Research Paper Volume 16, Issue 2 pp 1829—1844

Figure 6. The MEK/ERK/miR-4492 axis contributes to IL-18 production in OASFs in response to IL-17 stimulation. (A) Online databases for miRNA target prediction (miRWalk and miRDB) were used to screen for candidate miRNAs that potentially target IL-18 mRNA. (B, C) OASFs were incubated with different concentrations of IL-17 (0–10 ng/mL) for 24 h and miRNA expression was detected by qPCR. (D, E) OASFs were transfected with miR-4492 mimic or control mimic for 24 h, then stimulated with IL-17 (10 ng/mL) for a further 24 h. IL-18 production was assessed by qPCR and ELISA. (F, G) OASFs were pretreated with MER and ERK inhibitor or transfected with MEK, ERK, and control siRNAs, then stimulated with IL-17 (10 ng/mL) for a further 24 h. miR-4492 expression was evaluated by qPCR. Results are expressed as the means ± S.D. * p<0.05 compared with controls; # p<0.05 compared with the IL-17-treated group.