Aberrantly Expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs of Osteogenically Differentiated Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament

Sorafenib inhibits ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament by blocking LOXL2-mediated vascularization

Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL) is a degenerative hyperostosis disease characterized by the transformation of the soft and elastic vertebral ligament into bone, resulting in limited spinal mobility and nerve compression. Employing both bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, we elucidate the molecular characteristics, cellular components, and their evolution during the OPLL process at a single-cell resolution, and validate these findings in clinical samples. This study also uncovers the capability of ligament stem cells to exhibit endothelial cell-like phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. Notably, our study identifies LOXL2 as a key regulator in this process. Through gain-and loss-of-function studies, we elucidate the role of LOXL2 in the endothelial-like differentiation of ligament cells. It acts via the HIF1A pathway, promoting the secretion of downstream VEGFA and PDGF-BB. This function is not related to the enzymatic activity of LOXL2. Furthermore, we identify sorafenib, a broad-spectrum tyrosine kinase inhibitor, as an effective suppressor of LOXL2-mediated vascular morphogenesis. By disrupting the coupling between vascularization and osteogenesis, sorafenib demonstrates significant inhibition of OPLL progression in both BMP-induced and enpp1 deficiency-induced animal models while having no discernible effect on normal bone mass. These findings underscore the potential of sorafenib as a therapeutic intervention for OPLL.

METTL3-mediated long non-coding RNA MIR99AHG methylation targets miR-4660 to promote bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell osteogenic differentiation

Whether long non-coding RNA Mir-99a-Let-7c Cluster Host Gene (LncRNA MIR99AHG) is involved in osteoporosis (OP) remains vague, so we hereby center on its implication. Old C57BL/6J mice were injected with the silencing lentivirus of MIR99AHG and subjected to microCT analysis and immunohistochemistry on osteogenic cells. The osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) with or without transfection was determined by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin Red S staining. Total N(6)-methyladenosine (m6A) on the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was quantified. The potential methylation site and the complementary binding sites with candidate microRNA (miR) were predicted via bioinformatic analyses, with the latter being confirmed via dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assays. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were used for quantification assays. MIR99AHG was decreased during the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, where increased Osterix (OSX), Collagen, Type I, Alpha 1 (Col1A1), Osteocalcin (OCN) and RUNX Family Transcription Factor 2 (RUNX2) as well as more color-stained areas were found. Also, silencing MIR99AHG relieved the OP in mice and reduced the loss of osteogenic cells. M6A methylation in undifferentiated BMSCs was low and MIR99AHG overexpression abolished the effects of overexpressed METTL3 on promoting osteogenic differentiation. MiR-4660, which was downregulated in BMSCs without differentiation but increased during osteogenic differentiation, could bind with MIR99AHG. Furthermore, miR-4660 promoted osteogenic differentiation and reversed the effects of overexpressed MIR99AHG. The present study demonstrated that METTL3-mediated LncRNA MIR99AHG methylation enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs via targeting miR-4660.

Non-coding RNAs in ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a kind of disease that involves a variety of factors leading to ectopic bone deposition of the spinal ligament. Although the detailed mechanism is not clear, genetic factors play important roles in the development of this disease. Noncoding RNA (ncRNA) refers to an RNA molecule that is not translated into a protein but participates in the regulation of gene expression. Functionally important types of ncRNA associated with OPLL include long noncoding RNA, microRNA, and circular RNA. We listed the differentially expressed ncRNAs in OPLL patients and normal controls to find the ncRNAs most relevant to the pathogenesis of the disease. The potential regulatory networks of ncRNA in OPLL cells were analyzed based on their most abundant signal transduction pathway data. The analysis of the highly connected ncRNAs in the regulatory network suggests that they play an important role in OPLL. These findings provide new directions for the study of OPLL pathogenesis and therapeutic targets. In this paper, we reviewed and analyzed the literature on ncRNAs in OPLL published in recent years, aiming to help doctors better understand and treat this disease.

