MicroRNA-183 as a Novel Regulator Protects Against Cardiomyocytes Hypertrophy via Targeting TIAM1

Causal effects of noise and air pollution on multiple diseases highlight the dual role of inflammatory factors in ambient exposures

BACKGROUND

Noise and air pollution are significant environmental threats with proven adverse health effects. However, the causality between these ambient exposures and disease is still largely unknown. This study aims to provide genetic evidence for this gap and investigates the dual role of inflammatory factors, emphasizing the need for integrated public health strategies.

METHODS

We included noise and air pollution as exposures, 91 inflammatory factors as mediators, and 26 diseases as outcomes. We explored causal relationships using Mendelian randomization. To ensure the reliability, we screened single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) closely associated with exposure as instrumental variables (IVs), and assessed the pleiotropy and heterogeneity of these IVs.

RESULTS

Our results suggest that "Hearing difficulty/problems with background noise" increases the risk of hypertension, bronchitis, and menopause; loud music exposure frequency increases the risk of bronchitis; noisy workplace raises the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, narcolepsy, and irritable bowel syndrome; NO2 increases the risk of myocardial infarction and chronic heart failure; NOx increases the risk of pneumonia and inflammatory diseases of female pelvic organs; and PM10 increases the risk of myocardial infarction, narcolepsy, and type 2 diabetes; PM2.5-10 increases the risk of developing pneumonia and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, we found that nine inflammatory factors play a mediating role, of which four play a mediating role in increasing the risk of morbidity and eight play a mediating role in protection against ambient exposures. Finally, we selected SNPs significantly associated with exposure and outcome for enrichment analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides the first genetic evidence linking noise and air pollution to various diseases, highlighting the dual mediating role of inflammatory factors. Our findings align with the "One Health" framework, emphasizing the interconnectedness of environmental and human health. Integrated public health strategies considering these complex biological responses are essential for promoting overall well-being.

Knockdown of lncRNA SNHG16 attenuates myocardial ischemia‑reoxygenation injury via targeting miR‑183/FOXO1 axis

Accumulating evidence shows that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely involved in cellular processes of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). The present study investigated the functions of lncRNA SNHG16 in myocardial I/R and the mechanism mediated by SNHG16. The myocardial I/R rat and cell model and hypoxia/reoxygenation injury (H/R) models of H9C2 cardiomyocytes were established to detect the expression of SNHG16. Cell Counting Kit-8, flow cytometric and western blot assays were conducted to detect cell viability, apoptosis and protein expression. Myocardial cell apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL staining. Dual-luciferase gene reporter was applied to determine the interaction between the molecules. The expressions of SNHG16 were upregulated in myocardial I/R injury models. Inhibition of SNHG16 relieved myocardial I/R injury in vivo and in vitro silencing of SNHG16 alleviated H/R induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. To explore the regulatory mechanism, it was discovered that SNHG16 directly interacted with miR-183, while forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) was a target of microRNA (miR)-183. Findings from rescue assays revealed that miR-183 inhibitor and upregulation of FOXO1 can rescue the effect of sh-SNHG16 on H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The results indicated that the lncRNA SNHG16/miR-183/FOXO1 axis exacerbated myocardial cell apoptosis in myocardial I/R injury, suggesting SNHG16 as a potential therapeutic target for myocardial I/R injury.

The Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Salt-Sensitive Hypertension and Renal Injury

Hypertension and its comorbidities pose a major public health problem associated with disease-associated factors related to a modern lifestyle, such high salt intake or obesity. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that aldosterone and its receptor, the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), have crucial roles in the development of salt-sensitive hypertension and coexisting cardiovascular and renal injuries. Accordingly, clinical trials have repetitively shown the promising effects of MR blockers in these diseases. We and other researchers have identified novel mechanisms of MR activation involved in salt-sensitive hypertension and renal injury, including the obesity-derived overproduction of aldosterone and ligand-independent signaling. Moreover, recent advances in the analysis of cell-specific and context-dependent mechanisms of MR activation in various tissues-including a classic target of aldosterone, aldosterone-sensitive distal nephrons-are now providing new insights. In this review, we summarize recent updates to our understanding of aldosterone-MR signaling, focusing on its role in salt-sensitive hypertension and renal injury.

MicroRNA Profiling of HL-1 Cardiac Cells-Derived Extracellular Vesicles

HL-1 is a cell line that shows a phenotype similar to adult cardiomyocytes. All major cardiac cell types release extracellular vesicles (EVs) that emerge as key mediators of intercellular communication. EVs can mediate intercellular cross-talk through the transfer of specific microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs are known to play important regulatory roles during tissue differentiation and regeneration processes. Furthermore, miRNAs have recently been shown to be involved in the proliferation of adult cardiomyocytes. In this context, the purpose of this study was to analyze the transcriptomic profile of miRNAs expressed from HL-1 cardiac muscle cell-derived EVs, using next generation sequencing (NGS). Specifically, our transcriptomic analysis showed that the EVs derived from our HL-1 cells contained miRNAs that induce blood vessel formation and increase cell proliferation. Indeed, our bioinformatics analysis revealed 26 miRNAs expressed in EVs derived from our HL-1 that target genes related to cardiovascular development. In particular, their targets are enriched for the following biological processes related to cardiovascular development: heart morphogenesis, positive regulation of angiogenesis, artery development, ventricular septum development, cardiac atrium development, and myoblast differentiation. Consequently, EVs could become important in the field of regenerative medicine.