CircUSP39/miR-362-3p/TRAF3 Axis Mediates Hypoxia/Reoxygenation-Induced Cardiomyocyte Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Apoptosis

circAGO3 facilitates NF-κB pathway-mediated inflammatory atrophy in chicken skeletal muscle via the miR-34b-5p/TRAF3 axis

Circular RNAs have emerged as critical regulators of gene expression across various biological systems. In this study, circAGO3, originating from exons 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the AGO3 gene in chickens, is characterized for its stability and differential expression during both embryonic and post-hatch stages. Overexpression of circAGO3 in chicken skeletal muscle markedly disrupts myogenesis by downregulating muscle differentiation markers and upregulating genes associated with muscle atrophy. RNA sequencing and functional analyses further delineate circAGO3's involvement in modulating inflammatory responses through the NF-κB signaling pathway, mediated by its interaction with miR-34b-5p. These findings highlight circAGO3's potential importance in poultry production by uncovering its regulatory roles in skeletal muscle development and inflammation, positioning it as a promising target for enhancing muscle growth and health in poultry farming.

Astragaloside IV Inhibits Lung Injury and Fibrosis Induced by PM2.5 by Targeting RUNX1 Through miR-362-3p

To discover the molecular mechanism of Astragaloside IV (AS IV) in PM2.5-induced lung injury and pulmonary fibrosis (PF). A lung injury rat model was induced by PM2.5 and injected intraperitoneally with AS IV. Lungs were harvested to evaluate lung tissue injury and apoptosis. Rat alveolar epithelial cells L2 were exposed to PM2.5 and treated with AS IV. After cellular transfection, cell proliferation, LDH production, and apoptosis were measured. In both models, inflammatory factors and fibrotic indices were measured by ELISA and Western blot. miR-362-3p and RUNX1 interplay was explored and confirmed. Administration of AS IV attenuated PM2.5-induced lung tissue injury, inflammation, apoptosis, and PF in rats. AS IV enhanced proliferation and reduced LDH release, apoptosis, inflammation, and PF in PM2.5-treated L2 cells. MiR-362-3p upregulation improved PM2.5-induced L2 cell injury. AS IV improved PM2.5-induced lung injury by upregulating miR-362-3p. miR-362-3p had an inhibition effect on RUNX1 expression. RUNX1 upregulation weakened the therapeutic effect of AS IV on PM2.5-induced alveolar epithelial cell injury. AS IV inhibits lung injury and PF induced by PM2.5 by targeting RUNX1 through upregulation of miR-362-3p.

Research trends and hotspots of circular RNA in cardiovascular disease: A bibliometric analysis

From a global perspective, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the leading factor accounting for population mortality, and circRNAs, RNA molecules with stable closed-loop structures, have been proven to be closely related. The latent clinical value and the potential role of circRNAs in CVDs have been attracting increasing, active research interest, but bibliometric studies in this field are still lacking. Thus, in this study, we conducted a bibliometric analysis by using software such as VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Microsoft Excel, and the R package to determine the current research progress and hotspots and ultimately provide an overview of the development trends and future frontiers in this field. In our study, based on our search strategy, a total of 1206 publications published before July 31, 2023 were accessed from the WOSCC database. According to our findings, there is a notable increasing trend in global publications in the field of circRNA in CVDs. China was found to be the dominant country in terms of publication number, but a lack of high-quality articles was a significant fault. A cluster analysis on the co-cited references indicated that dilated cardiomyopathy, AMI, and cardiac hypertrophy are the greatest objects of concern. In contrast, a keywords analysis indicated that high importance has been ascribed to MI, abdominal aortic aneurysm, cell proliferation, and coronary artery diseases.

Crosstalk between ubiquitin ligases and ncRNAs drives cardiovascular disease progression

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are multifactorial chronic diseases and have the highest rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays a crucial role in posttranslational modification and quality control of proteins, maintaining intracellular homeostasis via degradation of misfolded, short-lived, or nonfunctional regulatory proteins. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs, such as microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs and small interfering RNAs) serve as epigenetic factors and directly or indirectly participate in various physiological and pathological processes. NcRNAs that regulate ubiquitination or are regulated by the UPS are involved in the execution of target protein stability. The cross-linked relationship between the UPS, ncRNAs and CVDs has drawn researchers' attention. Herein, we provide an update on recent developments and perspectives on how the crosstalk of the UPS and ncRNAs affects the pathological mechanisms of CVDs, particularly myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and ischemic stroke. In addition, we further envision that RNA interference or ncRNA mimics or inhibitors targeting the UPS can potentially be used as therapeutic tools and strategies.

MiR-4521 affects the propagation of Cryptosporidium parvum in HCT-8 cells through targeting foxm1 by regulating cell apoptosis

Cryptosporidium parvum could regulate the expression of microRNAs of epithelial cells to facilitate its intracellular propagation. MiR-4521 has been reported to play an important role during the development and progression of tumors and infectious diseases by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy. However, the implication of miR-4521 during C. parvum infection was still unknown. In this study, the expression of miR-4521 was found to be upregulated in HCT-8 cells infected with C. parvum from 8 h post-infection (pi) to 48 hpi, and its upregulation would be related with the TLR/NF-κB signal pathway during C. parvum infection. One potential target of miR-4521, foxm1, was down-regulated in HCT-8 cells from 24 hpi to 48 hpi, and the expression of foxm1 was negatively regulated by miR-4521. The target relationship between miR-4521 and foxm1 was further validated by using dual luciferase reporter assay. Further studies showed that miR-4521 promoted the propagation of C. parvum in HCT-8 cells through targeting foxm1 by regulating BCL2-mediating cell apoptosis. These results contribute to further understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of host miRNAs during Cryptosporidium infection.