Silencing of miR-148b ameliorates cystic fibrosis-like lung diseases in βENaC-overexpressing mice

MicroRNAs are involved in diverse biological and pathological processes. Here, we studied the potential role of miRNAs in the in vivo pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis (CF)-like lung disease in βENaC-overexpressing (βENaC-Tg) mice. We performed miRNA array analysis in lung tissue of βENaC-Tg and wild-type mice. Differentially expressed miRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR and their target genes were identified by bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays. Tissue specific localization was performed by in situ hybridization using locked nucleic acid-modified DNA probe. Direct functional studies were perform…