miR-30a-5p inhibits the proliferation and collagen formation of cardiac fibroblasts in diabetic cardiomyopathy

Author(s):  
Xiao-xu Yang ◽  
Zhen-yu Zhao

Cardiac fibrosis is one of the major pathological characteristics of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) have been identified as key regulators in the progression of cardiac fibrosis. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-30a-5p in DCM and the underlying mechanism. The rat model of diabetes mellitus (DM) was established by streptozotocin injection, and the rat primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were isolated from cardiac tissue and then treated with high glucose (HG). MTT assay was performed to assess the viability of CFs. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to verify the interaction between miR-30a-5p and Smad2. The expression of miR-30a-5p was downregulated in the myocardial tissues of DM rats and HG-stimulated CFs. Overexpression of miR-30a-5p reduced Smad2 levels and inhibited collagen formation in HG-stimulated CFs and DM rats, as well as decreased the proliferation of CFs induced by HG. Smad2 was a target of miR-30a-5p and its expression was inhibited by miR-30a-5p. Furthermore, the simultaneous overexpression of Smad2 and miR-30a-5p reversed the effect of miR-30a-5p overexpression alone in CFs. Our results indicated that miR-30a-5p reduced Smad2 expression and also induced a decrease in proliferation and collagen formation in DCM.

Open Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1215-1227
Author(s):  
Hairui Cai ◽  
Dongmei Li ◽  
Jun Wu ◽  
Chunbo Shi

Abstract The purpose of the current study was to characterize role of microRNA (miR)-519d in trophoblast cells and preeclampsia (PE) development and its potential underlying mechanism. Regulation of leptin (LEP) by miR-519d was verified using a dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Loss- and gain-of-function assays were conducted to detect the roles of miR-519d and LEP in proliferation, migratory ability, and invasive capacity of HTR-8/SVneo cells by means of CCK-8 assay, scratch test, and Transwell invasion assay, respectively. The cell apoptosis rate and cycle distribution were analyzed by flow cytometry. LEP expression was elevated, whereas miR-519d level was suppressed in the PE placenta samples compared with those from normal pregnancy. Depletion of LEP promoted proliferation, migratory ability, and invasive capacity and repressed apoptosis. miR-519d could bind 3′ untranslated regions (3′UTRs) of LEP, the extent of which correlated negatively with LEP expression. miR-519d suppressed the expression of LEP in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Moreover, overexpression of miR-519d promoted survival and migratory ability of HTR-8/SVneo cells. Taken together, we find that miR-519d targeted LEP and downregulated its expression, which could likely inhibit the development of PE.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2478-2483
Author(s):  
Xiang Ji ◽  
Kai-Wen Zhou

Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss mainly due to retinal ganglion cells (RGC) loss. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highlighted as potential biomarkers in diseases. This study aims to investigate the role of miR-43 and BMSCs in the RGC apoptosis and glaucoma.RGCs were transfected with miR-43 inhibitors and mimics, and then co-cultured with BMSCs. RT-qPCR analysis was conducted to determine miR-43 expression, whilst Western blot, and flow cytometry were carried out to assess the role of miR-43 in apoptosis and inflammation. The interaction between miR-43 and BDNF, a neurotrophic factor, was detected by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Overexpression of miR-43 promoted RGC proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Furthermore, miR-43 overexpression diminished the contents of apoptosis- and inflammatory-related factors, and elevated the expression of BDNF. Down-regulation of BDNF exerted similar effect as down-regulation of miR-43, enhancing apoptosis and aggravating inflammation. Importantly, BMSC treatment reversed the in vitro inhibitory effect of si-BDNF on RGC with enhancement of miR-43 expression. Mechanically, miR-43 was indicated to target BDNF in glaucoma. Collectively, miR-43 delivered by BMSCs plays an important role in the inflammatory injury and abnormal apoptosis of RGC by regulating the expression of BDNF. These findings might help development of new treatment for glaucoma and provide a promising biomarker for diagnosis and treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 160 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-71
Author(s):  
Yunxiao Li ◽  
Xugang Shi ◽  
Xintong Cai ◽  
Yongsheng Zhu ◽  
Yuanyuan Chen ◽  
...  

