LncRNA SNHG16 induces proliferation and fibrogenesis via modulating miR-141-3p and CCND1 in diabetic nephropathy

LncRNA SNHG14 silencing attenuates the progression of diabetic nephropathy via the miR-30e-5p/SOX4 axis

BACKGROUND

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a diabetic complication. LncRNAs are reported to participate in the pathophysiology of DN. Here, the function and mechanism of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 14 (SNHG14) in DN were explored.

METHODS

Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DN mouse models and high glucose (HG)-treated human mesangial cells (MCs) were used to detect SNHG14 expression. SNHG14 silencing plasmids were applied to examine the function of SNHG14 on proliferation and fibrosis in HG-treated MCs. Potential targets of SNHG14 were predicted using bioinformatics tools and verified by luciferase reporter, RNA pulldown, and northern blotting assays. The functional role of SNHG14 in DN in vivo was detected by injection with adenoviral vector carrying sh-SNHG14 into DN mice. Serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, blood glucose, 24-h proteinuria, relative kidney weight, and renal pathological changes were examined in DN mice.

RESULTS

SNHG14 expression was elevated in the kidneys of DN mice and HG-treated MCs. SNHG14 silencing inhibited proliferation and fibrosis of HG-stimulated MCs. SNHG14 bound to miR-30e-5p to upregulate SOX4 expression. In rescue assays, SOX4 elevation diminished the effects of SNHG14 silencing in HG-treated MCs, and SOX4 silencing reversed the effects of SNHG14 overexpression. In in vivo studies, SNHG14 downregulation significantly ameliorated renal injuries and renal interstitial fibrosis in DN mice.

CONCLUSIONS

SNHG14 silencing attenuates kidney injury in DN mice and reduces proliferation and fibrotic phenotype of HG-stimulated MCs via the miR-30e-5p/SOX4 axis.

SNHG16/miR-205/HDAC5 is involved in the progression of renal fibrosis

Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) represents an irreversible and progressive pathological manifestation of chronic renal disease, which ultimately leads to end-stage renal disease. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been suggested to be involved in the progression of RIF. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16), a member of lncRNAs, has been found to be involved in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. This paper first researched the effect of SNHG16 on renal fibrosis. We established a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced mouse RIF model by ligation of the left ureter to evaluate the biological function of SNHG16 in RIF. As a result, SNHG16 was upregulated in UUO-induced renal fibrotic tissues. Knockdown of SNHG16 inhibited RIF and reduced alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin, and college IV expression. miR-205 was a target of SNHG16, and downregulated in UUO-induced renal fibrotic tissues. Inhibition of miR-205 promoted RIF and increased the expression of α-SMA, college IV, and fibronectin. Overexpression of SNHG16 promoted the UUO-induced RIF, but miR-205 abrogated this effect of SNHG16. Histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) showed high expression in UUO-induced renal fibrotic tissues. Knockdown of HDAC5 significantly reduced α-SMA, fibronectin, and college IV expression in renal tissues of UUO-induced mice. Inhibition of miR-205 promoted HDAC5 expression, but knockdown of SNHG16 inhibited HDAC5 expression in renal tissues of UUO-induced mice. In conclusion, SHNG16 is highly expressed in renal fibrotic tissues of UUO-induced mice. Knockdown of SHNG16 may prevent UUO-induced RIF by indirectly upregulating HDAC5 via targeting miR-205. SHNG16 may be novel target for treating renal fibrosis.

Silencing LncRNA SNHG16 suppresses the diabetic inflammatory response by targeting the miR-212-3p/NF-κB signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been identified to play an important role in diabetes. The aim of the present study was to determine the expression and function of small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) in diabetic inflammation.

