scholarly journals MicroRNA-223 Regulates Cardiac Fibrosis After Myocardial Infarction by Targeting RASA1

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 1439-1454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Liu ◽  
Yifeng Xu ◽  
Yunfei Deng ◽  
Hongli Li

Background/Aims: Percutaneous coronary intervention reduces acute myocardial infarction (MI)-induced mortality to a great extent, but effective treatments for MI-induced cardiac fibrosis and heart failure are still lacking. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a variety of roles in cells and have thus been investigated extensively. MicroRNA-223 (miR-223) expression has been reported to be altered in post-MI heart failure in humans; however, the roles of miR-223 in MI remain unknown. Our study aimed to elucidate the roles of miR-223 in cardiac fibrosis. Methods: Cultured cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were activated by TGF-β1 stimulation. Gain and loss of miR-223 and RAS p21 protein activator 1 (RASA1) knockdown in CFs were achieved by transfecting the cells with miR-223 mimics and inhibitors, as well as small interfering RNA-RASA1 (siRASA1), respectively. Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR) was used to determine miR-223-3p and RASA1 expression levels, and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell migration and scratch assays were performed to assess CFs viability and migration, respectively. Western blotting was used to detect collagen I, collagen III, alpha-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA), RASA1, p-Akt/t-Akt, p-MEK1/2/t-MEK1/2, and p-ERK1/2/t-ERK1/2 protein expressions, and immunofluorescence assays were used to detect the expression of α-actin, vimentin and α-SMA. Luciferase assays were carried out to determine whether miR-223 binds to RASA1. Rat models of MI were established by the ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. MiR-223 inhibition in vivo was achieved via intramyocardial injections of the miR-223 sponge carried by adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9). The cardiac function was detected by echocardiography, and cardiac fibrosis was shown by Masson’s trichrome staining. Results: miR-223 was increased in CFs compared to cardiomypcytes, and TGF-β1 treatment increased miR-223 expression in CFs. The miR-223 mimics enhanced cell proliferation and migration and collagen I, collagen III, and α-SMA protein expression in CFs, while the miR-223 inhibitors had contrasting effects and partially prevented the promoting effects of TGF-β1. qRT-PCR and western blotting revealed that miR-223 negatively regulated RASA1 expression, and the luciferase assays showed that miR-223 suppressed the luciferase activity of the RASA1 3’ untranslated region (3'UTR), indicating that miR-223 binds directly to RASA1. Similar to transfection with the miR-223 mimics, RASA1 knockdown enhanced cell proliferation and migration and collagen I, collagen III, and α-SMA protein expression in CFs. Moreover, RASA1 knockdown partially reversed the inhibitory effects of the miR-223 inhibitor on cell proliferation and migration and collagen I, collagen III, and α-SMA protein expression, indicating that the effects of miR-223 in CFs are partially mediated by the regulation of RASA1 expression. Further exploration showed that miR-223 mimics and siRASA1 promoted MEK1/2, ERK1/2 and AKT phosphorylation, while the miR-223 inhibitors had contrasting effects. The in vivo experiments confirmed the results of the in vitro experiments and showed that miR-223 inhibition prevented cardiac functional deterioration and cardiac fibrosis. Conclusions: miR-223 enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation in CFs, thus mediated cardiac fibrosis after MI partially via the involvement of RASA1.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiong Ma ◽  
Chunxia Zhou ◽  
Xuejun Chen

