1. Circular RNA circVEGFC accelerates high glucose-induced vascular endothelial cells apoptosis through miR-338-3p/HIF-1α/VEGFA axis
- Author
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Cong Cao, Hua Wei, Minglv Meng, Xi Wei, Xiao-Juan Wei, Hong-Mian Li, Biaoliang Wu, Shi-Xing Gu, and Lianxin Meng
- Subjects
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ,Aging ,vascular endothelial cells ,Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor C ,Apoptosis ,circVEGFC ,Umbilical vein ,Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1-Alpha ,Transcription (biology) ,Circular RNA ,Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ,Humans ,Transcription factor ,Gene knockdown ,Chemistry ,Endothelial Cells ,circular RNA ,RNA, Circular ,Cell Biology ,Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ,VEGF ,high glucose ,Up-Regulation ,Cell biology ,MicroRNAs ,Vascular endothelial growth factor A ,Glucose ,Gene Expression Regulation ,Research Paper - Abstract
More and more findings illustrate the critical roles of circular RNA (circRNA) in diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications. A major pathological characteristic for DM is the apoptosis of endothelial cells (ECs) induced by high glucose (HG), however, the function of circRNA in the ECs' phenotypes is still elusive. Here, this study identified an up-regulated circRNA (circVEGFC) in the HG-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Functionally, knockdown of circVEGFC alleviated the apoptosis and recovered the proliferation in HUVECs induced by HG administration. Mechanistically, circVEGFC functioned as the sponge of miR-338-3p, and miR-338-3p was found to target the 3'-Untranslated Regions (3'-UTR) of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α). HIF-1α, a critical transcription factor in DM, could activate the transcription of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and promote its protein product. In conclusion, these findings reveal the promotion of circVEGFC/miR-338-3p/HIF-1α/VEGFA axis in the HG-induced ECs' apoptosis, providing a potential treatment strategy for ECs' damage in DM.
- Published
- 2020