Comprehensive analysis of the RNA transcriptome expression profiles and construction of the ceRNA network in heart failure patients with sacubitril/valsartan therapeutic heterogeneity after acute myocardial infarction

The association of serum hsa-miR-21-5p expression with the severity and prognosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

BACKGROUND

Heart failure poses a huge burden on the global population, and approximately 50% cases have reduced ejection fraction, namely, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The research was supposed to explore the relationship between serum hsa-miR-21-5p expression and the severity/prognosis of HFrEF.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 105 HFrEF patients and 86 healthy volunteers. RT-qPCR was used for the detection of serum hsa-miR-21-5p levels. Whether serum hsa-miR-21-5p expression correlated to cardiac function and hemodynamic indicators was evaluated using Spearman correlation analysis. Receiver operating characteristic and Kaplan-Meier analyses were implemented to evaluate the predictive significance of serum hsa-miR-21-5p for cardiovascular re-hospitalization and cardiovascular deaths in HFrEF patients. Independent risk factors for cardiovascular deaths were analyzed based on COX regression.

RESULTS

Higher heart rate, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP), left atrial diameter (LAD), systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), and hsa-miR-21-5p as well as lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) were detected in the HFrEF patients than in the controls. Hsa-miR-21-5p expression increased in HFrEF patients with the increase of NYHA grade. Serum hsa-miR-21-5p expression in HFrEF patients was positively relevant to NT-pro-BNP, LAD, sPAP, PVR, and PCWP but negatively related to LVEF and LVFS. Serum hsa-miR-21-5p had a high predictive value for cardiovascular re-hospitalization and cardiovascular deaths in HFrEF patients. High hsa-miR-21-5p expression was an independent dangerous factor for cardiovascular deaths.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, hsa-miR-21-5p expression in HFrEF patients is correlated with disease severity and the risk of cardiovascular re-hospitalization and cardiovascular deaths in HFrEF patients, indicating a new direction for evaluating the disease situation and prognosis.

Identification of hsa_circ_0076957 and miR-4512-targeted COL19A1 as regulators in clopidogrel resistance among stable coronary heart disease patients through comprehensive circRNA and miRNA analysis

BACKGROUND

Clopidogrel resistance (CR) increases the risk of atherothrombotic events. Emerging evidence suggests that circRNAs may influence pharmacodynamic responses to clopidogrel.

METHODS

A total of 25 CR and 25 non-clopidogrel resistance (NCR) patients were enrolled. To identify circRNAs and miRNAs associated with CR, a microarray analysis was performed on RNA samples from 5 CR to 5 NCR patients. Based on the 10 most dysregulated circRNAs, a circRNA-miRNA network was constructed to explore target interactions. Next, the expression of selected circRNAs and their targeted mRNAs was measured, and their diagnostic value for CR was evaluated. Through joint analysis, the candidate miRNAs were identified and verified by RT‒PCR. Finally, after THLE-2 cells were cultivated and transfected with plasmids, the interactions among circ_007695, miR-4512 and COL19A1 were detected.

RESULTS

Our present study revealed circRNA and miRNA microarray expression profiles in CR and NCR patients and constructed a circRNA‒miRNA network. Moreover, in the CR group, hsa_circ_0076837, hsa_circ_0057714, and hsa_circ_0076957 were downregulated, and the mRNA expression of AOX1 and COL19A1 was also lower in these CR patients. ROC curve analysis indicated that hsa_circ_0057714 (targeting AOX1) and hsa_circ_0076957 (targeting COL19A1) may serve as reliable biomarkers for distinguishing CR. Furthermore, we revealed that the level of miR-4512 was greater in CR and circ-0076957 could regulate COL19A1 expression by targeting miR4512 in THLE-2 cells.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight hsa_circ_0057714 and hsa_circ_0076957 as novel biomarkers for CR and suggest that circ-0076957 may regulate COL19A1 expression by targeting miR-4512, providing insights that could improve management of clopidogrel resistance in CAD.

Circular RNAs: a small piece in the heart failure puzzle

Cardiovascular disease, specifically heart failure (HF), remains a significant concern in the realm of healthcare, necessitating the development of new treatments and biomarkers. The RNA family consists of various subgroups, including microRNAs, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRAN) and long non-coding RNAs, which have shown potential in advancing personalized healthcare for HF patients. Recent research suggests that circular RNAs, a lesser-known subgroup of RNAs, may offer a novel set of targets and biomarkers for HF. This review will discuss the biogenesis of circular RNAs, their unique characteristics relevant to HF, their role in heart function, and their potential use as biomarkers in the bloodstream. Furthermore, future research directions in this field will be outlined. The stability of exosomal circRNAs makes them suitable as biomarkers, pathogenic regulators, and potential treatments for cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, acute coronary syndrome, ischemia/reperfusion injury, HF, and peripheral artery disease. Herein, we summarized the role of circular RNAs and their exosomal forms in HF diseases.

The roles of long noncoding RNA NEAT1 in cardiovascular diseases

The morbidity of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) gradually increases worldwide. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a large class of non-(protein)-coding RNAs with lengths beyond 200 nucleotides. Increasing evidence suggests that lncRNA NEAT1 plays important roles in the pathogenesis of CVDs, such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, atherosclerosis, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and others. We summarized the current studies of NEAT1 in CVDs, which shed light on the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of CVDs and understanding the therapeutic potential of NEAT1.

Directed Circularization of a Short RNA

Basic research and functional analyses of circular RNA (circRNA) have been limited by challenges in circRNA formation of desired length and sequence in adequate yields. Nowadays, circular RNA can be obtained using enzymatic, "ribozymatic," or modulated splice events. However, there are few records for the directed circularization of RNA. Here, we present a proof of principle for an affordable and efficient RNA-based system for the controlled synthesis of circRNA with a physiological 3',5'-phosphodiester conjunction. The engineered hairpin ribozyme variant circular ribozyme 3 (CRZ-3) performs self-cleavage poorly. We designed an activator-polyamine complex to complete cleavage as a prerequisite for subsequent circularization. The developed protocol allows synthesizing circRNA without external enzymatic assistance and adds a controllable way of circularization to the existing methods.

From multi-omics approaches to personalized medicine in myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a prevalent cardiovascular disease characterized by myocardial necrosis resulting from coronary artery ischemia and hypoxia, which can lead to severe complications such as arrhythmia, cardiac rupture, heart failure, and sudden death. Despite being a research hotspot, the etiological mechanism of MI remains unclear. The emergence and widespread use of omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other omics, have provided new opportunities for exploring the molecular mechanism of MI and identifying a large number of disease biomarkers. However, a single-omics approach has limitations in understanding the complex biological pathways of diseases. The multi-omics approach can reveal the interaction network among molecules at various levels and overcome the limitations of the single-omics approaches. This review focuses on the omics studies of MI, including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other omics. The exploration extended into the domain of multi-omics integrative analysis, accompanied by a compilation of diverse online resources, databases, and tools conducive to these investigations. Additionally, we discussed the role and prospects of multi-omics approaches in personalized medicine, highlighting the potential for improving diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of MI.