miRNAs and lncRNAs in vascular injury and remodeling

Abstract

Vascular injury, remodeling, as well as angiogenesis, are the leading causes of coronary or cerebrovascular disease. The blood vessel functional imbalance trends to induce atherosclerosis, hypertension, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. As several genes have been identified to be dynamically regulated during vascular injury and remodeling, it is becoming widely accepted that several types of non-coding RNA, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), are involved in regulating the endothelial cell and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) behaviors. Here, we review the progress of the extant studies on mechanistic, clinical and diagnostic implications of miRNAs and lncRNAs in vascular injury and remodeling, as well as angiogenesis, emphasizing the important roles of miRNAs and lncRNAs in vascular diseases. Furthermore, we introduce the interaction between miRNAs and lncRNAs, and highlight the mechanism through which lncRNAs are regulating the miRNA function. We envisage that continuous in-depth research of non-coding RNAs in vascular disease will have significant implications for the treatment of coronary or cerebrovascular diseases. Vascular network is an intricate series of vessels that act as conduits for blood flow. Their injury and remodeling contribute to atherosclerosis, restenosis after angioplasty, hypertension, and other diseases. Molecular mechanisms that underlie vascular injury and remodeling have been intensively studied during the last two decades [13]. As reported, a number of genes have been shown to regulate vascular remodeling and angiogenesis [47]. As it is increasingly acknowledged that several types of non-coding RNAs are also involved in these processes, they have become a new focus of scientific research [8].According to the recent discoveries in the field of RNA, nearly 60% of transcripts seem to lack protein-coding capacity, termed non-coding RNAs [9]. Bioinformatics observations suggest that non-coding RNAs tend to exist in greater numbers in more sophisticated organisms [10]. Functional studies reveal that non-coding RNAs have essential functions in regulating epigenetic processes, and emerge as important regulators of life activities [11]. Among non-coding RNAs, miRNAs and lncRNAs are particularly interesting and are thus intensively investigated. Here, we provide an overview of the extant research findings pertaining to miRNAs and lncRNAs in vascular functional maintenance, injury, remodeling, and angiogenesis. Moreover, we highlight their implications for the treatment of atherosclerosis, hypertension and other vascular-related disease.

Emerging roles of non-coding RNAs in epigenetic regulation

“…However, lncRNAs show more evolutionarily conserved sequences than intronic and untranscribed intergenic regions, suggesting that most of them are biologically functional in mammals (Bu et al, 2015). Moreover, lnc-RNA expression patterns are strongly associated with diverse key biological processes, such as DNA damage, immune responses, and induced pluripotency, again indicating their potential functionality Song et al, 2014). In terms of the physical localization of lncRNAs relative to protein-coding genes, a subset of lncRNAs is predominantly localized in the nucleus, while the majority exclusively resides in the cytosol.…”

Role of noncoding RNA in vascular remodelling

“…Although multiple studies over the last two decades have focused on delineating the molecular mechanisms that drive the remodelling response to vascular injury [11][12][13], with the exemption of drug-eluting stents, there is currently a paucity in effective therapeutics, necessitating further research and innovative thinking around molecular mechanisms that might govern pathological responses According to recent transcriptome analyses, protein-coding genes actually account for only 1.5%-2.0% of the human transcriptome. The transcriptional output of the larger portion of the transcriptome (i.e.…”

MicroRNA-210 Plays a Critical Role in the Angiogenic Effect of Isoprenaline on Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells via Regulation of Noncoding RNAs

“…[5] miRNAs have been extensively investigated in this respect. For example, miR-210 has been found to promote angiogenesis in HUVEC Matrigel cultures by enhancing the expression of VEGF and VEGFR-2.…”

“…[9] Besides miRNAs, recent studies have shown that some lncRNAs also regulate angiogenesis. [5101112]…”