MicroRNA-210 regulates dendritic morphology and behavioural flexibility in mice

• MicroRNAs are known to be critical regulators of neuronal plasticity. The highly-conserved, hypoxia- regulated microRNA-210 (miR-210) has been shown to be associated with long term memory in invertebrates and dysregulated in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease models. However, the role of miR-210 in mammalian neuronal function and cognitive behavior remains unexplored. Here we generated Nestin-cre driven miR-210 neuronal knockout mice to characterise miR-210 regulation and function using in vitro and in vivo methods. We identified miR-210 localisation throughout neuronal somas and dendritic processes and increased levels of mature miR- 210 in response to neural activity in vitro. Loss of miR-210 in neurons resulted in higher oxidative phosphorylation and ROS production following hypoxia and increased dendritic arbour density in hippocampal cultures. Additionally, miR-210 knockout mice displayed altered behavioral flexibility in rodent touchscreen tests, particularly during early reversal learning suggesting processes underlying updating of information and feedback were impacted. Our findings support a conserved, activity- dependent role for miR-210 in neuroplasticity and cognitive function.

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