MiR-144-3p Aggravated Cartilage Injury in Rheumatoid Arthritis by Regulating BMP2/PI3K/Akt Axis

Regulatory role of ceRNA network in B lymphocytes of patients with immune thrombocytopenia

OBJECTIVE

High-throughput sequencing was used to screen expressing differences of miRNA, lncRNA, and mRNA in CD19+ B peripheral blood samples of newly diagnosed immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients and healthy controls. The study aimed to explore the regulatory role of ceRNA network in the pathogenesis of dysfunctional CD19 + B lymphocytes of ITP patients.

METHODS

CD19+ B lymphocytes were isolated from peripheral blood samples of ITP patients and their healthy counterparts. High-throughput sequencing was used to screen for the expression of miRNA, lncRNA, and mRNA of ITP patients and healthy controls, which were analysed by the ceRNA network. Moreover, qPCR was used to verify the differential expression of miRNA, lncRNA, and mRNA in ITP patients and healthy controls. The correlation between differentially expressed miRNA, lncRNA, mRNA, and B lymphocyte subsets was also analysed.

RESULTS

The CD19+ B lymphocytes of 4 newly diagnosed ITP patients and 4 healthy controls were sequenced and analysed. There were 65 differentially expressed lncRNA and 149 mRNA forming a ceRNA network showed that 12 lncRNA and 136 differentially expressed mRNA were closely associated. Similarly, miR-144-3p, miR-374c-3p, and miR-451a were highly expressed in ITP patients, as confirmed by qPCR, which was consistent with the high-throughput sequence results. LOC102724852 and CCL20 were highly expressed in ITP patients, while LOC105378901, LOC112268311, ALAS2, and TBC1D3F were not as compared to healthy controls, which was consistent with the high-throughput sequence results. In addition, the expression of miR-374c-3p, LOC112268311, LOC105378901, and CXCL3 were correlated with the percentage of B lymphocyte subsets.

CONCLUSIONS

The ceRNA network of miRNA, lncRNA, and mRNA in peripheral CD19 + B lymphocytes plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of ITP.

Associations of miRNA-146a and miRNA-223 with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Their Predictive Values

Purpose

To analyze the independent associations of miRNA-146a and miRNA-223 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and evaluate their predictive values for RA.

Patients and Methods

A total of 68 RA patients were selected as cases, and meanwhile 68 patients with a traumatic knee condition were selected as controls by matching to the cases according to sex and age at the ratio of 1:1. The independent associations of miRNA-146a and miRNA-223 with RA were identified by binary logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate their predictive values for RA.

Results

MiRNA-146a and miRNA-223 expression levels in both synovial tissues and serums were statistically higher in cases than in controls, and their expression levels in serums were not statistically different from those in synovial tissues in both cases and controls. The expression levels of miRNA-146a and miRNA-223 in synovial tissues were independently associated with RA, as well as the expression levels of miRNA-146a and miRNA-223 in serums. The area under curve (AUC) of combination of miRNA-146a and miRNA-223 in synovial tissues for the prediction of RA was 0.910 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.863-0.962], and the AUC of combination of miRNA-146a and miRNA-223 in serums was 0.904 (95% CI: 0.851-0.957). Their difference was not statistically significant (P=0.873), but the AUC of combination prediction was statistically higher than those of individual predictions (synovial tissues: 0.910 vs 0.773, P=0.005, 0.910 vs 0.788, P=0.009; serums: 0.904 vs 0.766, P=0.005, 0.904 vs 0.784, P=0.011).

Conclusion

MiRNA-146a and miRNA-223 in both synovial tissues and serums could be applied in predicting RA, and their combination could elevate the predictive value significantly.

