MicroRNA-137 Inhibited Hypoxia-Induced Proliferation of Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells by Targeting Calpain-2. (1st September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ge, Xiao-Yue; Zhu, Tian-Tian; Yao, Mao-Zhong; Liu, Hong; Wu, Qian; Qiao, Jie; Zhang, Wei-Fang; Hu, Chang-Ping
• Other Names: Yang Zhousheng Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: BioMed research international. Volume 2021(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-09-01
• Subjects: Medicine -- Periodicals; Biology -- Periodicals; Biotechnology -- Periodicals; Life sciences -- Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1155/2021/2202888
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2314-6133

Abstract

Abstract : The proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) is an important cause of pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension (PH). It has been reported that miR-137 inhibits the proliferation of tumor cells. However, whether miR-137 is involved in PH remains unclear. In this study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 10% O2 for 3 weeks to establish PH, and rat primary PASMCs were treated with hypoxia (3% O2 ) for 48 h to induce cell proliferation. The effect of miR-137 on PASMC proliferation and calpain-2 expression was assessed by transfecting miR-137 mimic and inhibitor. The effect of calpain-2 on PASMC proliferation was assessed by transfecting calpain-2 siRNA. The present study found for the first time that miR-137 was downregulated in pulmonary arteries of hypoxic PH rats and in hypoxia-treated PASMCs. miR-137 mimic inhibited hypoxia-induced PASMC proliferation and upregulation of calpain-2 expression in PASMCs. Furthermore, miR-137 inhibitor induced the proliferation of PASMCs under normoxia, and knockdown of calpain-2 mRNA by siRNA significantly inhibited hypoxia-induced proliferation of PASMCs. Our study demonstrated that hypoxia-induced downregulation of miR-137 expression promoted the proliferation of PASMCs by targeting calpain-2, thereby potentially resulting in pulmonary vascular remodeling in hypoxic PH.