LncRNA-MEG3 inhibits activation of hepatic stellate cells through SMO protein and miR-212.

ABSTRACT: Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), a pivotal event in liver fibrosis, is considered as an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Deregulation of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been reported to be involved in a series of human diseases. LncRNA-maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) functions as a tumor suppressor in cancers and has been shown to play a vital role in EMT process. However, the biological role of MEG3 in liver fibrosis is largely unknown. In this study, MEG3 was reduced in vivo and in vitro during liver fibrosis. Restoring of MEG3 expression led to the suppression of liver fibrosis, with a reduction in α-SMA and type I collagen. Notably, MEG3 overexpression inhibited HSC activation through EMT, associated with an increase in epithelial markers and a reductio

SUBMITTER: Yu F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6170498 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature