Silence of lncRNA MIAT protects ATDC5 cells against lipopolysaccharides challenge via up-regulating miR-132

MIAT LncRNA: A multifunctional key player in non-oncological pathological conditions

The discovery of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) has unveiled a wide range of transcripts that do not encode proteins but play key roles in several cellular and molecular processes. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are specific class of ncRNAs that are longer than 200 nucleotides and have gained significant attention due to their diverse mechanisms of action and potential involvement in various pathological conditions. In the current review, the authors focus on the role of lncRNAs, specifically highlighting the Myocardial Infarction Associated Transcript (MIAT), in non-oncological context. MIAT is a nuclear lncRNA that has been directly linked to myocardial infarction and is reported to control post-transcriptional processes as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) molecule. It interacts with microRNAs (miRNAs), thereby limiting the translation and expression of their respective target messenger RNA (mRNA) and regulating protein expression. Yet, MIAT has been implicated in other numerous pathological conditions such as other cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune disease, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic diseases, and many others. In this review, the authors emphasize that MIAT exhibits distinct expression patterns and functions across different pathological conditions and is emerging as potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic agent. Additionally, the authors highlight the regulatory role of MIAT and shed light on the involvement of lncRNAs and specifically MIAT in various non-oncological pathological conditions.

LncRNA CA12-AS1 targets miR-133a to promote LPS-induced inflammatory response in bovine mammary epithelial cells

Bovine mastitis seriously affects milk production and quality and causes huge economic losses in the dairy industry. Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may regulate bovine mastitis. In this study, the expression of lncRNA CA12-AS1 was significantly upregulated in LPS-induced bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs) but negatively correlated with the expression of miR-133a, suggesting that it may be related to the inflammatory response in bMECs. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that miR-133a is a downstream target gene of lncRNA CA12-AS1. Furthermore, lncRNA CA12-AS1 silencing negatively regulated the expression of miR-133a inhibited the secretion of inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-8 and IL-1β) and decreased the mRNA expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) (p65/p50) and apoptosis-related genes (BAX, caspase3 and caspase9). LncRNA CA12-AS1 silencing also promoted the mRNA expression levels of the Tight junction (TJ) signaling pathway-related genes (Claudin-1, Occludin and ZO-1), apoptotic gene BCL2, proliferation-related genes (CDK2, CDK4 and PCNA) and the viability of bMECs. However, overexpression of lncRNA CA12-AS1 reversed the above effects. These results revealed that lncRNA CA12-AS1 is a pro-inflammatory regulator, and its silencing can alleviate bovine mastitis by targeting miR-133a, providing a novel strategy for molecular therapy of cow mastitis.

Role of Long Noncoding RNAs in the Regulation of Cellular Immune Response and Inflammatory Diseases

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are recently discovered genetic regulatory molecules that regulate immune responses and are closely associated with the occurrence and development of various diseases, including inflammation, in humans and animals. Under specific physiological conditions, lncRNA expression varies at the cell or tissue level, and lncRNAs can bind to specific miRNAs, target mRNAs, and target proteins to participate in certain processes, such as cell differentiation and inflammatory responses, via the corresponding signaling pathways. This review article summarizes the regulatory role of lncRNAs in macrophage polarization, dendritic cell differentiation, T cell differentiation, and endothelial and epithelial inflammation. In addition, it describes the molecular mechanism of lncRNAs in acute kidney injury, hepatitis, inflammatory injury of the lung, osteoarthritis, mastitis, and neuroinflammation to provide a reference for the molecular regulatory network as well as the genetic diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases in humans and animals.

