MicroRNA-30a-5p Promotes Chronic Heart Failure in Rats by Targeting Sirtuin-1 to Activate the Nuclear Factor-κB/NOD-Like Receptor 3 Signaling Pathway

Assessment of the Role of miR-30a-5p on the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Hair Follicle Stem Cells

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of miR-30a-5p on the proliferation and apoptosis of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and whether the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is involved.

METHODS

HFSCs derived from the vibrissa of mammary rats were obtained by enzymatic digestion, and subsequently the obtained HFSCs were treated with Lipofectamine 2000 cell transfection and divided into normal cell culture group (control), miR-30a-5p overexpression group (miR-30a-5p mimic), miR-30a-5p empty vector group (miR-NC), miR-30a-5p inhibitor group (in-miR-30a-5p), and in-miR-30a-5p empty vector group (in-miR-NC). After transfection, the cell proliferation and apoptosis rates were examined separately. In addition, the mRNA expression of β-catenin, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and apoptosis-related genes (Bax and Bcl-2) were examined.

RESULTS

The results of cell proliferation ability showed that in-miR-30a-5p group promoted cell proliferation of HFSCs relative to other groups, along with significant upregulation of gene levels of PCNA. Apoptosis analysis indicated that apoptosis rate was reduced in the in-miR-30a-5p group, and the expression of Bax was suppressed, while that of Bcl-2 was promoted. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway investigation revealed a significant increase in the levels of β-catenin in HFSCs in the in-miR-30a-5p group.

CONCLUSION

Downregulation of miR-30a-5p levels inhibited HFSCs apoptosis and simultaneously promoted proliferation, furthermore, the increased expression of β-catenin indirectly confirmed the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Inducers and Inhibitors of Pyroptotic Death of Granulosa Cells in Models of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Granulosa cells (GCs), the largest cell population and primary source of steroid hormones in the ovary, are the important somatic ovarian components. They have critical roles in folliculogenesis by supporting oocyte, facilitating its growth, and providing a microenvironment suitable for follicular development and oocyte maturation, thus having essential functions in maintaining female fertility and in reproductive health in general. Pyroptotic death of GCs and associated inflammation have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several reproductive disorders in females including Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Here, I reviewed factors, either intrinsic or extrinsic, that induce or inhibit pyroptosis in GCs in various models of these disorders, both in vitro and in vivo, and also covered associated molecular mechanisms. Most of these studied factors influence NLRP3 inflammasome- and GSDMD (Gasdermin D)-mediated pyroptosis in GCs, compared to other inflammasomes and gasdermins (GSDMs). I conclude that a more complete mechanistic understanding of these factors in terms of GC pyroptosis is required to be able to develop novel strategies targeting inflammatory cell death in the ovary.

Exosome miR-30a-5p Regulates Glomerular Endothelial Cells' EndMT and Angiogenesis by Modulating Notch1/VEGF Signaling Pathway

BACKGROUND

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the microvascular complications of diabetes. Endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) and endothelial damage lead to abnormal angiogenesis in DN.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate the role of exosome miR-30a-5p in high glucose (HG)-induced glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) dysfunction and explore the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

GECs were cultured in normal glucose (5.5 mM) and HG (30 mM) conditions. The recipient GECs were transfected with exosome or miR-30a-5p mimic/inhibitor and then detected by using CCK-8 and flow cytometry assay. Luciferase analysis was used to verify miR-30a-5p acted on notch homolog protein 1 (Notch1). RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of VE-cadherin, α-SMA, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and Notch1. In vivo, exosome miR-30a-5p was administered to DN mice, and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining, UTP levels, and HbA1c levels were measured.

RESULTS

The expression of miR-30a-5p was downregulated in HG-treated GECs. Exosome miR-30a-5p significantly promoted cell proliferation, and migration and reduced apoptosis of GECs under HG conditions. MiR-30a-5p directly targeted the 3-UTR region of Notch1. Exosome miR-30a-5p reduced the expression levels of Notch1 and VEGF, both at mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, exosome miR-30a-5p inhibited HG-induced EndMT, as evidenced by increased VE-cadherin and reduced α-SMA. In vivo studies demonstrated that exosome miR-30a-5p reduced serum HbA1c levels and 24-hour urine protein quantification.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence that exosome miR-30a-5p suppresses EndMT and abnormal angiogenesis of GECs by modulating the Notch1/VEGF signaling pathway. These findings suggest that exosome miR-30a-5p could be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of DN.

Identification CCL2,CXCR2,S100A9 of the immune-related gene markers and immune infiltration characteristics of inflammatory bowel disease and heart failure via bioinformatics analysis and machine learning

Background

Recently, heart failure (HF) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been considered to be related diseases with increasing incidence rates; both diseases are related to immunity. This study aims to analyze and identify immune-related gene (IRG) markers of HF and IBD through bioinformatics and machine learning (ML) methods and to explore their immune infiltration characteristics.

Methods

This study used gene expressiondata (GSE120895, GSE21610, GSE4183) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and compare them with IRGs from the ImmPort database to obtain differentially expressed immune-related genes (DIRGs). Functional enrichment analysis of IRGs was performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Subsequently, three machine models and protein-protein interactions (PPIs) were established to identify diagnostic biomarkers. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to evaluate the diagnostic value of the candidate biomarkersin the validation set (GSE1145, GSE36807) and obtain their correlations with immune cells through the Spearman algorithm. Finally, the CIBERSORT algorithm was used to evaluate the immune cell infiltration of the two diseases.

Results

Thirty-four DIRGs were screened and GO and KEGG analysis results showed that these genes are mainly related to inflammatory and immune responses. CCL2, CXCR2 and S100A9 were identified as biomarkers.The immune correlation results indicated in both diseases that CCL2 is positively correlated with mast cell activation, CXCR2 is positively correlated with neutrophils and S100A9 is positively correlated with neutrophils and mast cell activation. Analysis of immune characteristics showed that macrophages M2, macrophages M0 and neutrophils were present in both diseases.

Conclusions

CCL2, CXCR2 and S100A9 are promising biomarkers that will become potential immunogenetic biomarkers for diagnosing comorbidities of HF and IBD. macrophages M2, macrophages M0, neutrophil-mediated inflammation and immune regulation play important roles in the development of HF and IBD and may become diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Sigma-1 receptor knockout disturbs gut microbiota, remodels serum metabolome, and exacerbates isoprenaline-induced heart failure

Introduction

Heart failure (HF) is usually the end stage of the continuum of various cardiovascular diseases. However, the mechanism underlying the progression and development of HF remains poorly understood. The sigma-1 receptor (Sigmar1) is a non-opioid transmembrane receptor implicated in many diseases, including HF. However, the role of Sigmar1 in HF has not been fully elucidated.

Methods

In this study, we used isoproterenol (ISO) to induce HF in wild-type (WT) and Sigmar1 knockout (Sigmar1-/-) mice. Multi-omic analysis, including microbiomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics, was employed to comprehensively evaluate the role of Sigmar1 in HF.

Results

Compared with the WT-ISO group, Sigmar1-/- aggravated ISO-induced HF, including left ventricular systolic dysfunction and ventricular remodeling. Moreover, Sigmar1-/- exacerbated ISO-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, which was demonstrated by the lower abundance of probiotics g_Akkermansia and g_norank_f_Muribaculaceae, and higher abundance of pathogenic g_norank_f_Oscillospiraceae and Allobaculum. Furthermore, differential metabolites among WT-Control, WT-ISO and Sigmar-/--ISO groups were mainly enriched in bile secretion, tryptophan metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism, which presented a close association with microbial dysbiosis. Corresponding with the exacerbation of the microbiome, the inflammation-related NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway and TNF signaling pathway were activated in the heart tissues.

Conclusion

Taken together, this study provides evidence that a Sigmar1 knockout disturbs the gut microbiota and remodels the serum metabolome, which may exacerbate HF by stimulating heart inflammation.

The sirtuin family in health and disease

Sirtuins (SIRTs) are nicotine adenine dinucleotide(+)-dependent histone deacetylases regulating critical signaling pathways in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and are involved in numerous biological processes. Currently, seven mammalian homologs of yeast Sir2 named SIRT1 to SIRT7 have been identified. Increasing evidence has suggested the vital roles of seven members of the SIRT family in health and disease conditions. Notably, this protein family plays a variety of important roles in cellular biology such as inflammation, metabolism, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, etc., thus, it is considered a potential therapeutic target for different kinds of pathologies including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and other conditions. Moreover, identification of SIRT modulators and exploring the functions of these different modulators have prompted increased efforts to discover new small molecules, which can modify SIRT activity. Furthermore, several randomized controlled trials have indicated that different interventions might affect the expression of SIRT protein in human samples, and supplementation of SIRT modulators might have diverse impact on physiological function in different participants. In this review, we introduce the history and structure of the SIRT protein family, discuss the molecular mechanisms and biological functions of seven members of the SIRT protein family, elaborate on the regulatory roles of SIRTs in human disease, summarize SIRT inhibitors and activators, and review related clinical studies.