Abstract Background Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, which is essential for cell proliferation and differentiation, is noted to be aberrantly activated in tumor from increasing studies in recent years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as an important non-coding RNA in cells have been proven to possess a regulatory role specific to the Hh signaling pathway. Here, in vitro and in vivo cellular/molecular experiments were adopted to clarify the regulatory mechanism linking miR-636 to the Hh signaling pathway in ovarian cancer (OVC). Methods Protein–protein interaction analysis was performed to identify the hub gene in the Hh pathway. TargetScan database was used to predict the potential upstream regulators for Gli2. qRT-PCR was performed to test the expression of miR-636, while Western blot was conducted to detect the expression of proteins related to the Hh pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). For cell functional experiments, HO-8910PM OVC cell line was used. MTT assay and wound healing assay were used to measure the effect of miR-636 on cell proliferation and migration. Flow cytometry was carried out to examine the effect of miR-636 on cell cycle, and Western blot was used to identify the change in expression of Hh and EMT-related proteins. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was implemented to detect the targeting relationship between miR-636 and Gli2. Xenotransplantation models were established for in vivo examination. Results Gli2 was identified as the hub gene of the Hh pathway and it was validated to be regulated by miR-636 based on the data from TargetScan and GEO databases. In vitro experiments discovered that miR-636 was significantly lowly expressed in OVC cell lines, and overexpressing miR-636 significantly inhibited HO-8910PM cell proliferation, migration and induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, while the inhibition of miR-636 caused opposite results. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that Gli2 was the target gene of miR-636 in OVC. Besides, overexpressed miR-636 decreased protein expression of Gli2, and affected the expression of proteins related to the Hh signaling pathway and EMT. Rescue experiments verified that overexpression of Gli2 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on HO-8910PM cell proliferation and migration, and attenuated the blocking effect of miR-636 on cell cycle. The xenotransplantation experiment suggested that miR-636 inhibited cell growth of OVC by decreasing Gli2 expression. Besides, overexpressing Gli2 potentiated the EMT process of OVC cells via decreasing E-cadherin protein expression and increasing Vimentin protein expression, and it reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation in vivo. Conclusion miR-636 mediates the activation of the Hh pathway via binding to Gli2, thus inhibiting EMT, suppressing cell proliferation and migration of OVC. Trial registration: The experimental protocol was established, according to the ethical guidelines of the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of The Second Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (IR2019001235). Written informed consent was obtained from individual or guardian participants.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiong Ma ◽  
Chunxia Zhou ◽  
Xuejun Chen

Abstract Objective: Ovarian cancer (OVC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women and has a significant impact on physical and mental health of women. This study explores the molecular mechanism of miR-636 acting as a tumor suppressor in OVC in vitro and in vivo, and provides new insight into the treatment of OVC.Methods: Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis was performed to identify the hub gene in Hedgehog (Hh) pathway. TargetScan database was used to predict the upstream regulatory miRNAs of Gli2 to obtain the target miRNA. qRT-PCR was performed to test the expression of miR-636, while Western blot were conducted to detect the expression of Hh and EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) related genes in OVC cell lines. MTT assay and wound healing assay were used to measure the effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation and migration. Flow cytometry was carried out to examine the effect of miR-636 on cell cycle, and Western blot was used for identification of changes in expression of Hh and EMT related proteins. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was implemented to detect the targeted relationship between miR-636 and Gli2. The xenotransplantation model was used to detect the effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation in vivo.Results: PPI interaction analysis found that Gli2 was the hub gene in Hh pathway. Based on TargetScan and GEO databases, Gli2 was found to be targeted regulated by the upstream miR-636. In vitro experiments discovered that miR-636 was significantly lowly expressed in OVC cell lines. Overexpressing miR-636 significantly inhibited HO-8910PM cell proliferation and migration abilities as well as induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, while the inhibition of miR-636 promoted cell proliferation and migration abilities. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that Gli2 was a target gene of miR-636. Besides, overexpressing miR-636 decreased protein expression of Gli2, while the inhibition of miR-636 increased protein expression of Gli2. Furthermore, the overexpression and inhibition of miR-636 both affected the expression of proteins related to Hh signaling pathway and EMT. Rescue experiments verified that overexpression of Gli2 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on HO-8910PM cell proliferation and migration abilities, and attenuated the blocking effect of miR-636 on HO-8910PM cell cycle. The xenotransplantation model suggested that miR-636 inhibited cell growth of OVC by decreasing Gli2 expression. Besides, overexpressing Gli2 potentiated the EMT process in OVC via decreasing E-cadherin protein expression and increasing Vimentin protein expression, and it reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation and migration abilities in vivo.Conclusion: miR-636 inhibits the Hh pathway activation via targeted binding to Gli2, thus inhibiting EMT, cell proliferation and migration in OVC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiong Ma ◽  
Chunxia Zhou ◽  
Xuejun Chen

