Circular RNA circSmoc1-2 regulates vascular calcification by acting as a miR-874-3p sponge in vascular smooth muscle cells.

ABSTRACT: Vascular calcification (VC), or calcium deposition inside the blood vessels, is common in patients with atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. Although several treatments are available to reduce calcification, the incidence of VC continues to rise. Recently, there have been several reports describing the regulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in various diseases. However, the role of circRNAs in VC has not yet been fully explored. Here, we investigated the function of circSmoc1-2, one of the circRNAs generated from the Smoc1 gene, which is downregulated in response to VC. CircSmoc1-2 is localized primarily to the cytoplasm and is resistant to exonuclease digestion. Inhibition of circSmoc1-2 worsens VC, while overexpression of circSmoc1-2 reduces VC, sug

SUBMITTER: Ryu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8752879 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature