MiR-222-3p ameliorates glucocorticoid-induced inhibition of airway epithelial cell repair through down-regulating GILZ expression.

GILZ expression is induced by glucocorticoids (GCs) and is involved in the mechanism of airway epithelial cell repair in patients with asthma. The present study aimed to investigate the role of miR-222-3p/GILZ pathway in treatment of airway epithelial cell repair by GCs. 9HTE cells were treated by 10 µmol/L dexamethasone (Dex) for 6, 12, and 24 hours (h). MiR-222-3p mimic and GILZ were used for cell transfection. Cell vitality, migration, and invasion were detected by methyl-thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT), wound healing, and Transwell. The targeting relationship between miR-222-3p and GILZ was predicted by TargetScan and further confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The expressions of relative mRNAs or proteins were detected by Western blot and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results showed that Dex treatment up-regulated the GILZ expression level but inhibited the levels of p-Raf1, p-MEK1/2, p-ERK1/2, and miR-222-3p of the cells, moreover, it also inhibited cell activity, migration, and invasion in a time-dependent manner. MiR-222-3p specifically targeted GILZ. MiR-222-3p mimic ameliorated the cell viability, migration, and invasion reduced by Dex treatment, increased the expression levels of p-Raf1 and p-MEK1/2, p-ERK1/2, and partially reversed the effects of GILZ overexpression on the above indexes. Moreover, GILZ showed the opposite effects to miR-222-3p. MiR-222-3p activated MAPK signaling pathway through inhibiting the GILZ expression, thus promoting the cell viability, migration, and invasion previously reduced by Dex.