DCC netrin 1 receptor (DCC) affects the structure and function of the dopamine circuitry, which in turn affects the susceptibility to developing addiction. In a previous study, we found that single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12607853 in the 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR) of DCC was significantly associated with heroin addiction. In the current study, we first used bioinformatics prediction to identify the DCC rs12607853 C allele as a potential hsa-miR-422a and hsa-miR-378c target site. We then used vector construction and dual-luciferase reporter assays to investigate the targeting relationship of DCC rs12607853 with hsa-miR-422a and hsa-miR-378c. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that the C allele of rs12607853 in combination with hsa-miR-422a led to repressed dual-luciferase gene expression. Moreover, gene expression assays disclosed that hsa-miR-422a inhibited DCC expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. We also found that morphine inhibited the expression of hsa-miR-422a but increased the expression of DCC mRNA, and this change in the expression of hsa-miR-422a could not be reversed by naloxone, which suggested that the role of DCC in opioid addiction might be regulated by hsa-miR-422a. In summary, this study improves our understanding of the role of hsa-miR-422a and identifies the genetic basis of rs12607853, which might contribute to the discovery of new biomarkers or therapeutic targets for opioid addiction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-Yu Zhang ◽  
Rui-Ting Lin ◽  
Hao-Ran Chen ◽  
Yong-Cong Yang ◽  
Meng-Fei Lin ◽  
...  

Cardiac fibrosis is evident even in the situation without a significant cardiomyocyte loss in diabetic cardiomyopathy and a high glucose (HG) level independently activates the cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and promotes cell proliferation. Mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis, which are key for cell proliferation and the mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs), are critically involved in this process. However, the roles and the underlying mechanism of MAMs in the proliferation of HG-induced CFs are largely unknown. The proliferation and apoptosis of CFs responding to HG treatment were evaluated. The MAMs were quantified, and the mitochondrial respiration and cellular glycolytic levels were determined using the Seahorse XF analyzer. The changes of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and mitofusin-2 (MFN2) in responding to HG were also determined, the effects of which on cell proliferation, MAMs, and mitochondrial respiration were assessed. The effects of STAT3 on MFN2 transcription was determined by the dual-luciferase reporter assay (DLRA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP). HG-induced CFs proliferation increased the glycolytic levels and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, while mitochondrial respiration was inhibited. The MAMs and MFN2 expressions were significantly reduced on the HG treatment, and the restoration of MFN2 expression counteracted the effects of HG on cell proliferation, mitochondrial respiration of the MAMs, glycolytic levels, and ATP production. The mitochondrial STAT3 contents were not changed by HG, but the levels of phosphorylated STAT3 and nuclear STAT3 were increased. The inhibition of STAT3 reversed the reduction of MFN2 levels induced by HG. The DLRA and CHIP directly demonstrated the negative regulation of MFN2 by STAT3 at the transcription levels via interacting with the sequences in the MFN2 promoter region locating at about −400 bp counting from the start site of transcription. The present study demonstrated that the HG independently induced CFs proliferation via promoting STAT3 translocation to the nucleus, which switched the mitochondrial respiration to glycolysis to produce ATP by inhibiting MAMs in an MFN2-depression manner.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Jieling ◽  
Li Kai ◽  
Zheng Huifen ◽  
Zhu Yiping

Abstract Background: MicroRNAs play an important role in the genesis and progression of tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC), which has a high morbidity and mortality rate. In this research, the role of miR-495-3p and HMGB1 in CRC was investigated.Methods: We performed qRT-PCR to detect the expression of miR-495-3p in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines. Functional experiments such as CCK-8 assay, EDU assay, Transwell assay and apoptosis assay were conducted to explore the effects of miR-495-3p on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of CRC cells in vitro. Then, the use of database prediction, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and functional experiments verified the role of miR-495-3p target gene HMGB1 in CRC. Finally, rescue experiments was performed to investigate whether overexpression of HMGB1 could reverse the inhibitory effect of miR-495-3p on CRC cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro.Results: miR-495-3p was down-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines, and could inhibit the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells, and promote cell apoptosis. The database prediction and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that HMGB1 was the downstream target gene of miR-495-3p. We finally demonstrated that miR-495-3p inhibited CRC cell proliferation by targeting HMGB1 in vitro and in vivo.Conclusion: Our research shows that miR-495-3p inhibits the progression of colorectal cancer by down-regulating the expression of HMGB1, which indicates that miR-495-3p may become a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.


