scholarly journals An Overview of miRNAs Involved in PASMC Phenotypic Switching in Pulmonary Hypertension

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Weifang Zhang ◽  
Zeying Tao ◽  
Fei Xu ◽  
Qian Diao ◽  
Juan Li ◽  
...  

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is occult, with no distinctive clinical manifestations and a poor prognosis. Pulmonary vascular remodelling is an important pathological feature in which pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) phenotypic switching plays a crucial role. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of evolutionarily highly conserved single-stranded small noncoding RNAs. An increasing number of studies have shown that miRNAs play an important role in the occurrence and development of PH by regulating PASMCs phenotypic switching, which is expected to be a potential target for the prevention and treatment of PH. miRNAs such as miR-221, miR-15b, miR-96, miR-24, miR-23a, miR-9, miR-214, and miR-20a can promote PASMCs phenotypic switching, while such as miR-21, miR-132, miR-449, miR-206, miR-124, miR-30c, miR-140, and the miR-17~92 cluster can inhibit it. The article reviews the research progress on growth factor-related miRNAs and hypoxia-related miRNAs that mediate PASMCs phenotypic switching in PH.

2017 ◽  
Vol 242 (5) ◽  
pp. 487-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Brock ◽  
Claudio Schuoler ◽  
Caroline Leuenberger ◽  
Carlo Bühlmann ◽  
Thomas J Haider ◽  
...  

Vascular remodeling, a pathogenic hallmark in pulmonary hypertension, is mainly driven by a dysbalance between proliferation and apoptosis of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. It has previously been shown that microRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. However, the role of long noncoding RNAs has not been evaluated. long noncoding RNA expression was quantified in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells using PCR arrays and quantitative PCR. Knockdown of genes was performed by transfection of siRNA or GapmeR. Proliferation and migration were measured using BrdU incorporation and wound healing assays. The mouse model of hypoxia-induced PH was used to determine the physiological meaning of identified long noncoding RNAs. The expression of 84 selected long noncoding RNAs was assessed in hypoxic human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells and the levels of metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) were significantly increased. Depletion of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α abolished the hypoxia-induced upregulation of metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 expression. Silencing of MALAT1 significantly decreased proliferation and migration of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. In vivo, MALAT1 expression was significantly increased in lungs of hypoxic mice. Of note, targeting of MALAT1 by GapmeR ameliorated heart hypertrophy in mice with pulmonary hypertension. This is the first report on functional characterization of MALAT1 in the pulmonary vasculature. Our data provide evidence that MALAT1 expression is significantly increased by hypoxia, probably by hypoxia-inducible factor 1α. Intervention experiments confirmed that MALAT1 regulates the proliferative phenotype of smooth muscle cells and silencing of MALAT1 reduced heart hypertrophy in mice with pulmonary hypertension. These data indicate a potential role of MALAT1 in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. Impact statement Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is a long noncoding RNA that mediates several biological processes. In the context of vascular biology, MALAT1 has been shown to be inducible by hypoxia and to control cell proliferation. These processes are of major importance for the pathophysiology of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH). Until now, the physiological role of MALAT1 in PH remains unclear. By using smooth muscle cells and by employing an established PH mouse model, we provide evidence that hypoxia induces MALAT1 expression. Moreover, depletion of MALAT1 inhibited migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells, probably by the induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. Of note, MALAT1 was significantly increased in mice exposed to hypoxia and silencing of MALAT1 ameliorated heart hypertrophy in mice with hypoxia-induced PH. Since vascular remodeling and right heart failure as a consequence of pulmonary pressure overload is a major problem in PH, these data have implications for our pathogenetic understanding.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zigang Qu ◽  
Wenhui Li ◽  
Baoquan Fu

Autoimmune diseases (ADs) are featured by body's immune responses being directed towards its own specific target organs or multiple organ systems, causing persistent inflammation and consequent tissue damage. miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs in a size of approximately 22 nt that play important regulatory roles in many organisms by cleavage or translational inhibition of targeted mRNAs. Many miRNAs are reported to be differentially expressed in ADs and may play a pivotal role in regulating immune responses and autoimmunity. In this review, current research progress in the miRNAs in ADs was elucidated.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (19) ◽  
pp. 4169-4178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ai Kotani ◽  
Daon Ha ◽  
James Hsieh ◽  
Prakash K. Rao ◽  
Diana Schotte ◽  
...  

Abstract MLL-AF4 acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) has a poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small noncoding RNAs that posttranscriptionally regulate expression of target mRNAs. Our analysis of previously published data showed that expression of miR-128b and miR-221 is down-regulated in MLL-rearranged ALL relative to other types of ALL. Reexpression of these miRNAs cooperatively sensitizes 2 cultured lines of MLL-AF4 ALL cells to glucocorticoids. Target genes down-regulated by miR-128b include MLL, AF4, and both MLL-AF4 and AF4-MLL fusion genes; miR-221 down-regulates CDKN1B. These results demonstrate that down-regulation of miR-128b and miR-221 is implicated in glucocorticoid resistance and that restoration of their levels is a potentially promising therapeutic in MLL-AF4 ALL.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueqin Zou ◽  
Yangjing Zhao ◽  
Xiuting Liang ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Yanling Zhu ◽  
...  

