The miRNA-mRNA Interactome of murine iPSC-derived Chondrocytes in Response to Inflammatory Cytokines

The goal of this study was to understand the mechanisms of miRNA regulation of the transcriptome of tissue engineered cartilage in response to IL-1β and TNF-α using an in vitro murine induced pluripotent stem cell (miPSC) model system. miPSCs were chondrogenically differentiated for 21 days and then treated with 1 ng/mL of IL-1β, 20 ng/mL of TNF-α, or control media without cytokines for 0, 4, 12, 24, and 72 hours. We performed an integrative analysis of miRNA- and RNA-sequencing data to determine the temporal and dynamic responses of miRNAs and genes to specific inflammatory cytokines. Through integration of mRNA and miRNA sequencing data, we created networks of miRNA-mRNA interactions which may be controlling the response to inflammatory cytokines.