scholarly journals Knockdown of NCK1-AS1 inhibits the development of atherosclerosis by targeting miR-1197/COX10 axis

2022 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Zhang ◽  
Juncheng Wang ◽  
Lei Du ◽  
Lufei Shao ◽  
Yourui Zou ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Although long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) NCK1-AS1 plays important roles in human cancer, its function in atherosclerosis (AS) remains unclear. Method The expression of NCK1-AS1 in AS blood samples was detected by qRT-PCR. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) was used to construct the AS cell model, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was used to evaluate NCK1-AS1 level. Cell phenotypes including proliferation and apoptosis were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometer, respectively. The malondialdehyde level was measured to evaluate oxidative stress. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins was evaluated by western blot. The expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNK-α) was measured by qRT-PCR and ELISA assays. The relationship among NCK1-AS1, miR-1197 and COX10 was determined by bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assay. Results NCK1-AS1 was significantly upregulated in AS blood samples and ox-LDL stimulated vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Knockdown of NCK1-AS1 increased cell viability, reduced cell apoptosis and MDA level, and also inhibited the expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNK-α) in ox-LDL stimulated VSMCs. NCK1-AS1 could positively regulate COX10 expression by directly sponging miR-1197. Moreover, co-transfection of sh-NCK1-AS1 and miR-1197 inhibitor, or co-transfection of sh-NCK1-AS1 and pc-COX10 (COX10 overexpressing plasmid) obviously reduced cell viability, promoted cell apoptosis, and increased MDA level in VSMCs followed by ox-LDL treatment for 24 h compared to that in sh-NCK1-AS1 transfected VSMCs. Conclusion Our study revealed that knockdown of NCK1-AS1 attenuated the development of AS by regulating miR-1197/COX10 axis, suggesting that this lncRNA might be a potential therapeutic target for AS.

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-265
Author(s):  
Kunpeng Zhang ◽  
Xiaoyu Zhang

Abstract Background Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common inflammatory disorder. MicroRNAs play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of AP. In this article, we explored the detailed role and molecular mechanisms of miR-146b-3p in AP progression. Methods The rat AR42J cells were treated with cerulein to establish the AP model in vitro. The miR-146b-3p and Annexin A2 (Anxa2) mRNA levels were assessed by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell viability and apoptosis were tested using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Caspase-3 activity and the production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and qRT-PCR. Targeted interaction between miR-146b-3p and Anxa2 was verified by the dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression of Anxa2 protein. Results Our data revealed that miR-146b-3p was significantly downregulated in AP samples. The enforced expression of miR-146b-3p alleviated cerulein-induced injury in AR42J cells, as evidenced by the promotion in cell viability and the repression in cell apoptosis, as well as the reduction in IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α production. Anxa2 was directly targeted and inhibited by miR-146b-3p. Moreover, the alleviative effect of miR-146b-3p overexpression on cerulein-induced AR42J cell injury was mediated by Anxa2. Conclusions The current work had led to the identification of miR-146b-3p overexpression that protected against cerulein-induced injury in AR42J cells at least in part by targeting Anxa2, revealing a promising target for AP diagnosis and treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-359
Author(s):  
Pengju Fan ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Wuyuan Tan ◽  
Man Fang

The current study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of microRNA-425-5p (miR-425-5p) in hypertrophic scar (HS) development. Firstly, we used reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)to detect the expression of miR-425-5p in human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (hHSFs) and HS tissues. qRT-PCR assay showed that miR-425-5p level significantly down-regulated in HS tissues and hHSFs. Next, we performed TargetScan and dual-luciferase reporter assay to predict and verify Smad2 was the target gene of miR-425-5p. In order to determine the role of miR-425-5p in HS formation, miR-425-5p was over-expressed or knockdown in hHSFs through transfection with miR-425-5p mimic or miR-425-5p inhibitor. CCK-8 assay and cell apoptosis analysis were carried out to measure cell viability and apoptosis. Protein expression was assessed by Western blotting. The findings indicated that miR-425-5p mimic transfection inhibited cell viability, promoted cell apoptosis and repressed Smad2, Col I, and Col III expression in hHSFs. Notably, the transfection of Smad2-plasmid eliminated the effects of miR-425-5p mimic on hHSFs. However, miR-425-5p inhibitor transfection had opposite effects on hHSFs, and were eliminated by the transfection of Smad2-siRNA. In conclusion, these findings suggested that miR-425-5p inhibited the hHSFs viability, induced hHSFs apoptosis and repressed extracellular matrix deposition of hHSFs through regulating Smad2. Therefore, miR-425-5p might be a novel therapeutic target for HS treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Yu ◽  
Bin Wu ◽  
Jinsong Jiang ◽  
Guangwei Yang ◽  
Chao Weng ◽  
...  

