Computational identification of MiRNA-7110 from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) ESTs: a new microRNA that links diabetes and PAH

miR-1, miR-133a, miR-29b and skeletal muscle fibrosis in chronic limb-threatening ischaemia

Chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI), the most severe manifestation of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), is associated with a poor prognosis and high amputation rates. Despite novel therapeutic approaches being investigated, no significant clinical benefits have been observed yet. Understanding the molecular pathways of skeletal muscle dysfunction in CLTI is crucial for designing successful treatments. This study aimed to identify miRNAs dysregulated in muscle biopsies from PAD cohorts. Using MIcroRNA ENrichment TURned NETwork (MIENTURNET) on a publicly accessible RNA-sequencing dataset of PAD cohorts, we identified a list of miRNAs that were over-represented among the upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CLTI. Next, we validated the altered expression of these miRNAs and their targets in mice with hindlimb ischaemia (HLI). Our results showed a significant downregulation of miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-29b levels in the ischaemic limbs versus the contralateral non-ischaemic limb. A miRNA target protein-protein interaction network identified extracellular matrix components, including collagen-1a1, -3a1, and -4a1, fibronectin-1, fibrin-1, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -14, and Sparc, which were upregulated in the ischaemic muscle of mice. This is the first study to identify miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-29b as potential contributors to fibrosis and vascular pathology in CLTI muscle, which supports their potential as novel therapeutic agents for this condition.

Expression levels of microRNA-7110 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and it is responsible for more than 95% of head and neck cancers. Despite advancements in research and treatment, patient's survival has not significantly increased in recent years. On the other hand, microRNAs (miRNAs) are a major class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression of the target mRNAs. Thus, understanding the mechanisms behind OSCC formation and progression may lead to the identification of potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic molecules for the treatment of OSCC. The aim of the current study was to analyze expression levels of miR-7110 in OSCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues as it could provide insights into its potential role in OSCC development or progression as a valuable biomarker.

METHODS

A total of 20 OSCC and adjacent normal tissues were collected from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals (Chennai, India). The tissues were processed for hematoxylin and eosin staining and expression studies. The data were shown as mean±standard deviation and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Our histopathological observations revealed an invasive malignant epithelial neoplasm with malignant epithelial cells exhibiting features of severe epithelial dysplasia invading the connective tissue stroma as islands, strands and cords with varying degrees of differentiation. Our results have also revealed that the expression levels of miR-7110 were found to be significantly higher in OSCC samples when compared to the normal tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

We can preliminarily conclude that based on the increased expression of miR-7110 in OSCC tissue samples, they can be used as an early diagnostic or prognostic biomarker and/or a therapeutic target for the treatment of OSCC even though more focused research in that direction is needed.

Predictive value of miR-7110-5p and miR-223-3p as biomarkers for sepsis secondary to pneumonia

BACKGROUND

Investigating the secondary sepsis of pneumonia is of great significance for rapid diagnosis and early treatment of sepsis.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of micro ribonucleic acids (miRNA) 7110-5p and miR-223-3p in sepsis secondary to pneumonia. A miRNA microarray was used to analyze the differences in miRNA expression between patients with pneumonia and those with sepsis secondary to pneumonia.

METHODS

The study included a total of 50 patients with pneumonia and 42 patients with sepsis secondary to pneumonia. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was conducted to measure the circulating miRNA expression levels in patients and assess their correlations with clinical characteristics and prognosis. In this study, nine miRNAs - hsa-miR-4689-5p, hsa-miR-4621-5p, hsa-miR-6740-5p, hsa-miR-7110-5p, hsa-miR-765, hsa-miR-940, hsa-miR-213-5p, hsa-miR-223-3p, and hsa-miR-122 - met the screening criteria of having a fold change ⩾ 2 or < 0.5; p< 0.01 indicated significant differences in the results.

RESULTS

The expression levels of miR-7110-5p and miR-223-3p differed between the two patient groups, being up-regulated in the plasma of patients with sepsis secondary to pneumonia. miR-7110-5p and miR-223-3p showed higher expression levels in both patients with pneumonia and sepsis compared to healthy controls. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that the areas under the curve for predicting pneumonia using miR-7110-5p were 0.781 while those for predicting sepsis secondary to pneumonia were 0.862. For miR-223-3p, the corresponding values for predicting pneumonia and sepsis secondary to pneumonia were 0.879 and 0.924, respectively. However, there were no significant differences in the levels of miR-7110-5p and miR-223-3p between the plasma of survived and deceased patients with sepsis.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-7110-5p and miR-223-3p have the potential to serve as biological indicators for predicting sepsis secondary to pneumonia.

Genetic and epigenetic factors of arterial hypertension: a bibliometric- and in-silico-based analyses

Introduction: Arterial hypertension (AH) is a pervasive global health concern with multifaceted origins encompassing both genetic and environmental components. Previous research has firmly established the association between AH and diverse genetic factors. Consequently, scientists have conducted extensive genetic investigations in recent years to unravel the intricate pathophysiology of AH. Methods: In this study, we conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis employing VOSviewer software to identify the most noteworthy genetic factors that have been the focal point of numerous investigations within the AH field in recent years. Our analysis revealed genes and microRNAs intricately linked to AH, underscoring their pivotal roles in this condition. Additionally, we performed molecular docking analyses to ascertain microRNAs with the highest binding affinity to these identified genes. Furthermore, we constructed a network to elucidate the in-silico-based functional interactions between the identified microRNAs and genes, shedding light on their potential roles in AH pathogenesis. Results: Notably, this pioneering in silico examination of genetic factors associated with AH promises novel insights into our understanding of this complex condition. Our findings prominently highlight miR-7110-5p, miR-7110-3p, miR-663, miR-328-3p, and miR-140-5p as microRNAs exhibiting a remarkable affinity for target genes. These microRNAs hold promise as valuable diagnostic and therapeutic factors, offering new avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of AH in the foreseeable future. Conclusion: In summary, this research underscores the critical importance of genetic factors in AH and, through in silico analyses, identifies specific microRNAs with significant potential for further investigation and clinical applications in AH management.

In Silico Identification of Human miR-26a-1 from Hypertension Genome Sequence

Background:

Hypertension is a global public health issue that is becoming more prevalent. It is a non-communicable disease and a great public health problem affecting almost half of the world’s adult population. Being multifactorial, hypertension is a key risk factor for stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and chronic renal failure. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate it remain mostly unknown. According to numerous studies, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in a range of cellular processes in the development of illnesses. The current study aims to identify miRNAs in hypertension from genome sequences found in public genomic databases.

Materials and Methods:

In this study, we have used bioinformatic approaches to identify miR-26a- 1 for hypertension using the NCBI database, miRBase and target scan. Finally, the RNA fold was used to create the secondary structure of miR-26a-1.

Results and Discussion:

Careful evaluation of secondary structure result showed that hsa-miR- 26a-1 has a minimum free energy of - 37.30 kcal. The correlation between miR-26a-1 and hypertension genome sequence was identified.

Conclusion:

These computational approaches have concluded that miR-26a-1 can be used as a diagnosis, prognosis and effective therapeutic target for treating hypertension. Thus, further research could enlighten the role of miR-26a-1 in hypertension.