METHODS

For the in vitro experiments, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to detect LncRNA SNHG16 expression in the high-glucose state. The potential microRNA sponge target of LncRNA SNHG16, miR-212-3p, was detected by dual-luciferase reporter analysis and qRT-PCR. For the in vivo experiments, glucose changes in mice were detected after si-SNHG16 treatment, and SNHG16 and inflammatory factor expression in kidney tissues were detected by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

LncRNA SNHG16 was upregulated in diabetic patients, HG-induced THP-1 cells, and diabetic mice. Silencing SNHG16 inhibited the diabetic inflammatory response and the development of diabetic nephropathy. miR-212-3p was found to be directly dependent on LncRNA SNHG16. miR-212-3p could inhibitor P65 phosphorylation in THP-1 cells. The miR-212-3p inhibitor reversed the action of si-SNHG16 in THP-1 cells and induced an inflammatory response in THP-1 cells. LncRNA SNHG16 was also found to be higher in the peripheral blood of diabetic patients than in the normal person. The area under the ROC curve is 0.813.

CONCLUSION

These data suggested that silencing LncRNA SNHG16 suppresses diabetic inflammatory responses by competitively binding miR-212-3p to regulate NF-κB. LncRNA SNHG16 can be used as a novel biomarker for patients with type 2 diabetes.

LncRNA SNHG16 regulates RAS and NF-κB pathway-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation to aggravate diabetes nephropathy through stabilizing TLR4

AIMS

LncRNA SNHG16 and Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) participate in diabetes nephropathy. This study investigated whether SNHG16 regulates diabetic renal injury (DRI) via TLR4 and its related mechanism.

METHODS

Diabetic mice and high glucose (HG)-induced HRMCs were used to examine the expressions of SNHG16 and TLR4. The SNHG16 expression, cytokines, reactive oxygen species, MDA, SOD, GSH, and fibrosis-related proteins were evaluated in HG-induced HRMCs transfected with sh-NC or sh-SHNG16. RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down determined the interaction between SNHG16 and EIF4A3 or TLR4 and EIF4A3. We used HG-treated HRMCs or diabetic mice to investigate the roles of TLR4 or SNHG16 in renal injuries.

RESULTS

Both SNHG16 and TLR4 were upregulated in diabetic conditions. HG increased serum Scr and BUN, led to significant fibrosis, increased inflammation- and renal fibrosis-related proteins in mice, and increased ROS, MDA, and decreased SOD and GSH in HRMCs. SNHG16 silencing diminished HG-upregulated SNHG16, decreased HG-increased cytokines secretion, ROS, MDA, and fibrosis but increased SOD and GSH. RIP and RNA pull-down confirmed that SNHG16 recruits EIF4A3 to stabilize TLR4 mRNA. TLR4 knockdown alleviated HG-induced renal injuries by suppressing RAS and NF-κB-mediated activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes. SNHG16 knockdown alleviated HG-induced renal injuries in HG-induced HRMCs or diabetic mice. Interestingly, TLR4 overexpression reversed the effects of SNHG16 knockdown. Mechanistically, SNHG16 knockdown alleviated HG-induced renal injuries by suppressing TLR4.

CONCLUSION

SNHG16 accelerated HG-induced renal injuries via recruiting EIF4A3 to enhance the stabilization of TLR4 mRNA. The SNGHG16/ELF4A3/TLR4 axis might be a novel target for treating DRI.

Long non-coding RNA SNHG16 promotes human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cell proliferation capacity through the PI3K/AKT pathway under hypoxia

BACKGROUND

The effect of hypoxia on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is an emerging topic in MSC biology. Although long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are reported to play a critical role in regulating the biological characteristics of MSCs, their specific expression and co-expression profiles in human placenta-derived MSCs (hP-MSCs) under hypoxia and the underlying mechanisms of lncRNAs in hP-MSC biology are unknown.

AIM

To reveal the specific expression profiles of lncRNAs in hP-MSCs under hypoxia and initially explored the possible mechanism of lncRNAs on hP-MSC biology.

METHODS

Here, we used a multigas incubator (92.5% N₂, 5% CO₂, and 2.5% O₂) to mimic the hypoxia condition and observed that hypoxic culture significantly promoted the proliferation potential of hP-MSCs. RNA sequencing technology was applied to identify the exact expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs under hypoxia.

