MicroRNA-1246 Inhibits NFATc1 Phosphorylation and Regulates T Helper 17 Cell Activation in the Pathogenesis of Severe Alopecia Areata

The study conducted by the Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China, involved 20 participants, 10 with severe active alopecia areata (AA) and 10 healthy individuals. The researchers discovered that microRNA (miR)-1246 was significantly less expressed in the AA group. In the AA group, overexpression of miR-1246 resulted in significant downregulation of DYRK1A, NFATc1, ROR-γt, and IL-17 mRNA and phosphorylated NFATc1 protein, as well as a decrease in the CD4+IL-17+ cells proportion and the IL-17F level. The study concluded that miR-1246 can inhibit NFAT signaling and Th17 cell activation, which may be beneficial in the treatment of severe AA.