2016 ◽  
Vol 119 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maradumane L Mohan ◽  
Lisa M Grove ◽  
Mitchell A Olman ◽  
Sathyamangla V Naga Prasad

Phosphoinositide 3 Kinase γ (PI3Kγ) belongs to a family of lipid kinases genetic deletion of which leads to pressure overload induced cardiac fibrosis in mice. However, the mechanism by which PI3Kγ mediates cardiac fibrosis is unknown. Cardiac fibrosis is a key underlying cause of fatal heart failure. A well-known fibrogenic mechanism is the generation of myofibroblasts, which are characterized by overexpression of smooth muscle α-actin (αSMA). Myofibroblast is a fibrosis-effector cell that produces pro-fibrotic cytokines and exuberant extracellular matrix that leads to cardiac fibrosis. To evaluate the role of PI3Kγ in fibrotic phenotype, cardiac tissue lysates from 3 months old WT and PI3Kγ null (PI3Kγ -/- ) mice were assessed for the expression of αSMA. Interestingly, there is significant up-regulation of αSMA in PI3Kγ -/- in comparison to littermate controls (WT) even at baseline suggesting that loss of PI3Kγ predisposes the hearts towards fibrosis. To directly confirm that PI3Kγ -/- cardiac fibroblasts (CF) exhibit a myofibroblast phenotype even at baseline, CF were isolated from hearts of WT and PI3Kγ -/- mice and assessed for myofibroblast phenotype by immunostaining for αSMA in stress fibers. Fluorescence microscopy on the CF from PI3Kγ -/- mice showed intense immunostaining for αSMA with greater number of cells exhibiting αSMA in stress fibers when compared to CF from WT mice. Consistently, immunoblotting showed significantly higher αSMA protein levels in PI3Kγ -/- CF compared to WT CF suggesting that PI3Kγ -/- fibroblasts are “primed” to undergo myofibroblast differentiation. To determine the role of kinase-independent function of PI3Kγ in vivo, we generated unique mice lines with cardiomyocyte-specific expression of either kinase-dead PI3Kγ (PI3Kγ inact ) or constitutively active PI3Kγ ( Myr PI3Kγ) in the global PI3Kγ -/- (PI3Kγ inact /PI3Kγ -/- or Myr PI3Kγ/PI3Kγ -/- ) and measured αSMA. Surprisingly, abundance of αSMA protein is significantly reduced in PI3Kγ inact /PI3Kγ -/- when compared to WT and PI3Kγ -/- mice. These data reveal that kinase-independent function of PI3Kγ is a key component in the myocyte-initiated pathway that ultimately drives CF to become myofibroblasts uncovering a novel mechanism of regulating pro-fibrotic signals.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 310-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yang ◽  
Yanning Liu ◽  
Jihua Xue ◽  
Zhenggang Yang ◽  
Yu Shi ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: About 400 million individuals are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus, at high risk of developing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Recent studies have demonstrated an interaction between hepatitis B virus replication and autophagy activity of hepatocytes. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-141 in regulating autophagy and hepatitis B virus replication. Methods: The expression of HBV-DNA, miR-141 and Sirt1 mRNA was determined by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. The expression of HBsAg and HBeAg was determined by ELISA. Western blotting was performed to detect protein expression. The LC3 puncta was determined by immunofluorescence. To test whether miR-141 directly regulate the expression level of Sirt1 mRNA, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was performed. Results: In vitro studies showed that miR-141 mimic inhibited the autophagic response, hepatitis B virus and the expression of Sirt1 in hepatocytes. And transfection with miR-141 inhibitor enhanced autophagic response and Sirt1 expression. The autophagy induced by overexpression of Sirt1 was inhibited by miR-141 mimic. In addition, miR-141 mimic also decreased the expression of Sirt1 mRNA. Sirt1 was predicted as a potential miR-141 target by bioinformatic analysis of its 3'-UTR, and confirmed by luciferase reporter assays which analyzing the interaction of miR-141 with the wild- type or the mutated Sirt1 3’-UTR. Conclusion: We have therefore demonstrated a role of miR-141 in regulating autophagy-mediated hepatitis B virus inhibition by targeting Sirt1, and may provide potential targets for drug development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 838-844
Author(s):  
Jianxin Jiang ◽  
Ran Xiong ◽  
Jun Lu ◽  
Xiaolin Wang ◽  
Xiaobo Gu