LncRNAs in Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive joint disease that affects millions of older adults around the world. With increasing rates of incidence and prevalence worldwide, OA has become an enormous global socioeconomic burden on healthcare systems. Long non-coding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs), essential functional molecules in many biological processes, are a group of non-coding RNAs that are greater than approximately 200 nucleotides in length. Fast-growing and recent developments in lncRNA research are captivating and represent a novel and promising field in understanding the complexity of OA pathogenesis. The involvement of lncRNAs in OA's pathological processes and their altered expressions in joint tissues, blood and synovial fluid make them attractive candidates for the diagnosis and treatment of OA. We focus on the recent advances in major regulator mechanisms of lncRNAs in the pathophysiology of OA and discuss potential diagnostic and therapeutic uses of lncRNAs for OA. We investigate how upregulation or downregulation of lncRNAs influences the pathogenesis of OA and how we can use lncRNAs to elucidate the molecular mechanism of OA. Furthermore, we evaluate how we can use lncRNAs as a diagnostic marker or therapeutic target for OA. Our study not only provides a comprehensive review of lncRNAs regarding OA's pathogenesis but also contributes to the elucidation of its molecular mechanisms and to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for OA.

The lncRNA MIAT/miR-181a-5p axis regulates osteopontin (OPN)-mediated proliferation and apoptosis of human chondrocytes in osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slow-progressing degenerative joint disease mainly characterized by progressive cartilage loss and subchondral bone remodeling. Osteopontin (OPN) is a matrix extracellular glyco-phosphoprotein capable of regulating the expression levels of multiple factors linked with OA pathogenesis. This study explores the upstream regulatory molecular mechanism of OPN on proliferation and apoptosis of human chondrocytes in OA. Chondrocytes were isolated from OA cartilage and identified by toluidine blue staining and immunofluorescent staining of type II collagen. An MTT assay was used for cell viability, and a BrdU assay was applied for DNA synthesis. Cell apoptosis was detected by a flow cytometry assay. A lncRNA MIAT/miR-181a-5p/OPN axis regulating OA chondrocyte proliferation and apoptosis were identified. miR-181a-5p directly targeted OPN and inhibited OPN expression in OA chondrocytes. miR-181a-5p overexpression inhibited OA chondrocyte viability, suppressed DNA synthesis, and promoted apoptosis. OPN overexpression exerted opposite effects on OA chondrocytes and significantly attenuated the roles of miR-181a-5p overexpression in OA chondrocytes. A total of six long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were predicted to target miR-181a-5p, and MIAT was the most up-regulated in OA cartilage tissues among the six lncRNAs. Through direct targeting, MIAT inhibited miR-181a-5p expression. MIAT silencing inhibited cell viability, suppressed DNA synthesis, and promoted cell apoptosis. Moreover, miR-181a-5p inhibition partially reversed the effects of MIAT silencing on OA chondrocytes. The lncRNA MIAT/miR-181a-5p/OPN axis could modulate OA chondrocyte proliferation and apoptosis. The comprehensive function of this axis on OA requires further in vivo and clinical investigations.

Expression and diagnostic values of MIAT, H19, and NRON long non-coding RNAs in multiple sclerosis patients

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Various long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) appear to have an important role in the pathophysiology of MS. This study aimed at evaluating the expression levels of lncRNAs, MIAT, H19, and NRON in peripheral blood of MS cases to a healthy control group. We collected blood samples of 95 MS cases (76 relapsing–remitting (RR) and 19 secondary progressive (SP) MS) and 95 controls. We used quantitative real-time PCR for the evaluation of gene expression. The correlation between expression with clinical parameters was analyzed by a multiple linear regression model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was carried out to detect the diagnostic potential of lncRNAs levels according to the area under the curve (AUC).

Results

MIAT, H19, and NRON were significantly increased in the RRMS and SPMS subgroups compared to the controls. We found that the H19 and MIAT expression significantly were higher in SPMS compared with RRMS. Patients with RRMS had a greater level of the average NRON expression is compared with SPMS patients. The expression level of H19 significantly was higher in females relative to male patients. Based on the area under curve (AUC) values, NRON had the best performance in the differentiation of MS patients from controls (AUC = 0.95, P < 0.0001). A combination of MIAT, H19, and NRON expression levels could be useful in differentiating MS patients with 93.6% sensitivity, 98.9% specificity, and diagnostic power of 0.96 (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