The long non-coding RNA regulator of reprogramming (lncRNA ROR) is involved in atherosclerosis (AS), but the specific mechanism remains unclear. The expressions of lncRNA ROR, let-7b-5p, Homeobox A1 (HOXA1), and apoptosis-associated proteins in the serum of AS patients and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. The relationships of lncRNA ROR, let-7b-5p, and HOXA1 were analyzed by Pearson's correlation test. The viability and the migration of HUVECs were measured by Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing, and Transwell assays. The predicted target gene and the potential binding sites were confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. lncRNA ROR was highly expressed in AS, which promoted the cell viability and migration of HUVECs, while lncRNA ROR silencing produced the opposite results. The expression of let-7b-5p, which bound to lncRNA ROR, was downregulated in AS, indicating that the two genes were negatively correlated. Besides this, let-7b-5p reversed the effects of upregulated lncRNA ROR expression on let-7b-5p expression, cell viability, and migration as well as the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins of ox-LDL-treated HUVECs. HOXA1 was targeted by let-7b-5p and upregulated in AS, with its expression being negatively correlated with let-7b-5p but positively correlated with lncRNA ROR. In ox-LDL-treated HUVECs, overexpressed HOXA1 reversed the effects of let-7b-5p, and HOXA1 silencing reversed the effects of lncRNA ROR. In AS, lncRNA ROR promoted the biological characteristics of oxidation of low-density lipoprotein-induced HUVECs via the let-7b-5p/HOXA1 axis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 205873841875918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi Ren ◽  
Shaojun Zhao ◽  
Changjie Ren ◽  
Zhen Ma

Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) has been widely reported to play an important role in inflammatory response. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects and underlying mechanisms of APS on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation injury in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. H9c2 cells were treated with different concentrations of APS, and cell viability was detected by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Then, the effect of APS on cell viability and apoptosis induced by LPS was determined by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and western blot. The expression and release of inflammatory cytokines were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Furthermore, expression of miR-127 in H9c2 cells was analyzed by qRT-PCR, and knocked down by transfection with miR-127 inhibitor. Western blot was used to analyze signaling pathway molecules. APS had no effect on H9c2 cells viability. However, APS could alleviate LPS-induced inflammation injury by increasing cell viability, reducing apoptosis, and inhibiting release of inflammatory cytokines in H9c2 cells ( P < 0.05). Additionally, we found that APS increased toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expressions in LPS-treated H9c2 cells. Mechanistically, we found that APS exerted the protective effect by down-regulating LPS-increased expression of miR-127 ( P < 0.05), inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), JNK and promoting phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathways in LPS-treated H9c2 cells. The results demonstrated that APS could protect H9c2 cells against LPS-induced inflammation injury, which might be partially due to miR-127 down-regulation and regulation of NF-κB, JNK, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. These findings indicated that APS might be a potential therapeutic drug for treatment of myocarditis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1000-1012
Author(s):  
Yamin Zhang ◽  
Xiaoying Fan ◽  
Hua Yang

