TY - JOUR AB - The apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is a hallmark of several optic neuropathies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recently identified regulators of various biological processes. However, the role of miRNAs in regulating RGC apoptosis remains largely unknown. We herein aimed to demonstrate that miR-137 acts as a hypoxia-responsive gene in RGCs that is downregulated under hypoxic conditions. It was observed that overexpression of miR-137 markedly aggravated hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis, whereas inhibition of miR-137 effectively protected RGCs against hypoxia-induced apoptosis. Hypoxia induced Notch1 expression and signaling activation, while blocking Notch signaling significantly aggravated hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis. Further data revealed that the pro-survival Akt signaling pathway was involved in miR-137-Notch signaling pathway-mediated RGC protection. Knockdown of Notch significantly reversed the effect of antiā€‘miR-137 on RGC protection and Akt signaling activation. In addition, blocking Akt signaling also significantly abrogated the protective effect of anti-miR-137 on hypoxia-induced cell injury. Overall, the results of the present study demonstrated that miR-137 targets Notch1 expression, revealing a novel link between miR-137 and Notch signaling, and suggesting that a miR-137/Notch1 axis may serve as a potential molecular target for the treatment of hypoxia-induced retinal diseases. AD - Department of Ophthalmology, Shaanxi Ophthalmic Medical Center, Xi'an No. 4 Hospital, Affiliated Guangren Hospital, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710004, P.R. China AU - Li,Haiyan AU - Zhu,Zhongqiao AU - Liu,Jianrong AU - Wang,Jianzhou AU - Qu,Chaoyi DA - 2018/03/01 DO - 10.3892/ijmm.2017.3319 EP - 1782 IS - 3 JO - Int J Mol Med KW - retinal ganglion cells miR-137 Notch1 hypoxia apoptosis PY - 2018 SN - 1107-3756 1791-244X SP - 1774 ST - MicroRNA-137 regulates hypoxia-induced retinal ganglion cell apoptosis through Notch1 T2 - International Journal of Molecular Medicine TI - MicroRNA-137 regulates hypoxia-induced retinal ganglion cell apoptosis through Notch1 UR - https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2017.3319 VL - 41 ER -