model, although this phenomenon is attenuated by miR-7 treatment. Introduction of miR-7 inhibits MPP+-induced neuronal apoptosis as reflected by the reduced terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling-positive rate, mitochondrial permeability potential, caspase 3 activity, and nucleosomal enrichment factor. Bax and sirtuin 2 (Sirt2) are the direct targets of miR-7. Moreover, the effects of miR-7 were counteracted by Bax and Sirt2 overexpression, respectively. The altered molecular expressions downstream of Bax and Sirt2 are also involved in miR-7 regulation of the MPP+-triggered neuronal apoptosis. These findings have implications on the potential application of miR-7 in PD treatment.