MicroRNAs (miRs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs that modulate gene expression at either the transcriptional or translational level through interaction with untranslated regions of mRNA. Works from the Mahal Lab and others have shown miRs as major regulators of glycosylation. ST6GAL1 and ST6GAL2 decorate glycoproteins with α-2,6-sialic acid, an epitope with important roles in immunology and cancer biology. Herein, we analyze miRs that regulate ST6Gal1 and ST6Gal2 gene expression through interaction with 3UTR regions of target mRNAs. Using miRFluR, a high throughput fluorescent sensor-based method recently introduced by the Mahal Lab, we analyzed miR regulation of ST6Gal1 amp; 2 with miR mimics representing the currently known human miRome (~2700 miRs). Our analysis identified 89 miR regulators of ST6GAL1 and 102 regulators of ST6GAL2. Selected hits were validated by Western blot analysis and RT-PCR. Finally, we took advantage of SNA staining assay using fluorescence microscopy to validate the sialylation outcome by ST6GAL1 after treatment with specific miR mimics. Our data reveals miRNA regulation of α-2,6-sialylation that is associated with pancreatic and other cancers.
