MiR-592 Regulates the Induction and Cell Death-Promoting Activity of p75NTR in Neuronal Ischemic Injury

The neurotrophin receptor p75NTR has been implicated in mediating neuronal apoptosis after injury to the CNS. Despite its frequent induction in pathologic states, there is limited understanding of the mechanisms that regulate p75NTR expression after injury. Here, we show that after focal cerebral ischemia in vivo or oxygen–glucose deprivation in organotypic hippocampal slices or neurons, p75NTR is rapidly induced. A concomitant induction of proNGF, a ligand for p75NTR, is also observed. Induction of this ligand/receptor system is pathologically relevant, as a decrease in apoptosis, after oxygen–glucose deprivation, is observed in hippocampal neurons or slices after delivery of function-blocking antibodies to p75NTR or proNGF and in p75NTR and ngf haploinsufficient slices. Furthermore, a significant decrease in infarct volume was noted in p75NTR−/− mice compared with the wild type. We also investigated the regulatory mechanisms that lead to post-ischemic induction of p75NTR. We demonstrate that induction of p75NTR after ischemic injury is independent of transcription but requires active translation. Basal levels of p75NTR in neurons are maintained in part by the expression of microRNA miR-592, and an inverse correlation is seen between miR-592 and p75NTR levels in the adult brain. After cerebral ischemia, miR-592 levels fall, with a corresponding increase in p75NTR levels. Importantly, overexpression of miR-592 in neurons decreases the level of ischemic injury-induced p75NTR and attenuates activation of pro-apoptotic signaling and cell death. These results identify miR-592 as a key regulator of p75NTR expression and point to a potential therapeutic candidate to limit neuronal apoptosis after ischemic injury.