Metformin inhibits pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation by upregulating p21 via NONRATT015587.2

Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is a complex and progressive disease characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling. Our previous study confirmed that NONRATT015587.2 could promote the proliferation of PASMCs and pulmonary vascular remodeling. However, the exact mechanism by which NONRATT015587.2 promotes PASMC proliferation is unclear. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that p21 is located at the downstream target of NONRATT015587.2. NONRATT015587.2 expression and localization were analyzed by PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Proliferation was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8, flow cytometry and western blotting. In the current study, a monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH rat model and cultured pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were used in vitro to elucidate the exact mechanism of NONRATT015587.2 in pulmonary vascular remodeling, alongside the effect following metformin (MET) treatment on vascular remodeling and smooth muscle cell proliferation. The results demonstrated that NONRATT015587.2 expression was upregulated in the MCT group and reduced in the MET + MCT group. In addition, NONRATT015587.2 could promote the proliferation of PASMCs. The expression levels of p21 were reduced in the MCT group, but increased in the MCT + MET group. Additionally, the expression of NONRATT015587.2 was upregulated in platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)-induced PASMCs, whereas that of p21 was downregulated. Following MET treatment, the expression of NONRATT015587.2 was downregulated and that of p21 was upregulated, which inhibited the proliferation of PASMCs. After overexpression of NONRATT015587.2 in vitro, the proliferation effect of PASMCs was consistent with exogenous PDGF-BB treatment, and MET reversed this effect. NONRATT015587.2 silencing inhibited the proliferation of PASMCs. In addition, p21 silencing reversed the inhibitory effect of NONRATT015587.2 silencing on the proliferation of PASMCs. However, the proliferation of PASMCs was inhibited following MET treatment when NONRATT015587.2 and p21 were silenced at the same time. Thus, NONRATT015587.2 promoted the proliferation of PASMCs by targeting p21, and MET inhibited the proliferation of PASMCs by upregulating p21 mediated via NONRATT015587.2.

LncRNA HOXA-AS3 Promotes the Progression of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension through Mediation of miR-675-3p/PDE5A Axis

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) seriously threatens the elder people. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in multiple diseases. However, the study of the lncRNAs in the occurrence of PAH is just beginning. For this, we sought to explore the biological function of lncRNA HOXA cluster antisense RNA 3 (HOXA-AS3) in PAH. Hypoxia (HYP) was used to mimic in vitro model of PAH. Gene and protein expressions in cells were detected by q-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. In addition, cell proliferation and viability were tested by CCK-8 and MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Wound healing was used to detect cell migration. Furthermore, the connection of HOXA-AS3, miR-675-3p, and phosphodiesterase 5A (PDE5A) was verified by dual-luciferase report assay. HOXA-AS3 and PDE5A were upregulated in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs) in the presence of HYP, while miR-675-3p was downregulated. Moreover, knockdown of HOXA-AS3 suppressed the growth and migration of HPASMCs, but induced the apoptosis. Overexpression of miR-675-3p achieved the same effect. MiR-675-3p inhibitor or overexpression of PDE5A notably reversed the inhibitory effect of HOXA-AS3 knockdown on PAH. Finally, HOXA-AS3 could sponge miR-675-3p, and PDE5A was directly targeted by miR-675-3p. HOXA-AS3 increased the development of PAH via regulation of miR-675-3p/PDE5 axis, which could be the potential biomarker for treatment of PAH.

Beyond the genome: challenges and potential for epigenetics-driven therapeutic approaches in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease of the cardiopulmonary system caused by the narrowing of the pulmonary arteries, leading to increased vascular resistance and pressure. This leads to right ventricle remodeling, dysfunction, and eventually, death. While conventional therapies have largely focused on targeting vasodilation, other pathological features of PAH including aberrant inflammation, mitochondrial dynamics, cell proliferation, and migration have not been well explored. Thus, despite some recent improvements in PAH treatment, the life expectancy and quality of life for patients with PAH remains poor. Showing many similarities to cancers, PAH is characterized by increased pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation, decreased apoptotic signaling pathways, and changes in metabolism. The recent successes of therapies targeting epigenetic modifiers for the treatment of cancer has prompted epigenetic research in PAH, revealing many new potential therapeutic targets. In this minireview we discuss the emergence of epigenetic dysregulation in PAH and highlight epigenetic-targeting compounds that may be effective for the treatment of PAH.