Abstract Background: Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, which is essential for cell proliferation and differentiation, is noted to be aberrantly activated in tumor from increasing studies in recent years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as an important non-coding RNA in cells have been proven to possess a regulatory role specific to the Hh signaling pathway. Here, in vitro and in vivo cellular/molecular experiments were adopted to clarify the regulatory mechanism linking miR-636 to the Hh signaling pathway in ovarian cancer (OVC). Methods: Protein-protein interaction analysis was performed to identify the hub gene in the Hh pathway. TargetScan database was used to predict the potential upstream regulators for Gli2. qRT-PCR was performed to test the expression of miR-636, while Western blot was conducted to detect the expression of proteins related to the Hh pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). For cell functional experiments, HO-8910PM OVC cell line was used. MTT assay and wound healing assay were used to measure the effect of miR-636 on cell proliferation and migration. Flow cytometry was carried out to examine the effect of miR-636 on cell cycle, and Western blot was used to identify the change in expression of Hh and EMT-related proteins. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was implemented to detect the targeting relationship between miR-636 and Gli2. Xenotransplantation models were established for in vivo examination.Results: Gli2 was identified as the hub gene of the Hh pathway and it was validated to be regulated by miR-636 based on the data from TargetScan and GEO databases. In vitro experiments discovered that miR-636 was significantly lowly expressed in OVC cell lines, and overexpressing miR-636 significantly inhibited HO-8910PM cell proliferation, migration and induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, while the inhibition of miR-636 caused opposite results. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that Gli2 was the target gene of miR-636 in OVC. Besides, overexpressed miR-636 decreased protein expression of Gli2, and affected the expression of proteins related to the Hh signaling pathway and EMT. Rescue experiments verified that overexpression of Gli2 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on HO-8910PM cell proliferation and migration, and attenuated the blocking effect of miR-636 on cell cycle. The xenotransplantation experiment suggested that miR-636 inhibited cell growth of OVC by decreasing Gli2 expression. Besides, overexpressing Gli2 potentiated the EMT process of OVC cells via decreasing E-cadherin protein expression and increasing Vimentin protein expression, and it reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation in vivo.Conclusion: miR-636 mediates the activation of the Hh pathway via binding to Gli2, thus inhibiting EMT, suppressing cell proliferation and migration of OVC.Trial registration: The experimental protocol was established, according to the ethical guidelines of the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of The Second Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (IR2019001235). Written informed consent was obtained from individual or guardian participants.


2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000289
Author(s):  
Rui Chen ◽  
Chengjie Lv ◽  
Xiaoxia Zhao ◽  
Dong Ma ◽  
Dengming Lai ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of Smad3 (mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3) protein in postnecrotizing enterocolitis stricture and its possible mechanism of action.MethodsWe used immunohistochemistry to detect the expression characteristics of Smad3 and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) proteins in human postnecrotizing enterocolitis stricture. We cultured IEC-6 (crypt epithelial cells of rat small intestine) in vitro and inhibited the expression of Smad3 using siRNA technique. Quantitative PCR, western blotting, and ELISA were used to detect the changes in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), NF-κB, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions in IEC-6 cells. CCK8 kit and Transwell cellular migration were used to detect cell proliferation and migration. Changes in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers (E-cadherin and vimentin) in IEC-6 cells were detected by immunofluorescence technique.ResultsThe results showed that Smad3 protein and NF-κB protein were overexpressed in narrow intestinal tissues and that Smad3 protein expression was positively correlated with NF-κB protein expression. After inhibiting the expression of Smad3 in IEC-6 cells, the mRNA expressions of NF-κB, TGF-β1, ZO-1, and VEGF decreased, whereas the mRNA expression of TNF-α did not significantly change. TGF-β1, NF-κB, and TNF-α protein expressions in IEC-6 cells decreased, whereas ZO-1 and intracellular VEGF protein expressions increased. IEC-6 cell proliferation and migration capacity decreased. There was no significant change in protein expression levels of EMT markers E-cadherin and vimentin and also extracellular VEGF protein expression.ConclusionsWe suspect that the high expression of Smad3 protein in postnecrotizing enterocolitis stricture may promote the occurrence and development of secondary intestinal stenosis. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of TGF-β1, NF-κB, TNF-α, ZO-1, and VEGF mRNA and protein expression. This may also be related to the ability of Smad3 to promote epithelial cell proliferation and migration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 096368972110255
Author(s):  
Qing Wang ◽  
Kai Li ◽  
Xiaoliang Li

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. Increasing evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) function in the tumorigenesis of NSCLC. LINC00958, a newly identified lncRNA, has been reported to be closely linked to tumorigenesis in several cancers. However, its specific role in NSCLC remains unclear. In this study, we determined the expression of LINC00958 in NSCLC by RT-qPCR analysis and evaluated cell proliferation and migration by CCK-8 and transwell assays, respectively. We established a xenograft tumor model to examine the effect of LINC00958 on tumor growth in vivo. Luciferase reporter assays were performed to determine the interaction between LINC00958 and miR-204-3p and the interaction between miR-204-3p and KIF2A. We found that LINC00958 was up-regulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Down-regulation of LINC00958 inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Besides, miR-204-3p was identified as a target of LINC00958 and miR-204-3p inhibitor could reverse the inhibitory effect of LINC00958 knockdown on proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells. We also validated that KIF2A, a direct target of miR-204-3p, was responsible for the biological role of LINC00958. KIF2A antagonized the effect of miR-204-3p on NSCLC cell proliferation and migration and was regulated by LINC00958/miR-204-3p. Taken together, these data indicate that the LINC00958/miR-204-3p/KIF2A axis is critical for NSCLC progression, which might provide a potential therapeutic target of NSCLC.