AbstractBackgroundMyocardial reperfusion is an effective therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury following myocardial reperfusion is a significant limitation for AMI treatment. Five prime to Xist (FTX) was recognized as a biomarker of multiple diseases, including heart disease. However, the molecular mechanism of FTX in I/R injury is unclear.MethodsCell viability was evaluated by using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Apoptosis was analyzed by using a caspase-3 activity detection kit and flow cytometry. The expression of FTX, microRNA (miR)-150, and Kruppel-like factor 13 (KLF13) was measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The interaction of miR-150 and FTX or KLF13 was confirmed by a dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Protein expression of KLF13 was examined by Western blot. The role of FTX was detected in I/R-injured heart tissues in vivo.ResultsHydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced cardiomyocyte injury by decreasing cell viability and expediting cell apoptosis. However, FTX alleviated cardiomyocyte injury by promoting cell proliferation and restricting cell apoptosis of H9C2 cells that were treated with H2O2. In addition, we discovered that FTX directly interacted with miR-150, while KLF13 was a target of miR-150. Rescue experiments showed that miR-150 neutralized the FTX-mediated promotion of cell progression and restriction of cell apoptosis in H9C2 cells treated with H2O2. KLF13 knockdown restored the effect of miR-150 on increased proliferation and decrease in apoptosis in H2O2-treated cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, FTX enhanced the expression of KLF13 protein through interaction with miR-150. Upregulation of FTX repressed apoptosis in I/R-injured heart tissues in vivo.ConclusionFTX relieves H2O2-induced cardiomyocyte injury by increasing KLF13 expression via depletion of miR-150, thus providing a novel therapeutic target for the alleviation of I/R injury.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Xu ◽  
Qingying Song ◽  
Zhanghong Ouyang ◽  
Xiangyan Zhang ◽  
Cheng Zhang

Abstract Pneumonia accounts for approximately 15% mortalities in adolescents worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate numerous diseases including pneumonia. miRNA and mRNA expression levels were detected by real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Protein expression levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot. The interaction between phosphatase and tensin homolog on chromosome ten (PTEN) and miR-103a-3p was explored by dual luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability and cell apoptosis were detected by cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry. Herein, we discovered that PTEN was decreased and miR-103a-3p was overexpressed in Ana-1 cells of in vitro pneumonia model. miR-103a-3p downregulated the expression levels of PTEN. AntagomiR-103a-3p reversed the increased cell apoptosis and decreased cell viability and inflammatory cytokine expression levels (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6) induced by LPS in Ana-1 cells by PTEN. AntagomiR-103a-3p inhibited the activation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway induced by LPS in Ana-1 cells. Taken together, our findings exhibited that miR-103a-3p attenuated LPS induced pneumonia by blocking the activation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway and the following cell apoptosis as well as release of proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting that miR-103a-3p might serve as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of pneumonia.


Cartilage ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 194760352110033
Author(s):  
Yue Yang ◽  
Zhibo Sun ◽  
Feng Liu ◽  
Yuanzhang Bai ◽  
Fei Wu

Objective Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disorder, accompanied by extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Reportedly, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in OA pathogenesis. However, the role of lncRNA FYVE, RhoGEF, and PH domain containing 5 antisense RNA 1 (FGD5-AS1) in OA development is still not fully clarified. This study was aimed to clarify the role of FGD5-AS1 in OA. Methods FGD5-AS1 and miR-302d-3p expression levels were determined in cartilage tissues and chondrocytes by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Chondrocytes (C20/A4 cells) were stimulated with interleukin 1β (IL-1β) to mimic the inflammatory environment of OA. Cell viability was detected by cell counting kit-8 and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine assays. Cell apoptosis was measured by the caspase-3 activity assay and flow cytometry. Transforming growth factor beta receptors II (TGFBR2), matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13), and ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 5 expression levels were examined by qRT-PCR or Western blot. The regulatory relationships among FGD5-AS1, miR-302d-3p, and TGFBR2 were predicted by the StarBase v2.0, miRanda, miRDB, and TargetScan databases, and confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Results FGD5-AS1 and TGFBR2 expression levels were downregulated while miR-302d-3p expression was increased in cartilage tissues of OA patients. Knocking down FGD5-AS1 inhibited the viability of C20/A4 cells but induced apoptosis and ECM degradation, while FGD5-AS1 overexpression exerted opposite effects. MiR-302d-3p was identified as a target of FGD5-AS1, and TGFBR2 was identified as a target of miR-302d-3p. FGD5-AS1 positively regulated TGFBR2 expression by repressing miR-302d-3p expression, and miR-302d-3p inhibition or TGFBR2 restoration reversed the changes of cell viability, apoptosis, and ECM degradation induced by FGD5-AS1 knockdown. Conclusion FGD5-AS1 can probably inhibit OA progression by regulating miR-302d-3p/TGFBR2 axis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1575-1582
Author(s):  
Shuyue Chen ◽  
Mengyun Zhou ◽  
Weifeng Zha ◽  
Yunyun Shan

