Microvesicle entry into marrow cells mediates tissue-specific changes in mRNA by direct delivery of mRNA and induction of transcription

Abstract

Objective Microvesicles have been shown to mediate intercellular communication. Previously, we have correlated entry of murine lung-derived microvesicles into murine bone marrow cells with expression of pulmonary epithelial cell-specific mRNA in these marrow cells. The present studies establish that entry of lung-derived microvesicles into marrow cells is a prerequisite for marrow expression of pulmonary epithelial cell-derived mRNA. Methods/Results Murine bone marrow cells co-cultured with rat lung, but separated from them using a cell-impermeable membrane (0.4 micron pore size), were analyzed using species-specific primers (for rat or mouse). These studies revealed that surfactant B and C mRNA produced by murine marrow cells were of both rat and mouse origin. Similar results were obtained using murine lung co-cultured with rat bone marrow cells or when bone marrow cells were analyzed for the presence of species-specific albumin mRNA after co-culture with rat or murine liver. These studies show that microvesicles both deliver mRNA to marrow cells and also mediate marrow cell transcription of tissue-specific mRNA. The latter likely underlies the longer term stable change in genetic phenotype which has been observed. We have also observed microRNA in lung-derived microvesicles and studies with RNase-treated microvesicles indicate that microRNA negatively modulates pulmonary epithelial cell-specific mRNA levels in co-cultured marrow cells. In addition, we have also observed tissue-specific expression of brain, heart and liver mRNA in co-cultured marrow cells suggesting that microvesicle-mediated cellular phenotype change is a universal phenomena. Conclusion These studies suggest that cellular systems are more phenotypically labile then previously considered.