Author(s):  
Qinhua Liu ◽  
Ruonan Ran ◽  
Zhengsheng Wu ◽  
Xiaodan Li ◽  
Qingshu Zeng ◽  
...  

The present study was directed toward laying new findings for Extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKL)-oriented therapy with a focus on long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)–microRNAs (miRNAs)–mRNA interaction. The expression and function of XIST (X-inactive specific transcript) were analyzed both in vivo and in vitro. The online database of lncRNA-miRNA interaction was used to screen the target of XIST, and miR-497 was selected. Next, the predicted binding between XIST and miR-497, and the dynamic effect of XIST and miR-497 on downstream Bcl-w was evaluated. We found that XIST dramatically increased in the blood of ENKL patients and cell lines. XIST knockdown suppressed the cell proliferation and migration in vivo and in vitro. Herein, we confirmed the negative interaction between XIST and miR-497. Moreover, XIST knockdown reduced the protein levels of Bcl-w, a downstream target of miR-497. XIST sponges miR-497 to promote Bcl-w expression, and finally modulating ENKL cell proliferation and migration. To be interested, inhibition of Bcl-w by ABT737 can overcome the high expression of XIST, and suppressed the ENKL proliferation and migration by inducing apoptosis. This study provided a novel experimental basis for ENKL-oriented therapy with a focus on the lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA interaction.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 1670-1683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiran Si ◽  
Haiyang Zhang ◽  
Tao Ning ◽  
Ming Bai ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Abnormal expression of HGF is found in various cancers and correlates with tumor proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis. However, the regulatory mechanism of the HGF-VEGF axis remains unclear. Methods: The expression characteristic of HGF in human gastric cancer tissues was shown by an immunohistochemistry assay, and the expression levels of target protein were detected by Western blot. The relative levels of miR-26a/b and target mRNA were examined by qRT-PCR. We used bioinformatics tools to search for miRNAs that can potentially target HGF. A luciferase assay was used to confirm direct targeting. Furthermore, the functions of miR-26a/b and HGF were evaluated by cell proliferation and migration assays in vitro and by the mouse xenograft tumor model in vivo. Results: We found that the HGF protein was clearly increased while miR-26a/b were dramatically down-regulated in gastric cancer. miR-26a/b directly bind to the 3’-UTR of HGF mRNA at specific targeting sites. We demonstrated that the repression of the HGF-VEGF pathway by miR-26a/b overexpression suppressed gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, miR-26a/b also showed an anti-tumor effect in the xenograft mouse model by suppressing tumor growth and angiogenesis. Conclusions: miR-26a/b could suppress tumor tumorigenesis and angiogenesis by targeting the HGF-VEGF axis and could serve as a potential treatment modality for targeted therapy in the clinical treatment of gastric cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Hua ◽  
Qingcai Meng ◽  
Chen Liang ◽  
Miaoyan Wei ◽  
Jiang Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to explore the role of leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) in the biological function and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.Methods: LRG1 was detected in serum and tissue specimens from patients with pancreatic cancer by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. LRG1-overexpressing and LRG1-knockdown cell lines were established with lentiviral vectors containing LRG1-overexpression and shRNA plasmids, respectively. Colony formation, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing, Transwell migration, and in vivo tumorigenicity assays were conducted to assess proliferation and migration of the pancreatic cancer cells. RNA sequencing was performed to identify potential downstream molecules of LRG1.Results: Serum LRG1 levels were significantly elevated in patients with pancreatic cancer compared with healthy controls. The mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 were higher in cancer tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. High LRG1 expression was significantly associated with shorter overall survival and found to be an independent risk factor for poor prognosis. Additionally, LRG1 dramatically promoted cell proliferation and migration in vitro and accelerated tumor growth in vivo. By RNA sequencing, we identified Deltex (DTX)-3-like E3 ubiquitin ligase (DTX3L) as a potential downstream molecule of LRG1. Further validation experiments confirmed a positive correlation between LRG1 and DTX3L.Conclusions: LRG1 is a valuable prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer that plays a crucial role in cell proliferation and migration. Targeting LRG1 or the downstream molecule DTX3L provides a novel strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.


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