The levels of MIAT, H19, and NRON in peripheral blood could be important biomarkers for MS diagnosis.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) CYTOR promotes hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation by targeting the microRNA-125a-5p/LASP1 axis

This study investigated the function of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) cytoskeleton regulator RNA (CYTOR) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In HCC, the expression of CYTOR and microRNA (miR)-125a-5p were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression of actin skeletal protein 1 (LASP1) was evaluated by Western blot analysis. Flow cytometry assays, transwell assays, colony formation assay, and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay were used to evaluate the roles of miR-125a-5p and CYTOR in HCC cells. The target genes of CYTOR and miR-125a-5p were identified by bioinformatics analysis and Luciferase assay. CYTOR was upregulated in HCC cell lines, and knockdown of CYTOR inhibited HCC cell growth. MiR-125a-5p was downregulated in HCC cells and a target of CYTOR in regulating HCC progression. Furthermore, LASP1 was a downstream target of miR-125a-5p. Finally, CYTOR was found to be involved in HCC progression in vivo. CYTOR promotes HCC development by regulating the miR-125a-5p/LASP1 axis.

Long Non-coding RNAs in Rheumatology

The last decade has seen an enormous increase in long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) research within rheumatology. LncRNAs are arbitrarily classed as non-protein encoding RNA transcripts that exceed 200 nucleotides in length. These transcripts have tissue and cell specific patterns of expression and are implicated in a variety of biological processes. Unsurprisingly, numerous lncRNAs are dysregulated in rheumatoid conditions, correlating with disease activity and cited as potential biomarkers and targets for therapeutic intervention. In this chapter, following an introduction into each condition, we discuss the lncRNAs involved in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. These inflammatory joint conditions share several inflammatory signalling pathways and therefore not surprisingly many commonly dysregulated lncRNAs are shared across these conditions. In the interest of translational research only those lncRNAs which are strongly conserved have been addressed. The lncRNAs discussed here have diverse roles in regulating inflammation, proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Understanding the molecular basis of lncRNA function in rheumatology will be crucial in fully determining the inflammatory mechanisms that drive these conditions.

Recent Advances in Pharmacological Intervention of Osteoarthritis: A Biological Aspect

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease in the musculoskeletal system with a relatively high incidence and disability rate in the elderly. It is characterized by the degradation of articular cartilage, inflammation of the synovial membrane, and abnormal structure in the periarticular and subchondral bones. Although progress has been made in uncovering the molecular mechanism, the etiology of OA is still complicated and unclear. Nevertheless, there is no treatment method that can effectively prevent or reverse the deterioration of cartilage and bone structure. In recent years, in the field of pharmacology, research focus has shifted to disease prevention and early treatment rather than disease modification in OA. Biologic agents become more and more attractive as their direct or indirect intervention effects on the initiation or development of OA. In this review, we will discuss a wide spectrum of biologic agents ranging from DNA, noncoding RNA, exosome, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), to protein. We searched for key words such as OA, DNA, gene, RNA, exosome, PRP, protein, and so on. From the pharmacological aspect, stem cell therapy is a very special technique, which is not included in this review. The literatures ranging from January 2016 to August 2021 were included and summarized. In this review, we aim to help readers have a complete and precise understanding of the current pharmacological research progress in the intervention of OA from the biological aspect and provide an indication for the future translational studies.

Interactions Among lncRNA/circRNA, miRNA, and mRNA in Musculoskeletal Degenerative Diseases

Musculoskeletal degenerative diseases (MSDDs) are pathological conditions that affect muscle, bone, cartilage, joint and connective tissue, leading to physical and functional impairments in patients, mainly consist of osteoarthritis (OA), intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel regulators of gene expression that play an important role in biological regulation, involving in chondrocyte proliferation and apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation and peripheral blood mononuclear cell inflammation. Research on MSDD pathogenesis, especially on RA and AS, is still in its infancy and major knowledge gaps remain to be filled. The effects of lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis on MSDD progression help us to fully understand their contribution to the dynamic cellular processes, provide the potential OA, IDD, RA and AS therapeutic strategies. Further studies are needed to explore the mutual regulatory mechanisms between lncRNA/circRNA regulation and effective therapeutic interventions in the pathology of MSDD.