RESULTS

We identified 289 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 240 differentially expressed mRNAs between the hypoxia and normoxia groups. Among them, the lncRNA SNHG16 was upregulated under hypoxia, which was also validated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. SNHG16 was confirmed to affect hP-MSC proliferation rates using a SNHG16 knockdown model. SNHG16 overexpression could significantly enhance the proliferation capacity of hP-MSCs, activate the PI3K/AKT pathway, and upregulate the expression of cell cycle-related proteins.

CONCLUSION

Our results revealed the specific expression characteristics of lncRNAs and mRNAs in hypoxia-cultured hP-MSCs and that lncRNA SNHG16 can promote hP-MSC proliferation through the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Long non-coding RNA SNHG16 silencing inhibits proliferation and inflammation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophages by targeting miR-140-5p expression

OBJECTIVE

The study investigated the clinical diagnostic value of long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) and explored its underlying molecular mechanism through Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosiinfection of macrophages.

METHODS

RT-qPCR analysis of the serum SNHG16 levels of the 66 healthy individuals, 67 latent TB (LTB) patients, and 67 active TB (ATB) patients. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve to detect the clinical diagnostic value of SNHG16 in TB patients. In vitro, M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages, CCK-8 and ELISA to detect cell proliferation and inflammatory factor levels. Luciferase reported assay was performed to analyze the targeting relationship between SNHG16 and miR-140-5p.

RESULTS

SNHG16 was significantly elevated in TB patients, and among them, ATB patients were higher than LTB patients. ROC confirmed that SNHG16 could distinguish LTB patients from healthy controls, and ATB patients from LTB patients, and can be used as a good diagnostic biomarker for TB. M. tuberculosis infection increased SNHG16 levels and promoted the proliferation and inflammation in macrophages. However, SNHG16 silencing significantly reversed the effect of infection. miR-140-5p, a direct target miRNA of SNHG16, was down-regulated in TB patients and was negatively correlated with SNHG16. When miR-140-5p was inhibited, the alleviating effect of SNHG16 silencing on M. tuberculosis infection proliferation and inflammation was significantly reversed.

CONCLUSION

The present results suggested that SNHG16 may be a new diagnostic biomarker for TB patients and SNHG16 silencing may alleviate TB by inhibiting the proliferation of macrophages in TB by regulation miR-140-5p.

Long Non-Coding NONRATG001910.2 Promotes the Proliferation of Rat Mesangial Cell Line HBZY-1 Through the miR-339-3p/CTNNB1 Axis

Chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) is one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). A growing body of literature emphasizes the important role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development and progression of the disease. However, the function of NONRATG001910.2 in the development of CGN was not well understood. This research aimed to investigate the effect of NONRATG001910.2 on CGN and revealed its potential molecular mechanisms. In this work, the expression of NONRATG001910.2 was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-RCR) in cell lines. We found that NONRATG001910.2 was significantly up-regulated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced cells. High NONRATG001910.2 levels were associated with the development of CGN. In addition, NONRATG001910.2 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation and cell cycle. At the same time, we found that up-regulation of microRNA-339-3p (miR-339-3p) abrogated the biological roles of NONRATG001910.2 up-regulation. Moreover, the knockdown of CTNNB1 can upregulate miR-339-3p expression, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that NONRATG001910.2 in LPS-stimulated rat mesangial cell line HBZY-1 (HBZY-1) by targeting miR-339-3p, which subsequently promotes the expression of CTNNB1, and suggested that NONRATG001910.2 may be a potential biomarker.

Long noncoding RNA PVT1 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of ARPE-19 cells in vitro via the miR-1301-3p/KLF7 axis

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) as a frequent diabetic microvascular complication shows signs in one-third of diabetic patients. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have drawn increasing attention because of their regulatory roles in DR. LncRNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is documented to be upregulated in diabetes-related diseases, while its effects in DR remains unexplored. ARPE-19 cells under the treatment of high-glucose (HG) were used as DR cell models. The gene expression in ARPE-19 cells was examined using RT-qPCR. The viability and apoptosis of ARPE-19 cells were determined by MTT and TUNEL assays. The levels of inflammation-associated proteins or mRNA were measured using western blot. Luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull down assay were conducted for the exploration of the underlying mechanism of PVT1. PVT1 was revealed to be upregulated in DR cell models. Silencing of PVT1 promoted the viability and inhibited apoptosis of HG-stimulated ARPE-19 cells. The results revealed that PVT1 can bind with miR-1301-3p. PVT1 negatively modulated miR-1301-3p expression. Additionally, KLF7 was targeted by miR-1301-3p. PVT1 upregulated KLF7 expression by binding with miR-1301-3p. The silenced PVT1-mediated influence on cell viability and cell apoptosis was rescued by overexpression of KLF7. PVT1 suppresses proliferation and promotes apoptosis of ARPE-19 cells treated with HG in vitro by binding with miR-1301-3p to upregulate KLF7.

Regulation of Oxidative Stress by Long Non-Coding RNAs in Vascular Complications of Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a well-known metabolic disorder with numerous complications, such as macrovascular diseases (e.g., coronary heart disease, diabetic cardiomyopathy, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease), microvascular diseases (e.g., diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, and diabetic cataract), and neuropathy. Multiple contributing factors are implicated in these complications, and the accumulation of oxidative stress is one of the critical ones. Several lines of evidence have suggested that oxidative stress may induce epigenetic modifications that eventually contribute to diabetic vascular complications. As one kind of epigenetic regulator involved in various disorders, non-coding RNAs have received great attention over the past few years. Non-coding RNAs can be roughly divided into short (such as microRNAs; ~21–25 nucleotides) or long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs; >200 nucleotides). In this review, we briefly discussed the research regarding the roles of various lncRNAs, such as MALAT1, MEG3, GAS5, SNHG16, CASC2, HOTAIR, in the development of diabetic vascular complications in response to the stimulation of oxidative stress.

Prediction of a Competing Endogenous RNA Co-expression Network by Comprehensive Methods in Systemic Sclerosis-Related Interstitial Lung Disease

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an immune-mediated connective tissue disease characterized by fibrosis of multi-organs, and SSc-related interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. To explore molecular biological mechanisms of SSc-ILD, we constructed a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network for prediction. Expression profiling data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and differential expressed mRNAs and miRNAs analysis was further conducted between normal lung tissue and SSc lung tissue. Also, the interactions of miRNA–lncRNA, miRNA–mRNA, and lncRNA–mRNA were predicted by online databases including starBase, LncBase, miRTarBase, and LncACTdb. The ceRNA network containing 11 lncRNAs, 7 miRNAs, and 20 mRNAs were constructed. Based on hub genes and miRNAs identified by weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) method, three core sub-networks—SNHG16, LIN01128, RP11-834C11.4(LINC02381)/hsa-let-7f-5p/IL6, LINC01128/has-miR-21-5p/PTX3, and LINC00665/hsa-miR-155-5p/PLS1—were obtained. Combined with previous studies and enrichment analyses, the lncRNA-mediated network affected LPS-induced inflammatory and immune processes, fibrosis development, and tumor microenvironment variations. The ceRNA network, especially three core sub-networks, may be served as early biomarkers and potential targets for SSc, which also provides further insights into the occurrence, progression, and accurate treatment of SSc at the molecular level.

