Acute 4,4′-Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate Exposure-Mediated Downregulation of miR-206-3p and miR-381-3p Activates Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Transcription by Targeting Calcineurin/NFAT Signaling in Macrophages

Exposure to 4,4′-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) in the occupational setting may lead to development of occupational asthma (OA), and the underlying molecular mechanisms of MDI-induced disease pathogenesis remain an active area of research. Using a nose-only mouse inhalation model, we find that circulating microRNA (miR)-206-3p and miR-381-3p are downregulated after MDI exposure; however, cellular miR-206-3p and miR-381-3p responses after MDI aerosol exposure and their pathophysiological roles in MDI-OA are unknown. We hypothesize that miR-206-3p and miR-381-3p-regulated mechanisms cause increased expression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) after MDI aerosol exposure. We examined cellular miR-206-3p and miR-381-3p, calcineurins, nuclear factors of activated T cells (NFATs), and iNOS levels from both nose-only exposed murine bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BALCs) and differentiated THP-1 macrophages treated with MDI-glutathione (GSH) conjugates. Both in vivo murine MDI aerosol exposure and in vitro MDI-GSH exposures in THP-1 macrophages result in downregulation of endogenous miR-206-3p and miR-381-3p and upregulation of PPP3CA and iNOS expression. Transfection of THP-1 macrophages with miR-inhibitor-206-3p and miR-inhibitor-381-3p resulted in the upregulation of PPP3CA and iNOS. Using RNA-induced silencing complex immunoprecipitation and translational reporter assays, we verified that PPP3CA, but not iNOS, is directly targeted by both miR-206-3p and miR-381-3p. Downregulation of miR-206-3p and miR-381-3p following by MDI exposure induces calcineurin/NFAT signaling-mediated iNOS transcription in macrophages and BALCs.