MicroRNA-194 regulates keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation by targeting Grainyhead-like 2 in psoriasis

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are currently emerged as important regulators in psoriasis. Psoriasis is characterized by hyperproliferation and impaired differentiation of keratinocytes in skin lesions. miR-194 is a well-known regulator of cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the role of miR-194 in psoriasis pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study we aimed to investigate the role of miR-194 in keratinocyte hyperproliferation and differentiation. We found that miR-194 was significantly downregulated in psoriasis lesional skin. Overexpression of miR-194 inhibited the proliferation and promoted the differentiation of primary human keratinocytes, whereas miR-194 suppression promoted the proliferation and inhibited their differentiation. Bioinformatic analysis predicted that the Grainyhead-like 2 (GRHL2) was a target gene of miR-194, which we further validated with a dual-luciferase reporter assay, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and Western blot analysis. The effect of miR-194 on cell proliferation and differentiation was significantly reversed by overexpression of GRHL2. Moreover, the expression of miR-194 and GRHL2 was inversely correlated in psoriasis lesional skin. Taken together, our results suggest that miR-194 inhibits the proliferation and promotes the differentiation of keratinocytes through targeting GRHL2. The downregulation of miR-194 expression may contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis and targeting miR-194 may represent a novel and potential therapeutic strategy for psoriasis.