LncRNA MIAT regulates autophagy and apoptosis of macrophage infected by Mycobacterium tuberculosis through the miR-665/ULK1 signaling axis

Accumulating lines of evidence have revealed the involvement of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the control and elimination of invading Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) by macrophage. In this study, we sought to elucidate the role of MIAT on autophagy and apoptosis of Mtb-infected macrophage and to reveal the molecular mechanism. We observed that the expression of MIAT was heightened while miR-665 level was declined in THP-1 cells with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) infection in a time-dependent manner. Functionally, disruption of MIAT effectively facilitated cell viability and restricted apoptosis ability concomitant with the downregulation of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 along with an accumulation of Bcl-2 in BCG-infected THP-1 cells. Concurrently, the interference of MIAT dramatically disinhibited macrophage autophagy as characterized by diminution of autophagy related markers LC3-II and Beclin-1 as well as increment of p62 in THP-1 cells following BCG infection. Concordantly, depletion of MIAT was found to noticeably aggrandize Mtb survival. Importantly, MIAT served as a ceRNA for sponging miR-665 and negatively regulated its expression. ULK1 was identified as an authentic target of miR-665 and modulated by MIAT. Mechanistically, the functional role of MIAT depletion in macrophage apoptosis and autophagy were tremendously abrogated by the depression of miR-665 and enrichment of ULK1. Overall, the preceding observations clearly illuminated that MIAT was elevated in human macrophage response to BCG infection, and functioned as a negative regulator in autophagy and antimicrobial effects by manipulating miR-665/ULK1 axis during Mtb infection, which may provide a promising target for developing an anti-bacterial against TB.

lncRNA myocardial infarction-associated transcript (MIAT) knockdown alleviates LPS-induced chondrocytes inflammatory injury via regulating miR-488-3p/sex determining region Y-related HMG-box 11 (SOX11) axis

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) has been shown to be involved in the development of osteoarthritis (OA), an age-related bone and joint disease. However, the function and possible molecular mechanism of lncRNA myocardial infarction-associated transcript (MIAT) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced chondrocytes injury model remain unexplored. Cell viability and apoptosis were detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) and flow cytometry, respectively. Western blot was used to detect protein expression. The concentrations of inflammatory factors were estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Abundances of MIAT, microRNA-488-3p (miR-488-3p), and sex determining region Y-related HMG-box 11 (SOX11) were examined by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were performed to analyze the interaction between miR-488-3p and MIAT or SOX11. LPS caused chondrocytes injury by reducing cell activity and increasing apoptosis rate and inflammatory factor secretions. Higher levels of MIAT and SOX11 and lower miR-488-3p were observed in LPS-treated C28/I2 cells. Importantly, knockdown of MIAT attenuated the LPS-induced cell injury by targeting miR-488-3p, and miR-488-3p overexpression weakened the LPS-induced cell injury by targeting SOX11. Additionally, repression of MIAT inactivated the LPS-induced NF-κB signaling pathway by decreasing SOX11 and increasing miR-488-3p. Knockdown of MIAT alleviated the LPS-induced chondrocytes injury by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway mediated by the miR-488-3p/SOX11 axis.

Roles of long non‑coding RNA in osteoarthritis (Review)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic bone and joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degeneration and joint inflammation and is the most common form of arthritis. The clinical manifestations of OA are chronic pain and joint activity disorder, which severely affect the patient quality of life. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a class of RNA molecules >200 nucleotides long that are expressed in animals, plants, yeast, prokaryotes and viruses. lncRNA molecules lack an open reading frame and are not translated into protein. The present review collated the results of recent studies on the role of lncRNA in the pathogenesis of OA to provide information for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of OA.