Bioinformatics analysis of ceRNA regulatory network of baicalin in alleviating pathological joint alterations in CIA rats

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inffammation of synovium, leading to cartilage damage, bone erosion,even joint destruction and deformity. The conventional treatment modalities in RA are associated with side effects, emphasizing the need for alternative therapeutic remedies. Baicalin possesses multiple pharmacological effects and the advantage of low toxicity. This study aimed to reveal the potential gene regulatory mechanisms underlying the alleviating effects of baicalin in joint pathological alterations in Collagen-Induced Arthritis (CIA) rat models. At 28 days after the primary immunization, 60mg/kg/d of baicalin was administered via intraperitoneal injection once daily for 40 days, and the pathological alterations of hind paw joints were examined with X-ray imaging. Subsequently, the synovial tissue of knee joints was isolated, from which total RNA was extracted, and mRNA and miRNA sequencing libraries were established. Finally, High-throughput transcriptome sequencing(RNA-seq) technology was performed, and the lncRNAs/miRNAs/mRNAs competing endogenous RNA(ceRNA) regulatory network was analyzed. The CIA model was successfully established, and baicalin treatment significantly alleviated the destruction of distal joints of CIA rat models (p < 0.01). We found that 3 potential ceRNA regulatory networks of baicalin were established, including lncRNA ENSRNOT00000076420/miR-144-3p/Fosb, lncRNA MSTRG.1448.13/miR-144-3p/Atp2b2 and lncRNA MSTRG.1448.13/miR-144-3p/Shanks. The validation results from synovial tissue of CIA rats were consistent with the RNA-Seq results. Overall, this study revealed potentially important genes and ceRNA regulatory network that mediate the alleviating effects of baicalin on joint pathological alterations in CIA rats.

Expression of lncRNA MALAT1 through miR-144-3p in Osteoporotic Tibial Fracture Rats and Its Effect on Osteogenic Differentiation of BMSC under Traction

Objective

To investigate the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 and miR-144-3p in osteoporotic (OP) tibial fracture rats and analyze their targeting relationship and effects on the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) under traction.

Methods

The OP tibial fracture model was established, and the rats were divided into a sham group and a model group. The tibial tissue of these rats was taken. BMSC of cultured rats with good growth was purchased and grouped according to the presence or absence of transfection of si-MALAT1 and miR-144-3p-mimic. The expression of MALAT1 and miR-144-3p in each group was detected. The bioinformatics website and double luciferase were used to predict the targeting relationship between MALAT1 and miR-144-3p and to detect the expression of genes related to bone differentiation (collagen I, osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)) of each component, and ALP staining and AR staining were used to detect the formation of BMSC calcium nodules.

Results

The levels of ALP and TRAP in the model group were higher than that in the sham group (P < 0.05). qRT-PCR results showed that the relative expression level of MALAT1 in the model group was higher than that in the sham group, and the relative expression level of miR-144-3p was lower than that in the sham group (P < 0.05). MALAT1 has a targeting relationship with miR-144-3p. qRT-PCR results showed that the relative expression level of MALAT1 in the tension-MSC group was higher than the MSC group, and the relative expression level of miR-144-3p was lower than the MSC group (P < 0.05). The expressions of collagen I, OCN, OPN, and ALP proteins in the si-MALAT1 group were higher than those of the si-NC group (P < 0.05). The results of ALP staining showed that BMSCs of the si-MALAT1 group had stronger osteogenic differentiation capacity and higher ALP activity than those of the si-NC group. The results of AR staining showed that compared with the si-NC group, the mineralization degree of cells in the si-MALAT1 group was higher, the number of calcium nodules was more, and the cells were more deeply stained. The expressions of collagen I, OCN, OPN, and ALP proteins in the miR-144-3p-mimic group were higher than the mimic-NC group (P < 0.05). ALP staining results showed that BMSCs in the miR-144-3p-mimic group had strong osteogenic differentiation capacity and high ALP activity compared with the mimic-NC group. The results of AR staining showed that, compared with the mimic-NC group, the mineralization degree of cells in the miR-144-3p-mimic group was higher, the number of calcium nodules was more and the cells were more deeply stained.

Conclusion

In the OP rat model with the tibial fracture, the expression of MALAT1 is upregulated and that of miR-144-3p is downregulated. MALAT1 has a targeting relationship with miR-144-3p, and downregulation of MALAT1 and upregulation of miR-144-3p can promote the osteogenic differentiation of BMSC under traction.