CircRNA Chordc1 protects mice from abdominal aortic aneurysm by contributing to the phenotype and growth of vascular smooth muscle cells.

ABSTRACT: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have important potential in modulating vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) activity, but their roles in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are unknown. We performed in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry and determined that circChordc1 (cysteine and histidine-rich domain containing 1) was markedly downregulated in aneurysm tissue compared with normal arteries. A gene gain and loss strategy was used to confirm that circChordc1 transformed VSMCs into a contracted phenotype and improved their growth, which significantly suppressed aneurysm formation and reduced the risk of rupture in mouse models of angiotensin (Ang) II- and CaCl₂-induced AAA. RNA pull-down, immunoprecipitation, and immunoblotting indicated that circChordc1 facilitated the VSMC p

SUBMITTER: He X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8649900 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature