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

Icariin targets PDE5A to regulate viability, DNA synthesis and DNA damage of spermatogonial stem cells and improves reproductive capacity

ABSTRACT

Icariin is a pure compound derived from Epimedium brevicornu Maxim, and it helps the regulation of male reproduction. Nevertheless, the role and underlying mechanisms of Icariin in mediating male germ cell development remain to be clarified. Here, we have demonstrated that Icariin promoted proliferation and DNA synthesis of mouse spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Furthermore, surface plasmon resonance iron (SPRi) and molecular docking (MOE) assays revealed that phosphodiesterase 5A (PDE5A) was an important target of Icariin in mouse SSCs. Mechanically, Icariin decreased the expression level of PDE5A. Interestingly, hydrogen peroxides (H2O2) enhanced the expression level of phosphorylation H2A.X (p-H2A.X), whereas Icariin diminished the expression level of p-H2A.X and DNA damage caused by H2O2 in mouse SSCs. Finally, our in vivo animal study indicated that Icariin protected male reproduction. Collectively, these results implicate that Icariin targets PDE5A to regulate mouse SSC viability and DNA damage and improves male reproductive capacity. This study thus sheds new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying the fate decisions of mammalian SSCs and offers a scientific basis for the clinical application of Icariin in male reproduction.

LncRNA HOXA-AS3 promotes cell proliferation and invasion via targeting miR-218-5p/FOXP1 axis in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive form of bone cancer and affects the health in children and adolescents. Although conventional treatment improves the osteosarcoma survival, some patients have metastasis and drug resistance, leading to a worse prognosis. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the molecular mechanism of osteosarcoma occurrence and progression, which could discover the novel treatment for osteosarcoma. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to regulate osteosarcoma occurrence and malignant progression. LncRNA HOXA-AS3 facilitates the tumorigenesis and progression in a variety of human cancers. However, the underlying mechanism of lncRNA HOXA-AS3-induced oncogenesis is poorly determined in osteosarcoma. To address this point, we utilized several cellular biological strategies and molecular approaches to explore the biological functions and mechanisms of lncRNA HOXA-AS3 in osteosarcoma cells. We found that lncRNA HOXA-AS3 facilitates cell proliferation and invasion via targeting miR-218-5p/FOXP1 axis in osteosarcoma. In conclusion, lncRNA HOXA-AS3 could be a promising target for osteosarcoma treatment.

Role of HOXA1-4 in the development of genetic and malignant diseases

The HOXA genes, belonging to the HOX family, encompass 11 members (HOXA1-11) and exert critical functions in early embryonic development, as well as various adult processes. Furthermore, dysregulation of HOXA genes is implicated in genetic diseases, heart disease, and various cancers. In this comprehensive overview, we primarily focused on the HOXA1-4 genes and their associated functions and diseases. Emphasis was placed on elucidating the impact of abnormal expression of these genes and highlighting their significance in maintaining optimal health and their involvement in the development of genetic and malignant diseases. Furthermore, we delved into their regulatory mechanisms, functional roles, and underlying biology and explored the therapeutic potential of targeting HOXA1-4 genes for the treatment of malignancies. Additionally, we explored the utility of HOXA1-4 genes as biomarkers for monitoring cancer recurrence and metastasis.

MicroRNAs and their regulators: Potential therapeutic targets in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a complex and progressive disease characterized by pulmonary arterial remodeling. Despite that current combination therapy has shown improvement in morbidity and mortality, a better deciphering of the underlying pathological mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets is urgently needed to combat PAH. MicroRNA, the critical element in post-transcription mechanisms, mediates cellular functions mainly by tuning downstream target gene expression. Meanwhile, upstream regulators can regulate miRNAs in synthesis, transcription, and function. In vivo and in vitro studies have suggested that miRNAs and their regulators are involved in PAH. However, the miRNA-related regulatory mechanisms governing pulmonary vascular remodeling and right ventricular dysfunction remain elusive. Hence, this review summarized the controversial roles of miRNAs in PAH pathogenesis, focused on different miRNA-upstream regulators, including transcription factors, regulatory networks, and environmental stimuli, and finally proposed the prospects and challenges for the therapeutic application of miRNAs and their regulators in PAH treatment.

Epigenetic regulation of programmed cell death in hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe progressive disease that may cause early right ventricular failure and eventual cardiac failure. The pathogenesis of PAH involves endothelial dysfunction, aberrant proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), and vascular fibrosis. Hypoxia has been shown to induce elevated secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), leading to the development of hypoxic PAH. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying hypoxic PAH remain incompletely understood. Programmed cell death (PCD) is a natural cell death and regulated by certain genes. Emerging evidence suggests that apoptotic resistance contributes to the development of PAH. Moreover, several novel types of PCD, such as autophagy, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis, have been reported to be involved in the development of PAH. Additionally, multiple diverse epigenetic mechanisms including RNA methylation, DNA methylation, histone modification, and the non-coding RNA molecule-mediated processes have been strongly linked to the development of PAH. These epigenetic modifications affect the expression of genes, which produce important changes in cellular biological processes, including PCD. Consequently, a better understanding of the PCD processes and epigenetic modification involved in PAH will provide novel, specific therapeutic strategies for diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we aim to discuss recent advances in epigenetic mechanisms and elucidate the role of epigenetic modifications in regulating PCD in hypoxia-induced PAH.

Unraveling the epigenetic landscape of pulmonary arterial hypertension: implications for personalized medicine development

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a multifactorial disease associated with the remodeling of pulmonary blood vessels. If left unaddressed, PAH can lead to right heart failure and even death. Multiple biological processes, such as smooth muscle proliferation, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and resistance to apoptosis, are associated with PAH. Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic factors play an important role in PAH by regulating the chromatin structure and altering the expression of critical genes. For example, aberrant DNA methylation and histone modifications such as histone acetylation and methylation have been observed in patients with PAH and are linked to vascular remodeling and pulmonary vascular dysfunction. In this review article, we provide a comprehensive overview of the role of key epigenetic targets in PAH pathogenesis, including DNA methyltransferase (DNMT), ten-eleven translocation enzymes (TET), switch-independent 3A (SIN3A), enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), histone deacetylase (HDAC), and bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4). Finally, we discuss the potential of multi-omics integration to better understand the molecular signature and profile of PAH patients and how this approach can help identify personalized treatment approaches.

Clinical value of lncRNA SOX2-OT in pulmonary arterial hypertension and its role in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and inflammatory

BACKGROUND

Non-coding RNA is confirmed to be involved in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the clinical value and potential mechanisms of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) SRY-box transcription factor 2 overlapping transcript (SOX2-OT) in PAH.

METHODS

SOX2-OT levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in serum of 82 patients with PAH and 76 healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic value of SOX2-OT. Human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs) were treated by hypoxia to construct PAH cell models. Proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and inflammatory cytokines levels of hPASMCs were examined by CCK-8, Transwell, flow cytometry, and ELISA assay. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to verify the target relationships between miR-455-3p and SOX2-OT, as well as small ubiquitin-related modifier 1 (SUMO1).

RESULTS

Serum SOX2-OT was highly expressed in patients with PAH (P < 0.05). And elevated SOX2-OT levels significantly differentiated PAH patients from healthy controls, confirming high diagnostic feasibility. What's more, SOX2-OT was increased in hypoxia-induced hPASMCs in a time-dependent manner. Silencing SOX2-OT could reverse hypoxia-induced proliferation, migration, anti-apoptosis, and inflammation of hPASMCs (P < 0.05). However, rescue experiments showed that this reversal effect of silencing SOX2-OT was attenuated by suppressed miR-455-3p, which was presumably achieved by SUMO1 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated SOX2-OT is a feasible diagnostic marker for PAH, and its silencing may attenuated hypoxia-induced hPASMCs proliferation, migration, anti-apoptosis, and inflammation by modulating the miR-455-3p/SUMO1 axis, preventing vascular remodeling and PAH progression. Our research provided new insights for PAH treatment.

The integrated comprehension of lncRNA HOXA-AS3 implication on human diseases

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a non-protein-coding RNA with a length of more than 200 nucleotides. Studies have shown that lncRNAs have vital impacts on various pathological processes and participate in the development of human diseases, usually through acting as competing endogenous RNAs to modulate miRNA expression and biological functions. lncRNA HOXA Cluster Antisense RNA 3 (HOXA-AS3) was a newly discovered lncRNA and has been demonstrated to be abnormally expressed in many diseases. Moreover, HOXA-AS3 expression was closely correlated with the clinicopathologic characteristics in cancer patients. In addition, HOXA-AS3 exhibited significant properties in regulating several biological processes, including cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Furthermore, HOXA-AS3 has provided promising values in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic strategies of several diseases such as liver cancer, glioma, lung cancer, oral cancer, gastric cancer, and even atherosclerosis. In this review, we discuss the abnormal expression of HOXA-AS3 in several human disorders and some pathobiological processes and its clinical characteristics, followed by a summary of HOXA-AS3 functions, regulatory mechanisms, and clinical application potential.

The Landscape of Noncoding RNA in Pulmonary Hypertension

The transcriptome of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is complex and highly genetically heterogeneous, with noncoding RNA transcripts playing crucial roles. The majority of RNAs in the noncoding transcriptome are long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) with less circular RNAs (circRNAs), which are two characteristics gaining increasing attention in the forefront of RNA research field. These noncoding transcripts (especially lncRNAs and circRNAs) exert important regulatory functions in PH and emerge as potential disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Recent technological advancements have established great momentum for discovery and functional characterization of ncRNAs, which include broad transcriptome sequencing such as bulk RNA-sequence, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and RNA-protein/RNA interactions. In this review, we summarize the current research on the classification, biogenesis, and the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of these noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) involved in the pulmonary vascular remodeling in PH. Furthermore, we highlight the utility and challenges of using these ncRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutics in PH.