MiR181a protects against angiotensin II-induced osteopontin expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional protein found in abundance in atherosclerotic plaques. Angiotensin II (Ang II) promotes atherosclerosis by inducing adhesion and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of protein expression. However, the relationship between Ang II, miRNAs and OPN has yet to be fully explored.

Methods and results

Using cultured VSMCs, we found that Ang II increased cellular OPN protein expression 4 h after treatment by 420 ± 54% (p < 0.03) in a translation dependent manner. Sequence analysis revealed a putative binding site for mir181a and raised the possibility that miR181a is a potential regulatory mechanism for OPN expression. We demonstrated that Ang II decreased miR181a expression by

SUBMITTER: Remus EW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3641899 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature