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Li F, Du WW, Li X, Xu J, Wu N, Awan FM, Yang Y, Alashti FA, Wang S, Yang BB. A Novel Circular RNA circITGa9 Predominantly Generated in Human Heart Disease Induces Cardiac Remodeling and Fibrosis. RESEARCH (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2024; 7:0303. [PMID: 38323094 PMCID: PMC10845611 DOI: 10.34133/research.0303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Recent studies have highlighted the pivotal roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in cardiovascular diseases. Through high-throughput circRNA sequencing of both normal myocardial tissues and hypertrophic patients, we unveiled 32,034 previously undiscovered circRNAs with distinct cardiac expression patterns. Notably, circITGa9, a circRNA derived from integrin-α9, exhibited substantial up-regulation in cardiac hypertrophy patients. This elevation was validated across extensive sample pools from cardiac patients and donors. In vivo experiments revealed heightened cardiac fibrosis in mice subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) after circITGa9 injection. We identified circITGa9 binding proteins through circRNA precipitation followed by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, circRNA pull-down/precipitation assays demonstrated that increased circITGa9 expression facilitated binding with tropomyosin 3 (TPM3). Specific binding sites between circITGa9 and TPM3 were identified through computational algorithms and further validated by site-directed mutagenesis. We further showed that circITGa9 induced actin polymerization, characteristic of tissue fibrosis. Finally, we developed approaches that improved cardiac function and decreased fibrosis by delivering small interfering RNA targeting circITGa9 or blocking oligo inhibiting the interaction of circITGa9 and TPM3 into TAC mice, which is amenable for further preclinical and translational development. We conclude that elevated circITGa9 levels drive cardiac remodeling and fibrosis. By pinpointing circITGa9 as a therapeutic target, we open doors to innovative interventions for mitigating cardiac remodeling and fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feiya Li
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - William W. Du
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Xiangmin Li
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Safety and Health, National Health Commission Science and Technology Innovation Platform for Nutrition and Safety of Microbial Food, Institute of Microbiology,
Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
| | - Jindong Xu
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute,
Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Nan Wu
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Faryal Mehwish Awan
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Lab Technology,
The University of Haripur, Haripur, Pakistan
| | - Yang Yang
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Fariborz Asghari Alashti
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sheng Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital,
Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Burton B. Yang
- Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences,
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Qadir J, Wen SY, Yuan H, Yang BB. CircRNAs regulate the crosstalk between inflammation and tumorigenesis: The bilateral association and molecular mechanisms. Mol Ther 2023; 31:1514-1532. [PMID: 36518080 PMCID: PMC10278049 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation, a hallmark of cancer, has been associated with tumor progression, transition into malignant phenotype and efficacy of the chemotherapeutic agents in cancer. Chronic inflammation provides a favorable environment for tumorigenesis by inducing immunosuppression, whereas acute inflammation prompts tumor suppression by generating anti-tumor immune responses. Inflammatory factors derived from interstitial cells or tumor cells can stimulate cell proliferation and survival by modulating oncogenes and/or tumor suppressors. Recently, a new class of RNAs, i.e., circular RNAs (circRNAs), has been implicated in inflammatory diseases. Although there are reports on circRNAs imparting functions in inflammatory insults, whether these circularized transcripts hold the potential to regulate inflammation-induced cancer or tumor-related inflammation, and modulate the interactions between tumor microenvironment (TME) and the inflammatory stromal/immune cells, awaits further elucidation. Contextually, the current review describes the molecular association between inflammation and cancer, and spotlights the regulatory mechanisms by which circRNAs can moderate TME in response to inflammatory signals/triggers. We also present comprehensive information about the immune cell(s)-specific expression and functions of the circRNAs in TME, modulation of inflammatory signaling pathways to drive tumorigenesis, and their plausible roles in inflammasomes and tumor development. Moreover, the therapeutic potential of these circRNAs in harnessing inflammatory responses in cancer is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javeria Qadir
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Shuo-Yang Wen
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hui Yuan
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Burton B Yang
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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