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MicroRNA-335-5p suppresses voltage-gated sodium channel expression and may be a target for seizure control

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DOI

  • Mona Heiland, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Niamh M.C. Connolly, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Omar Mamad, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Ngoc T. Nguyen, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Jaideep C. Kesavan, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Elena Langa, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Kevin Fanning, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Albert Sanfeliu, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Yan Yan, Omiics ApS
  • ,
  • Junyi Su
  • Morten T. Venø, Omiics ApS
  • ,
  • Lara S. Costard, University of Marburg, Goethe University Frankfurt
  • ,
  • Valentin Neubert, University of Marburg
  • ,
  • Tobias Engel, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Thomas D.M. Hill, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • ,
  • Thomas M. Freiman, Goethe University Frankfurt, University of Rostock
  • ,
  • Arun Mahesh, University of Southern Denmark
  • ,
  • Vijay K. Tiwari, University of Southern Denmark, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
  • ,
  • Felix Rosenow, University of Marburg, Goethe University Frankfurt
  • ,
  • Sebastian Bauer, University of Marburg, Goethe University Frankfurt
  • ,
  • Jørgen Kjems
  • Gareth Morris, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University College London
  • ,
  • David C. Henshall, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

There remains an urgent need for new therapies for treatment-resistant epilepsy. Sodium channel blockers are effective for seizure control in common forms of epilepsy, but loss of sodium channel function underlies some genetic forms of epilepsy. Approaches that provide bidirectional control of sodium channel expression are needed. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small noncoding RNAs which negatively regulate gene expression. Here we show that genome-wide miRNA screening of hippocampal tissue from a rat epilepsy model, mice treated with the antiseizure medicine cannabidiol, and plasma from patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy, converge on a single target-miR-335-5p. Pathway analysis on predicted and validated miR-335-5p targets identified multiple voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs). Intracerebroventricular injection of antisense oligonucleotides against miR-335-5p resulted in upregulation of Scn1a, Scn2a, and Scn3a in the mouse brain and an increased action potential rising phase and greater excitability of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in brain slice recordings, consistent with VGSCs as functional targets of miR-335-5p. Blocking miR-335-5p also increased voltage-gated sodium currents and SCN1A, SCN2A, and SCN3A expression in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. Inhibition of miR-335-5p increased susceptibility to tonic-clonic seizures in the pentylenetetrazol seizure model, whereas adeno-associated virus 9-mediated overexpression of miR-335-5p reduced seizure severity and improved survival. These studies suggest modulation of miR-335-5p may be a means to regulate VGSCs and affect neuronal excitability and seizures. Changes to miR-335-5p may reflect compensatory mechanisms to control excitability and could provide biomarker or therapeutic strategies for different types of treatment-resistant epilepsy.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2216658120
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume120
Issue30
Pages (from-to)e2216658120
ISSN0027-8424
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Jul 2023

    Research areas

  • adeno-associated virus, antisense oligonucleotides, drug resistance, epilepsy, noncoding RNA

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