High density lipoprotein from coronary artery disease patients caused abnormal expression of long non-coding RNAs in...

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Cardiovascular Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Normal high-density lipoprotein (HDL) can become dysfunctional in disease states like coronary artery disease (CAD).
• Dysfunctional HDL differentially regulates vascular endothelial cell function.
• Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial regulators of endothelial cell function, but their role in HDL metabolism and function is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the involvement of lncRNAs in HDL metabolism and HDL-induced changes in vascular endothelial function.
• To determine if HDL from CAD and hypercholesterolemia patients affects lncRNA expression in endothelial cells.

Main Methods:

• Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with HDL from healthy donors and patients with CAD/hypercholesterolemia.
• lncRNA-Seq was performed on treated HUVECs to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs, genes, and mRNAs.
• Bioinformatic analysis was used to explore relationships between lncRNAs, genes, and microRNAs (miRNAs).

Main Results:

• HDL from healthy and diseased individuals induced distinct expression patterns of lncRNAs, genes, and mRNAs in HUVECs.
• Differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified and implicated in the regulation of vascular endothelial function.
• Bioinformatic analysis revealed potential regulatory networks involving lncRNAs, genes, and miRNAs.

Conclusions:

• HDL from CAD and hypercholesterolemia patients induces abnormal lncRNA expression in vascular endothelial cells.
• This lncRNA dysregulation contributes to altered vascular function in these disease states.
• lncRNAs represent a potential new target for understanding and treating cardiovascular diseases related to HDL dysfunction.