In vivo suppression of mafA mRNA with siRNA and analysis of the resulting alteration of the gene expression profile in mouse pancreas by the microarray method.

Maf is a family of transcription factor proteins that is characterized by a typical bZip structure, and one of the large mafs, mafA is a strong transactivator of insulin. To explore the role of mafA in the pancreas, we modified the mafA mRNA level in vivo in mice by the RNA interference (siRNA) technique and analyzed the resulting alteration of the expressed gene profile with a microarray system. The mafA expression level in siRNA-treated mice was reduced approximately 60% compared with control-siRNA-treated animals. Microarray analysis revealed changes in the expression level of several genes in the siRNA-treated mice, with prominent down-regulated expression of the genes encoding insulin, glucagon, and adipocytokines, suggesting possible role of mafA in the pathophysiological states of impaired metabolic responses or inflammatory reactions.