miR-26a promotes neurite outgrowth by repressing PTEN expression

A multitude of studies have reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) are important in neuronal development. As a key regulator altering the expression of certain mRNAs, miR-26a has been demonstrated to play a role in the central nervous system (CNS). In the current study, the function of miR-26a in neuronal development was investigated. The overexpression of miR-26a was hypothesized to significantly enhance synaptic plasticity and regulate neuronal morphogenesis. The number and distribution of neurites was markedly increased by miR-26a. In addition, inhibition of miR-26a function attenuated neuronal outgrowth. Furthermore, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) was identified as a direct target of miR-26a in this process via a luciferase reporter assay. The growth of neurites was consistently suppressed by PTEN overexpression. Therefore, our study demonstrated that miR-26a promoted neurite outgrowth via the suppression of PTEN expression, indicating that miR-26a is important in neuronal development and morphogenesis. miR-26a has the potential to serve as a therapeutic target for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).