LncRNA NEAT1 accelerates renal tubular epithelial cell damage by modulating mitophagy via miR-150-5p-DRP1 axis in diabetic nephropathy

NEW FINDINGS

What is the central question of this study? Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe complication of diabetes correlated with a higher mortality rate in diabetic patients. Renal tubular injury participates in the pathogenesis of DN. We aimed to uncover the biological function of the NEAT1-miR-150-5p-DRP1 axis in an in vitro model of DN and elaborate the potential mechanisms. What is the main finding and its importance? NEAT1 facilitated high glucose-induced damage in HK-2 cells by reducing mitophagy via the miR-150-5p-DRP1 axis, which sheds light on DN pathogenesis and reveals a potential treatment for DN.

ABSTRACT

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe complication in diabetic patients, with a high mortality rate. Renal tubular injury is involved in the pathogenesis of DN. In this study, we aimed to uncover the regulatory roles of the NEAT1-miR-150-5p-DRP1 axis in an in vitro model of DN and its possible mechanisms. High glucose-challenged HK-2 cells were used as an in vitro DN model. NEAT1, miR-150-5p and DRP1 levels were assessed by RT-qPCR. Cell viability was determined by the MTT assay. MitoSOX Red and JC-1 were used to evaluate intracellular production of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential, respectively. Lactate dehydrogenase release and superoxide dismutase activity were assessed with commercial kits. The protein levels of DRP1, p62, BECN1(beclin 1) and BNIP3 were determined by western blotting. The interaction between NEAT1 (DRP1) and miR-150-5p was verified by a dual-luciferase reporter assay and an RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Our results showed that in response to high glucose the NEAT1 and DRP1 levels were upregulated, whereas the miR-150-5p level was downregulated in HK-2 cells. Knockdown of NEAT1 or DRP1 in high glucose-challenged HK-2 cells inhibited excessive reactive oxygen species production and lactate dehydrogenase release, increased cell viability, mitochondrial membrane potential and superoxide dismutase activity and enhanced mitophagy. Inhibition of miR-150-5p resulted in the opposite results. Mechanistically, NEAT1 sponged miR-150-5p to increase the DRP1 level. Moreover, silencing of NEAT1 or DRP1 could counteract miR-150-5p inhibition-induced deleterious effects. Collectively, our findings indicate that NEAT1 facilitates high glucose-induced damage in HK-2 cells by suppressing mitophagy via the miR-150-5p-DRP 1 axis, which sheds light on a novel mechanism of DN.

SNHG15 knockdown inhibits diabetic nephropathy progression in pediatric patients by regulating the miR-141/ICAM-1 axis in vitro

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are confirmed to be involved in modulating diabetic nephropathy (DN). The present study is aimed to explore the regulatory mechanism of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 15 (SNHG15) on pediatric DN. Human glomerular mesangial cells (HGMCs) were exposed to high glucose (HG) to produce an in vitro model. The results showed that SNHG15 was remarkably up-regulated in pediatric DN tissues and HG-induced HGMCs. Functional experiments indicated that both silencing of SNHG15 and overexpression of miR-141 elevated the cell viability, and suppressed the inflammation in HG-induced HGMCs. SNHG15 was identified to be a lncRNA that could bind to miR-141, and ICAM-1 was a downstream target gene of miR-141. Both the low expression of miR-141 and high expression of ICAM-1 reversed the inhibiting effect of SNHG15 knockdown on inflammatory response, and the promoting effect on cell viability. To conclude, our study revealed that silencing of SNHG15 ameliorated the malignant behaviors of pediatric DN via modulating the miR-141/ICAM-1 axis in vitro.

Non-Coding RNAs as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets for Diabetic Kidney Disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common diabetic complication and is a leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. Increasing evidence shows that DKD is regulated not only by many classical signaling pathways but also by epigenetic mechanisms involving chromatin histone modifications, DNA methylation, and non-coding RNA (ncRNAs). In this review, we focus on our current understanding of the role and mechanisms of ncRNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of DKD. Of them, the regulatory role of TGF-β/Smad3-dependent miRNAs and lncRNAs in DKD is highlighted. Importantly, miRNAs and lncRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for DKD are also described, and the perspective of ncRNAs as a novel therapeutic approach for combating diabetic nephropathy is also discussed.