LncRNA FER1L4 promotes differentiation and inhibits proliferation of NSCs via miR-874-3p/Ascl2.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) may offer beneficeial and promising adjuncts for treatment of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and spinal cord injuries. Previous studies showed that LncRNA FER1L4 plays crucial roles in many biological procedures such as invasion, metabolism, apoptosis, and stem cell differentiation. However, the role of FER1L4 in differentiation and growth of NSCs remains unknown. In the present research, we noted that FER1L4 is upregulated in NSCs induced with TNFα. Ectopic expression of FER1L4 suppresses NSCs proliferation and induces NSCs differentiated into neurons and astrocytes. Using Starbase online software, we identified that FER1L4 is one potential target gene of miR-874-3p. Ectopic expression of FER1L4 decreases miR-874-3p expression in NSCs. We identified Ascl2 is one target gene for miR-874-3p. Overexpression of FER1L4 enhances Ascl2 expression in NSCs. Furthermore, we proved that FER1L4 modulates the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs via regulating Ascl2.