Project description:Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play critical regulatory roles in cardiovascular pathophysiology, with emerging therapeutic potential for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a recently characterized subclass of ncRNAs, have garnered significant interest due to their unique covalently closed-loop structures, which confer exceptional stability compared to linear RNAs. These molecules are generated through back-splicing, a non-canonical processing event of pre-mRNA transcripts. CircRNAs exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns, with notable enrichment in cardiac tissue, and demonstrate high evolutionary conservation—properties that underscore their translational relevance. Their functional versatility includes roles as microRNA sponges, protein interactors, and modulators of gene expression, positioning them as promising diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cardiovascular conditions, particularly heart failure (HF). This study provides a comparative analysis of circular RNA (circRNA) expression patterns in left ventricular myocardial tissue from patients with heart failure (HF) and healthy controls, revealing differentially expressed circRNAs with potential therapeutic implications. Furthermore, we investigate novel circRNAs that may represent promising candidates for targeted interventions in heart failure.
Project description:To identify the circRNA expression profiles in HF patients’ plasma and to evaluate the potential application of circRNAs for HF diagnosis, circRNA microarrays were performed on plasma samples obtained from HF patients and healthy controls. The RNAs of the plasma from the HF and control groups were extracted for microarray analysis. The purified RNAs were hybridized to a microarray (Agilent human circRNA Array V2.0) containing 170,340 human circRNA probes. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to validate the results.
Project description:Heart failure is associated with degradation of cell functions and extracellular matrix proteins, but the trigger mechanisms are uncertain. Our recent evidence in acute multiorgan failure suggests that active digestive enzymes leak out of the small intestine into the systemic circulation and cause cell dysfunctions and organ failure. Accordingly, we investigated in morning fasting plasma of heart failure (HF) patients the presence of pancreatic trypsin, a major enzyme responsible for digestion. Western analysis shows that trypsin in plasma is significantly elevated in HF compared to matched controls and their concentrations correlate with inflammatory biomarkers. The plasma trypsin levels in HF are accompanied by elevated pancreatic lipase concentrations. The trypsin has a significantly elevated activity as determined by substrate cleavage. Mass spectrometry shows that the number of proteins in the HF group is similar to controls while the number of peptides was increased about 20% in the HF patients. The peptides are derived from extracellular and intracellular protein sources and exhibit cleavage sites by trypsin as well as other degrading proteases. These results provide first evidence that active digestive enzymes leak into the systemic circulation and may participate in myocardial cell dysfunctions and tissue destruction in HF.