1
|
Zhan D, Lin M, Chen J, Cai W, Liu J, Fang Y, Li Y, Wu B, Wang G. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α regulates PI3K/AKT signaling through microRNA-32-5p/PTEN and affects nucleus pulposus cell proliferation and apoptosis. Exp Ther Med 2021; 21:646. [PMID: 33968177 PMCID: PMC8097185 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2021.10078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Intervertebral disc degeneration and resulting low back pain arises from the programmed apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs). Recent studies show that hypoxia-inducible factor-1α plays a vital role in the etiology and pathogenesis of disc degeneration. However, the underlying mechanism of HIF-1α in NPCs is unclear. The present study identified 994 significant differentially expressed miRNAs by analyzing microarray data downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. MicroRNA(miR)-32-5p expression was 2.81-fold upregulated in NPCs compared with that of the healthy control tissues (P<0.05). A total of 331 significant differentially expressed mRNAs were identified, and PTEN was downregulated in NPCs of non-degenerative disc tissues from young patients. miR-32-5p was predicted to target the PTEN 3'-untranslated region (UTR). To confirm these results, in-vitro experiments investigating the molecular function of miR-32-5p and PTEN were performed. Furthermore, hypoxia induced miR-32-5p and PTEN expression. HIF-1α inhibited NPC proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis by regulating miR-32-5p and PTEN. miR-32-5p promoted NPC proliferation and decreased cell apoptosis. Next, it was verified whether miR-32-5p targeted the PTEN 3'-UTR using dual-luciferase reporter assays. Finally, it was observed that PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway was upregulated by a miR-32-5p mimic, which improved cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Importantly, PTEN was downregulated in these experiments; and inhibition of miR-32-5p had the opposite effect. Overall, these results demonstrate that HIF-1α regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis by controlling the miR-32-5p/PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis in NPCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daolu Zhan
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| | - Mingxia Lin
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| | - Wentao Cai
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| | - Jian Liu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| | - Yehan Fang
- Department of Sports Medicine, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| | - Yibo Li
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| | - Bin Wu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| | - Guangji Wang
- Department of Sports Medicine, Hainan General Hospital, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Xiuying, Haikou, Hainan 570311, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|