Differentially Expressed Circular RNAs in Stenosed Arteriovenous Fistula Tissues of Uremia Patients
Abstract BackgroundArteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the most common renal replacement therapy for uremic patients. However, stenosis in AVF may lead to AVF failure, hence prevention and effective management of AVF failure is an issue to be addressed. circular RNAs (circRNAs) dysregulation may be pivotal for the development and progression of AVF stenosis. MethodsFour stenosed tissues from AVF outflow veins and four normal venous tissues without vascular stenosis were collected for RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). The circRNAs expression profiles were identified by high-throughput sequencing, and the functions and pathways of differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs were annotated by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Seven DE circRNAs were screened for quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) validation. circRNA-miRNA interaction network was constructed. ResultsA total of 17,620 circRNA transcripts were examined by RNA-seq, and 208 DE circrRNAs were identified between AG and CG, of which 92 were upregulated and 116 were downregulated. The expression trend in the four selected circRNAs was validated by qRT-PCR, which was consistent with the RNA-seq results. Dysregulated circRNAs may be involved in stenosis by mediating focal adhesion kinase (FAK) pathway. ConclusionOur study revealed abnormal circRNA expression in stenosed tissues of the AVF outflow vein, which was functionally classified. The results indicated that DE circRNAs in the stenosed tissues of AVF and their related FAK pathway have potential to be targets for the prevention and treatment of AVF failure.