mir-155 regulates cardiac allograft rejection by targing the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (DOCS1) in dendritic cells

Previously, we observed that mir-155 is induced during dendritic cell (DC) differentiation. We now demon-strated convincing evidence indicating that mir-155 promotes DC maturation and regulates its capacity for antigen presentation and induction of alloreactive T cell activation. Interestingly, the induction of miR-155 expression in DCs is dependent on the TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB signaling. Our mechanistic studies further revealed that SOCS1 is a direct target for mir-155, and by binding to its 3’UTR, mir-155 is likely to affect SOCS1 translation. Suppression of mir-155 expression in DCs significantly attenuated LPS-induced DC maturation along with reduced capability to stimulate allogeneic T cell proliferation. As a result, administration of antagomiR-155 provided protection for cardiac allografts from rejection. Together, our data support that suppression of miR-155 in DCs could be a viable therapeutic strategy for prevention and treatment of allograft rejection in clinical setting of transplantation.