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a universal central nervous system degenerative diseases and has a serious impact on people's lives. MicroRNA-203a-3p (miR-203a-3p) is a tumor-inhibiting factor. Nevertheless, the role and mechanism of miR-203a-3p in PD remain unclear. Therefore, this investigated the role and underlying mechanism of miR-203a-3p in PD. Firstly, we have established a PD cell model by treating SH-SY5Y cells with MMP+. We found that cell viability gradually decreased with increased MMP+ concentration. Subsequently, we choose 2000 μM MMP+ for subsequent experiments. Then, qRT-PCR assay demonstrated that miR-203a-3p was down-regulated in MMP+ treated SH-SY5Y cells. Next, results from TargetScan and dual luciferase reporter gene assay suggested that a-synuclein (SNCA), an important genetic risk factor of PD, had direct binding sites with miR-203a-3p. Subsequently, we confirmed that miR-203a-3p negatively regulated SNCA expression in SH-SY5Y cells. Finally, we investigated the influence of miR-203a-3p on MMP+ -induced SH-SY5Y cells. CCK-8 assay results showed that MMP + reduced cell proliferation and induced apoptosis were inhibited by miR-203a-3p up-regulation. In addition, we found that MMP+ enhanced expression of SNCA, p53 and cleaved Caspase-3 proteins was reduced by miR-203a-3p overexpression. However, these changes were reversed by SNCA-plasmid. In conclusion, miR-203a-3p regulated the apoptosis of MPP+ induced SH-SY5Y cells by targeting SNCA. miR-203a-3p/SNCA axis might be a new latent targets for PD therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minhua Hu ◽  
Jincheng Yang

Abstract Background We aimed to explore the role of long noncoding RNA urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (lncRNA UCA1) and its underlying mechanism in the radioresistance of prostate cancer (PCa). Methods QRT-PCR was conducted to measure the expression of UCA1, microRNA-331-3p (miR-331-3p) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4 gamma 1 (EIF4G1) in PCa tissues and cells. The relative protein level was determined by western blot assay. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. The target interaction between miR-331-3p and UCA1 or EIF4G1 was predicted through bioinformatics analysis, and verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay system. Results The high levels of UCA1 and EIF4G1 as well as the low level of miR-331-3p were observed in PCa tissues and cell lines. UCA1 and EIF4G1 expression were significantly upregulated by Gy radiation treatement. UCA1 or EIF4G1 knockdown repressed cell growth and enhanced cell apoptosis in 22RV1 and DU145 cells under radiation. Moreover, overexpression of EIF4G1 abolished UCA1 knockdown-induced effect on 6 Gy irradiated PCa cells. UCA1 sponged miR-331-3p to regulate EIF4G1 expression. Conclusions LncRNA UCA1 deletion suppressed the radioresistance to PCa by suppressing EIF4G1 expression via miR-331-3p. UCA1 acted as a potential regulator of radioresistance of PCa, providing a promising therapeutic target for PCa.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153303382199783
Author(s):  
XiangWen Yuan ◽  
Zhaoyan Sun ◽  
Congxian Cui

Objective: Retinoblastoma (RB) is a frequent eye cancer in children. Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) HOXA transcript at the distal tip (HOTTIP) is aberrantly expressed in cancer tissues. This study explores the underlying mechanism of lncRNA HOTTIP in RB. Methods: HOTTIP expression in normal retinal cells and RB cell lines was detected using qRT-PCR. The proliferation of RB cells was measured using CCK-8 and EdU assays, and apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry and Western blotting after the transfection of si-HOTTIP into Y79 cells and pc-HOTTIP into HXO-RB-44 cells. The target relationships between HOTTIP and miR-101-3p, and miR-101-3p and STC1 were predicted by bioinformatics website and verified using dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. The binding of HOTTIP and miR-101-3p was verified using RNA pull-down assay. STC1 mRNA and protein in RB cells were measured using qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Moreover, si-HOTTIP and in-miR-101-3p/in-NC, and si-HOTTIP and pc-STC1/pcDNA were co-transfected into Y79 cells respectively to evaluate cell proliferation and apoptosis. Xenograft study was conducted, and Ki67-positive expression was detected using immunohistochemical staining. Results: HOTTIP expression was promoted in RB tissues and cells. Downregulation of HOTTIP inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of Y79 cells, while upregulation of HOTTIP promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of HXO-RB-44 cells. There were target relationships between HOTTIP and miR-101-3p, and miR-101-3p and STC1. Inhibition of miR-101-3p or overexpression of STC1 reversed the effect of si-HOTTIP on the proliferation and apoptosis of RB cells. Xenograft study showed that knockdown of HOTTIP suppressed the growth of RB in vitro. Conclusion: It could be concluded that HOTTIP sponged miR-101-3p to upregulate STC1 expression, thereby promoting RB cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis.


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