Epigenetic modifications in spinal ligament aging

Spinal stenosis is a common degenerative spine disorder in the aged population and the spinal ligament aging is a main contributor to this chronic disease. However, the underlying mechanisms of spinal ligament aging remain unclear. Epigenetics is the study of heritable and reversible changes in the function of a gene or genome that occur without any alteration in the primary DNA sequence. Epigenetic alterations have been demonstrated to play crucial roles in age-related diseases and conditions, and they are recently studied as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the field of cancer research. The main epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation alteration, histone modifications as well as dysregulated noncoding RNA modulation, have all been implicated in spinal ligament aging diseases. DNA methylation modulates the expression of critical genes including WNT5A, GDNF, ACSM5, miR-497 and miR-195 during spinal ligament degeneration. Histone modifications widely affect gene expression and obvious histone modification abnormalities have been found in spinal ligament aging. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) exert crucial regulating effects on spinal ligament aging conditions via targeting various osteogenic or fibrogenic differentiation related genes. To our knowledge, there is no systematic review yet to summarize the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms of spinal ligament aging in degenerative spinal diseases. In this study, we systematically discussed the different epigenetic modifications and their potential functions in spinal ligament aging process.

Hsa-circ-0007292 promotes the osteogenic differentiation of posterior longitudinal ligament cells via regulating SATB2 by sponging miR-508-3p

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a disorder with multiple pathogenic mechanisms and leads to different degrees of neurological symptoms. Recent studies have revealed that non-coding RNA (ncRNA), including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), could influence the development of OPLL. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms linking circular RNAs (circRNAs) and the progression of OPLL is still unknown. The current research explored the expression profiles of OPLL-related circRNAs by microarray analysis, and applied qRT-PCR to validate the results. Subsequently, we confirmed the upregulation of hsa_circ_0007292 in OPLL cells by qRT-PCR and validated the circular characteristic of hsa_circ_0007292 by Sanger sequencing. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) unveiled that hsa_circ_0007292 was predominantly located in the cytoplasm. Functionally, gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments showed that hsa_circ_0007292 promoted the osteogenic differentiation of OPLL cells. Mechanistically, the interaction of hsa_circ_0007292 and miR-508-3p was predicted and validated by bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assays, and Ago2 RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP). Similarly, we validated the correlation between miR-508-3p and SATB2. Furthermore, rescue experiments were performed to prove that hsa_circ_0007292 acted as a sponge for miR-508-3p, and SATB2 was revealed to be the target gene of miR-508-3p. In conclusion, our research shows that hsa_circ_0007292 regulates OPLL progression by the miR-508-3p/SATB2 pathway. Our results indicate that hsa_circ_0007292 can be used as a promising therapeutic target for patients with OPLL.

Expression Profile of New Marker Genes Involved in Differentiation of Canine Adipose-Derived Stem Cells into Osteoblasts

Next-generation sequencing (RNAseq) analysis of gene expression changes during the long-term in vitro culture and osteogenic differentiation of ASCs remains to be important, as the analysis provides important clues toward employing stem cells as a therapeutic intervention. In this study, the cells were isolated from adipose tissue obtained during routine surgical procedures and subjected to 14-day in vitro culture and differentiation. The mRNA transcript levels were evaluated using the Illumina platform, resulting in the detection of 19,856 gene transcripts. The most differentially expressed genes (fold change >|2|, adjusted p value < 0.05), between day 1, day 14 and differentiated cell cultures were extracted and subjected to bioinformatical analysis based on the R programming language. The results of this study provide molecular insight into the processes that occur during long-term in vitro culture and osteogenic differentiation of ASCs, allowing the re-evaluation of the roles of some genes in MSC progression towards a range of lineages. The results improve the knowledge of the molecular mechanisms associated with long-term in vitro culture and differentiation of ASCs, as well as providing a point of reference for potential in vivo and clinical studies regarding these cells' application in regenerative medicine.