Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Tooth Restoration and Regeneration & Tongji Research Institute of Stomatology & Department of Prosthodontics, Shanghai Tongji Stomatological Hospital and Dental School, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Juan Li
Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Tooth Restoration and Regeneration & Tongji Research Institute of Stomatology & Department of Prosthodontics, Shanghai Tongji Stomatological Hospital and Dental School, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Jiehong Huang
Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation Key Laboratory of Intelligent Rehabilitation Assistive Devices and Technologies, Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Xuerui Xiang
Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation Key Laboratory of Intelligent Rehabilitation Assistive Devices and Technologies, Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Ruoyu Li
Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai Disabled Persons' Federation Key Laboratory of Intelligent Rehabilitation Assistive Devices and Technologies, Yangzhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Yun Zhai
Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Tooth Restoration and Regeneration & Tongji Research Institute of Stomatology & Department of Prosthodontics, Shanghai Tongji Stomatological Hospital and Dental School, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Tooth Restoration and Regeneration & Tongji Research Institute of Stomatology & Department of Prosthodontics, Shanghai Tongji Stomatological Hospital and Dental School, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Tooth Restoration and Regeneration & Tongji Research Institute of Stomatology & Department of Prosthodontics, Shanghai Tongji Stomatological Hospital and Dental School, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
It has been well validated that chronic psychological stress leads to bone loss, but the underlying mechanism remains unclarified. In this study, we established and analyzed the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice to investigate the miRNA-related pathogenic mechanism involved in psychological stress-induced osteoporosis. Our result found that these CUMS mice exhibited osteoporosis phenotype that is mainly attributed to the abnormal activities of osteoclasts. Subsequently, miRNA sequencing and other analysis showed that miR-335-3p, which is normally highly expressed in the brain, was significantly downregulated in the nucleus ambiguous, serum, and bone of the CUMS mice. Additionally, in vitro studies detected that miR-335-3p is important for osteoclast differentiation, with its direct targeting site in Fos. Further studies demonstrated FOS was upregulated in CUMS osteoclast, and the inhibition of FOS suppressed the accelerated osteoclastic differentiation, as well as the expression of osteoclastic genes, such as Nfatc1, Acp5, and Mmp9, in miR-335-3p-restrained osteoclasts. In conclusion, this work indicated that psychological stress may downregulate the miR-335-3p expression, which resulted in the accumulation of FOS and the upregulation of NFACT1 signaling pathway in osteoclasts, leading to its accelerated differentiation and abnormal activity. These results decipher a previously unrecognized paradigm that miRNA can act as a link between psychological stress and bone metabolism.
