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Updated: Dec 26, 2025
Isolation of Primary Patient-specific Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells and Semiquantitative Real-time Contraction Measurements In Vitro
Published on: February 15, 2022
Screening and functional prediction of differentially expressed circRNAs in proliferative human aortic smooth muscle
Wei Chen1,2, Jiajie Lin1, Bin Li1
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology of Hebei Province, Institute of Medicine and Health, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
Abstract:
Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation is the pathological base of vascular remodelling diseases. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important regulators involved in various biological processes. However, the function of circRNAs in VSMC proliferation regulation remains largely unknown. This study was conducted to identify the key differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) and predict their functions in human aortic smooth muscle cell (HASMC) proliferation. To achieve this, DEcircRNAs between proliferative and quiescent HASMCs were detected using a microarray, followed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR validation. A DEcircRNA-miRNA-DEmRNA network was constructed, and functional annotation was performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis. The function of hsa_circ_0002579 in HASMC proliferation was analysed by Western blot. The functional annotation of the DEcircRNA-miRNA-DEmRNA network indicated that the four DEcircRNAs might play roles in the TGF-β receptor signalling pathway, Ras signalling pathway, AMPK signalling pathway and Wnt signalling pathway. Twenty-seven DEcircRNAs with coding potential were screened. Hsa_circ_0002579 might be a pro-proliferation factor of HASMC. Overall, our study identified the key DEcircRNAs between proliferative and quiescent HASMCs, which might provide new important clues for exploring the functions of circRNAs in vascular remodelling diseases.
Insights
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) regulate cell processes. This study identified key circRNAs involved in human aortic smooth muscle cell (HASMC) proliferation, revealing hsa_circ_0002579 as a potential pro-proliferation factor.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation drives vascular remodeling diseases.
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging regulators of biological processes, but their role in VSMC proliferation is unclear.
- Understanding circRNA function in VSMCs is crucial for developing treatments for vascular diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) during proliferation.
- To predict the functions of these DEcircRNAs and their regulatory networks.
- To investigate the specific role of a key circRNA, hsa_circ_0002579, in HASMC proliferation.
Main Methods:
- Microarray analysis to detect DEcircRNAs between proliferative and quiescent HASMCs.
- Quantitative real-time RT-PCR for validation.
- Construction of a DEcircRNA-miRNA-DEmRNA network.
- Functional annotation using Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis.
- Western blot to assess the function of hsa_circ_0002579.
Main Results:
- Identified key DEcircRNAs between proliferative and quiescent HASMCs.
- Predicted involvement of four DEcircRNAs in signaling pathways like TGF-β, Ras, AMPK, and Wnt.
- Screened 27 DEcircRNAs with coding potential.
- Hsa_circ_0002579 was identified as a potential pro-proliferation factor in HASMCs.
Conclusions:
- This study identified key DEcircRNAs involved in HASMC proliferation.
- The findings suggest circRNAs play significant roles in vascular remodeling.
- Hsa_circ_0002579 is a potential therapeutic target for vascular diseases.
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