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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a fatal and currently incurable cardiopulmonary disease. Numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) serve important roles in the development of PAH. While the expression of miR-30a-5p was downregulated in the lung tissue of rats in a pulmonary hypertension rat model, the expression pattern and function of miR-30a-5p in human PAH remain unclear. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to examine miR-30a-5p and chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) mRNA expression levels. The expression levels of YKL-40 and apoptosis-associated proteins were measured by western blot analysis. Cell proliferation assays and flow cytometry analysis were performed to examine cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. The association between miR-30a-5p and YKL-40 was determined by a luciferase reporter assay, RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. The relative expression levels of miR-30a-5p in plasma were increased in patients with PAH [median=13.23 (25th percentile=6.388, 75th percentile=21.91)] compared with normal controls [median=2.25 (25th percentile=1.4, 75th percentile=3.7). The expression of miR-30a-5p was significantly downregulated while the protein expression of YKL-40 was significantly upregulated in hypoxia-induced human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) when compared with the hypoxia-induced group at 0 h. miR-30a-5p overexpression promoted HPAEC growth and inhibited apoptosis of HPAECs under hypoxia. A miR-30a-5p mimic decreased the luciferase activity of a luciferase reporter construct containing YKL-40 3′-untranslated region and also decreased YKL-40 protein expression. YKL-40 overexpression partly alleviated the effects of miR-30a-5p upregulation on proliferation and apoptosis of HPAECs under hypoxia. In conclusion, the data indicated that miR-30a-5p promoted cell growth and inhibited apoptosis of HPAECs under hypoxia by targeting YKL-40. Therefore, the miR-30a-5p/YKL-40 axis may provide a potential target for the development of novel PAH therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keloids are benign fibrous overgrowths that occur as a result of abnormal wound healing following cutaneous injury. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are short non-coding RNAs that serve critical roles in numerous important biological processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. However, their role in keloid development remains largely unknown. In the present study, the role of miR-30a-5p, a miRNA regulated by Trichostatin A (TSA), in apoptosis within cultured keloid fibroblasts was investigated. An MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation of cultured keloid fibroblasts treated with TSA. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle phases were analyzed using flow cytometry. In addition, an miRNA microarray was performed to compare expression profiles between cultured keloid fibroblasts treated with or without 1,000 nM TSA. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was conducted to estimate miRNA expression levels. The direct target of miR-30a-5p was identified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Western blotting was employed to assess protein expression levels in keloid fibroblasts. The results demonstrated that TSA inhibited the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The miRNA microarray revealed alterations in the expression of numerous miRNA sequences in response to TSA when compared with controls. Notably, the expression of miR-30a-5p was downregulated in keloid tissues. In addition, overexpression of miR-30a-5p induced apoptosis by targeting B-cell lymphoma 2, which was similar to that observed in response to TSA. These results provide important information regarding a novel miR-30a-5p-mediated signaling pathway induced by TSA treatment, and suggest a potential use for TSA and miR-30a-5p as effective therapeutic strategies for keloids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miR)‑30a‑5p has been reported to suppress the progression of hepatocellular cancer, renal cell carcinoma, oral cancer and gastric cancer. However, whether miR‑30a‑5p is involved in the regulation of melanoma remains unclear. The present study revealed that miR‑30a‑5p was downregulated in melanoma tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR‑30a‑5p significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma cells in vitro. In addition, ectopic expression of miR‑30a‑5p delayed tumor growth in vivo. In terms of mechanism, miR‑30a‑5p targeted sex determining region Y‑box 4 (SOX4) and impeded the expression of SOX4 in melanoma cells. In addition, SOX4 was upregulated in melanoma tissues and cell lines when compared with normal tissues or cells. Furthermore, overexpression of SOX4 significantly rescued the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma cells transfected with miR‑30a‑5p mimics. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrated that miR‑30a‑5p suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma cells in SOX4‑dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of malignant tumor of the adult kidney and has a poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRs) are important in a wide range of biological and pathological processes, including cell differentiation, migration, growth, proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism. The present study aimed to determine the role exerted by miR-30a-5p in the tumorigenesis of RCC. The expression levels of miR-30a-5p in RCC tissues and RCC-derived cells were demonstrated to be significantly downregulated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Wound scratch assay, cell proliferation assay and flow cytometric analysis revealed that the abilities of migration and proliferation of the RCC-derived cells were suppressed, whereas cell apoptosis was promoted, when miR-30a-5p was overexpressed in these cells. N-acetylgalactos aminyltransferase 7 (GALNT7) was predicted to be one target gene of miR-30a-5p by bioinformatics analysis. Luciferase reporter assay, RT-qPCR and western blotting were performed to confirm that GALNT7 is the direct conserved target of miR-30a-5p. These results suggested that miR-30a-5p has a tumor-suppressive role in the tumorigenesis of RCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous study reported that microRNA (miR)-30a-5p upregulation under hypoxia postconditioning (HPostC) exert a protective effect on aged H9C2 cells against hypoxia/reoxygenation injury via DNA methyltransferase 3B-induced DNA hypomethylation at the miR-30a-5p gene promoter. This suggests that miR-30a-5p may be a potential preventative and therapeutic target for ischemic heart disease in aged myocardium. The present study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of miR-30a-5p transcription in aged myocardium in ischemic heart disease. Cardiomyocytes were treated with 8 mg/ml D-galactose for 9 days, and then exposed to hypoxic conditions. Cell viability was determined using a cell viability assay. Expression levels of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2), LC3B-II/I, beclin-1 and p62 were detected via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR and luciferase reporter assays were performed to evaluate the effect of c-Myc binding and activity on the miR-30a-5p promoter in senescent cardiomyocytes following HPostC. It was found that HPostC enhanced the acetylation levels of H3K14 at the miR-30a-5p gene promoter in senescent cardiomyocytes, which attributed to the decreased expression of HDAC2. In addition, c-Myc could positively regulate miR-30a-5p transcription to inhibit senescent cardiomyocyte autophagy. Mechanically, it was observed that increased H3K14 acetylation level exposed to romidepsin facilitated c-Myc binding to the miR-30a-5p gene promoter region, which led to the increased transcription of miR-30a-5p. Taken together, these results demonstrated that HDAC2-mediated H3K14 hyperacetylation promoted c-Myc binding to the miR-30a-5p gene promoter, which contributed to HPostC senescent cardioprotection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]