Ovarian cancer (OC) is still the leading cause of death among all gynecological malignancies, despite the recent progress in cancer therapy. Immune escape and drug resistance, especially platinum-based chemotherapy, are significant factors causing disease progression, recurrence and poor prognosis in OC patients. MicroRNAs(miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, regulating gene expression at the transcriptional level. Accumulating evidence have indicated their crucial roles in platinum resistance. Importantly, they also act as mediators of tumor immune escape/evasion. In this review, we summarize the recent study of miRNAs involved in platinum resistance of OC and systematically analyses miRNAs involved in the regulation of OC immune escape. Further understanding of miRNAs roles and their possible mechanisms in platinum resistance and tumor escape may open new avenues for improving OC therapy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (39) ◽  
pp. 4639-4645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Mostafa Parizadeh ◽  
Reza Jafarzadeh-Esfehani ◽  
Amir Avan ◽  
Maryam Ghandehari ◽  
Fatemeh Goldani ◽  
...  

Gastric cancer (GC) has a high mortality rate with a poor 5-year survival. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is present as part of the normal flora of stomach. It is found in the gastric mucosa of more than half of the world population. This bacterium is involved in developing H. pylori-induced GC due to the regulation of different micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA or miR). miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs and are recognized as prognostic biomarkers for GC that may control gene expression. miRNAs may function as tumor suppressors, or oncogenes. In this review, we evaluated studies that investigated the ectopic expression of miRNAs in the prognosis of H. pylori positive and negative GC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4980
Author(s):  
Inés Roger ◽  
Javier Milara ◽  
Paula Montero ◽  
Julio Cortijo

Pulmonary hypertension is defined as a group of diseases characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), which leads to right ventricular failure and premature death. There are multiple clinical manifestations that can be grouped into five different types. Pulmonary artery remodeling is a common feature in pulmonary hypertension (PH) characterized by endothelial dysfunction and smooth muscle pulmonary artery cell proliferation. The current treatments for PH are limited to vasodilatory agents that do not stop the progression of the disease. Therefore, there is a need for new agents that inhibit pulmonary artery remodeling targeting the main genetic, molecular, and cellular processes involved in PH. Chronic inflammation contributes to pulmonary artery remodeling and PH, among other vascular disorders, and many inflammatory mediators signal through the JAK/STAT pathway. Recent evidence indicates that the JAK/STAT pathway is overactivated in the pulmonary arteries of patients with PH of different types. In addition, different profibrotic cytokines such as IL-6, IL-13, and IL-11 and growth factors such as PDGF, VEGF, and TGFβ1 are activators of the JAK/STAT pathway and inducers of pulmonary remodeling, thus participating in the development of PH. The understanding of the participation and modulation of the JAK/STAT pathway in PH could be an attractive strategy for developing future treatments. There have been no studies to date focused on the JAK/STAT pathway and PH. In this review, we focus on the analysis of the expression and distribution of different JAK/STAT isoforms in the pulmonary arteries of patients with different types of PH. Furthermore, molecular canonical and noncanonical JAK/STAT pathway transactivation will be discussed in the context of vascular remodeling and PH. The consequences of JAK/STAT activation for endothelial cells and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells’ proliferation, migration, senescence, and transformation into mesenchymal/myofibroblast cells will be described and discussed, together with different promising drugs targeting the JAK/STAT pathway in vitro and in vivo.


Nephron ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Minfang Zhang ◽  
Wenyan Zhou ◽  
Shaojun Liu ◽  
Liyin Zhang ◽  
Zhaohui Ni ◽  
...  

Introduction: IgA-dominant infection-related glomerulonephritis (IgA-IRGN) is a unique form of IRGN, which needs to be distinguished from IgA nephropathy (IgAN), due to overlapping clinical and pathological features. The key factor in the pathogenesis of IgAN is galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1). However, the mechanism of glomerular IgA deposition in patients with IgA-IRGN is unclear. Therefore, we evaluated whether Gd-IgA1 could be a useful biomarker to distinguish between these 2 diseases. Methods: A case-control study was conducted to analyze the clinical and pathological characteristics of 12 patients with IgA-IRGN. The intensity and distribution of glomerular Gd-IgA1 (KM55) staining in renal biopsies were assessed. The control group consisted of 15 patients diagnosed with IgAN and an additional 17 patients with glomerulopathy involving IgA deposition. Results: The main clinical manifestations of patients with IgA-IRGN were nephrotic-range proteinuria, hematuria, acute renal injury, and hypocomplementemia. Active lesions were the leading pathological feature, while focal segmental sclerosis was rare. Half of the patients exhibited hump-shaped subepithelial deposits. Glomerular KM55 staining was negative in 7 patients, trace in 4 patients, and 2+ in 1 patient. The median intensity of KM55 staining in IgA-IRGN patients was 0 (range 0∼2+), which was significantly lower than that of primary IgAN patients (median 2+, range 1+∼3+). The receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that the optimal cutoff level to identify these 2 diseases was 0.5+. Conclusions: Glomerular KM55 staining intensity might be helpful to distinguish IgA-IRGN from primary IgAN. Weak or negative staining may favor IgA-IRGN. In addition, integrated analysis including clinical data, pathological findings, and prognostic information would further improve the differential diagnosis.


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