A signature microRNA expression profile for the cellular response to thermal stress

Recently, an extensive layer of intra-cellular signals was discovered that was previously undetected by genetic radar. It is now known that this layer consists primarily of a class of short noncoding RNA species that are referred to as microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs regulate protein synthesis at the post-transcriptional level, and studies have shown that they are involved in many fundamental cellular processes. In this study, we hypothesized that miRNAs may be involved in cellular stress response mechanisms, and that cells exposed to thermal stress may exhibit a signature miRNA expression profile indicative of their functional involvement in such mechanisms. To test our hypothesis, human dermal fibroblasts were exposed to an established hyperthermic protocol, and the ensuing miRNA expression levels were evaluated 4 hr post-exposure using microRNA microarray gene chips. The microarray data shows that 123 miRNAs were differentially expressed in cells exposed to thermal stress. We collectively refer to these miRNAs as thermal-regulated microRNAs (TRMs). Since miRNA research is in its infancy, it is interesting to note that only 27 of the 123 TRMs are currently annotated in the Sanger miRNA registry. Prior to publication, we plan to submit the remaining novel 96 miRNA gene sequences for proper naming. Computational and thermodynamic modeling algorithms were employed to identify putative mRNA targets for the TRMs, and these studies predict that TRMs regulate the mRNA expression of various proteins that are involved in the cellular stress response. Future empirical studies will be conducted to validate these theoretical predictions, and to further examine the specific role that TRMs play in the cellular stress response.