Accumulating evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the pathophysiology of psoriasis. The present study aimed to identify the effect and mechanism of miR-138-5p in psoriasis. In the present study, we observed that miR-138-5p expressed higher levels in psoriasis tissues compared to the control. Results from biological software and dual-luciferase reporter assay illustrated that miR-138-5p directly targeted sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). Moreover, we observed that SIRT1 was down-regulated in psoriasis tissues. Therefore, we supposed that miR-138-5p and SIRT1 might regulate the progress of psoriasis. Additionally, the functions of miR-138-5p and SIRT1 on cell viability, cell apoptosis, inflammatory cytokines expression as well as signaling pathways were evaluated. The findings demonstrated that down-regulation of miR-138-5p significantly suppressed cell viability and promoted cell apoptosis accompanied with the decreased expression of Bcl-2 and increased expression of Bax. However, these effects were reversed by SIRT1-siRNA. It was also revealed that the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-22 were suppressed by miR-138-5p down-regulation in HaCaT cells, while the effects were overturned by SIRT1-siRNA co-transfection. Eventually, we found that miR-138-5p inhibitor suppressed the expression of p-p65 in NF-kB pathway at protein level, and the result was reversed by SIRT1-siRNA in a similar way. In general, our results elucidated that miR-138-5p played a crucial part in psoriasis progress through regulating the growth of keratinocytes and inflammatory responses by targeting SIRT1. Therefore, miR-138-5p might be considered as a novel target for the therapeutic strategies in psoriasis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-109
Author(s):  
Lan Zhang ◽  
HuanLi Yan ◽  
Huiping Wang ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Boling Bai ◽  
...  

Background: Neonatal pneumonia is a common disease in the neonatal period with a high incidence and death. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism and effect of microRNA (miR)-429 in neonatal pneumonia. Methods: The peripheral blood was collected from neonatal pneumonia and healthy patients, respectively. Human lung fibroblast WI-38 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish neonatal pneumonia cell model. Then, the miR-429 expression was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In addition, the relationship between miR- 429 and kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability, the level of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and apoptosis were measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry. Meanwhile, apoptosis and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway related proteins expression were analyzed by western blot. Results: MiR-429 expression level was increased in neonatal peripheral blood and LPS-stimulated WI-38 cells. Then, miR-429 overexpression increased apoptosis, the level of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, Bax and cleaved caspase-3, while reduced cell viability in LPS-stimulated WI-38 cells. Besides, KLF4 was identified as the target gene of miR-429, and reversed the changes caused by miR-429 overexpression. Finally, miR-429 suppressor down-regulated p-NF-κB level in LPS-stimulated cells and KLF4 knockdown reversed these reductions. Conclusion: MiR-429 promotes inflammatory injury, apoptosis and activates the NF-κB signaling pathway by targeting KLF4 in neonatal pneumonia, and then these results provide evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment for neonatal pneumonia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 153303382092850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Zhang ◽  
Yinman Feng ◽  
Yanli Gao ◽  
Jun Hu

Many long noncoding RNAs reportedly have tumor suppressive roles or are oncogenic in esophageal cancer. We have previously performed a chip-based expression analysis of primary esophageal cancer tissues and found that the expression of LINC00634 in these tissues was higher than that in nontumor tissues. Quantitative real-time–polymerase chain reaction, cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, caspase3/7 assay, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and restore assay were used to detect the proliferative and apoptotic effects of LINC00634 in esophageal cancer cells. The results showed that the expression of LINC00634 in these tissues was higher than that in nontumor tissues and associated with tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) stage of patients. Knockdown of LINC00634 decreased cell viability and increased cell apoptosis levels in EC9706 and EC1 cells. LINC00634 could target Bcl2L1 through miR-342-3p. In this study, we show that LINC00634 is upregulated in esophageal cancer. We also show that the knockdown of LINC00634 decreased cell viability and increased cell apoptosis levels in EC9706 and EC1 cells through the miR-342-3p/Bcl2L1 axis.


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