Regulation of Collagen V Expression and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by miR-185 and miR-186 during Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a devastating disease, with no good diagnostic biomarker and limited treatment options. Previous studies suggest that collagen V overexpression and collagen V–mediated immune response play roles in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This study aimed to identify dysregulated miRNA-related collagen V overexpression during idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. We found that the expression levels of miR-185 and miR-186 were decreased in the lungs of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. The levels of miR-185 and miR-186 were not correlated with disease severity of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The direct regulation of COL5A1 by miR-185 and miR-186 was confirmed by a luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, mimics of miR-185 and miR-186 blocked transforming growth factor-β–induced collagen V overexpression and alleviated transforming growth factor-β–induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in A549 cells and HCC827 cells. Our findings suggest that attenuated expression of miR-185 and miR-186 may be responsible for collagen V overexpression during idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and these miRNAs may serve as pathogenesis-related biomarkers and treatment targets.