LncRNA MIAT regulated by selenium and T-2 toxin increases NF-κB-p65 activation, promoting the progress of Kashin-Beck Disease

LncRNA myocardial infarction associated transcript (MIAT) has been shown to be involved in osteoarthritis (OA), but its role in Kashin-Beck Disease (KBD) has rarely been reported. In this study, rats were administered with low selenium and/or T-2 toxin for 4 weeks to establish a KBD animal model. The serum selenium level, TNF-α and IL-1β contents, phosphorylated p65 (p-p65) and MIAT expression were increased in each intervention group. Next, we isolated the primary epiphyseal chondrocytes, and found that selenium treatment reversed the effects of T-2 toxin on chondrocyte injury, p-p65 and MIAT expression. In addition, MIAT overexpression or T-2 toxin treatment led to increased cell death, apoptosis, inflammation, NF-κB-p65 pathway activation and MIAT expression, which was rescued by selenium treatment or MIAT siRNA transfection. Our results suggested that lncRNA MIAT regulated by selenium and T-2 toxin increased the activation of NF-κB-p65, thus being involved in the progress of KBD.

Role of MicroRNA, LncRNA, and Exosomes in the Progression of Osteoarthritis: A Review of Recent Literature

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common clinical degenerative disease characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage, which has an increasing impact on people's lives and social economy. The pathogenesis of OA is complex and unclear, and there is no effective way to block its progress. The study of the pathogenesis of OA is the prerequisite for the early diagnosis and effective treatment of OA. To define the pathogenesis of OA, this review considers the pathological mechanism of OA that involves microRNA, lncRNA, and exosomes. More and more evidence shows that microRNA, lncRNA, and exosomes are closely related to OA. MicroRNA inhibits the target gene by binding to the 3'- untranslated region of the targets. LncRNA usually competes with microRNA to regulate the expression level of downstream genes, while exosomes, as a carrier of intercellular information transfer, transmit the biological information of mother cells to target cells, and the effect of exosomes secreted by different cells on OA are different. In this review, we emphasized that different microRNA, lncRNA, and exosomes have different regulatory effects on chondrocyte proliferation and apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation and inflammation. Besides, we classified and analyzed these molecules according to their effects on the progress of OA. Based on the analysis of the reported literature, this review reveals some pathogenesis of OA, and emphasizes that microRNA, lncRNA, and exosomes have great potential to assist early diagnosis and effective treatment of OA.

Long noncoding MIAT acting as a ceRNA to sponge microRNA-204-5p to participate in cerebral microvascular endothelial cell injury after cerebral ischemia through regulating HMGB1

This study is applied to the investigation of the long noncoding RNA myocardial infarction associated transcript's (MIAT's) role in regulating the expression of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in cerebral microvascular endothelial cell (CMEC) injury after cerebral ischemia by serving as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to sponge microRNA-204-5p (miR-204-5p). The cerebral ischemia model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats was established by the suture method, in which rats were injected with empty plasmids and MIAT siRNA plasmids. The cerebral ischemia injury model in vitro was established through oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) in primary cultured CMECs in rats. The cells were transfected with empty plasmids and MIAT siRNA plasmids. The MIAT/miR-204-5p/HMGB1 axis' function in damage and angiogenesis of CMECs were explored. The binding site between MIAT and miR-204-5p along with that between miR-204-5p and HMGB1 was determined. MIAT was overexpressed in MCAO rats' brain tissue and inhibited MIAT attenuated the injury of brain tissue in MCAO rats. Inhibition of MIAT promoted angiogenesis, promoted miR-204-5p expression and inhibited HMGB1 expression in brain tissue of MCAO rats. Inhibition of MIAT reduced CMEC damage, induced angiogenesis of CMECs, increased the number of surviving neurons, promoted miR-204-5p expression and inhibited HMGB1 expression in CMECs treated with OGD. MIAT promoted HMGB1 expression by competitive binding to miR-204-5p to regulate the injury of CMECs after cerebral ischemia. Our study showed that MIAT promoted HMGB1 expression by competitively binding to miR-204-5p to regulate the injury of CMECs after cerebral ischemia.