Open Access

ARTICLE

Circular RNA circ_0003609 ameliorates hypertrophied ligamentum flavum by regulating the miR-155/SIRT1 axis

GUIBIN ZHONG^1,2,#, SHURONG WANG^3,#, YUJIN HE⁴, DAMING FENG¹, KE WEI¹, YANQIU YANG¹, JIANWEI CHEN^1,2,*, JUNLING CHEN^1,*

1 Department of Orthopaedics, Baoshan Branch, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200444, China
2 Department of Orthopaedics, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
3 Department of Operation and Anaesthesia, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
4 Department of Orthopaedics, Huai Yuan Chang Jiu Hospital, Huaiyuan, 233499, China

* Corresponding Authors: JIANWEI CHEN. Email: ; JUNLING CHEN. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: MicroRNA as Biomarkers for Disease Diagnosis and Progression)

BIOCELL 2024, 48(6), 1001-1008. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2024.050294

Received 01 February 2024; Accepted 26 March 2024; Issue published 10 June 2024

Abstract

Background: Hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum (HLF) is a common contributor to spinal stenosis which results in significant neurological impairments. Circular RNA (circRNA) circ_0003609 has been linked to HLF; however, the exact mechanism by which it causes this disease is unclear. Methods: Circ_0003609 expressions were regulated in HLF cells by overexpression vectors and RNA interference. Cell proliferation and fibrosis-related gene expression were checked by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and western blotting. CircBank’s prediction of the association between miR-155 and circ_0003609 was supported by a dual-luciferase reporter experiment. The function of the miR-155/sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) axis in controlling HLF fibrosis was further examined. Results: Overexpression of circ_0003609 suppressed HLF cell propagation and fibrosis compared to its silencing. It was found that circ_0003609 served as the sponge for miR-155 and that the circ_0003609/miR-155 axis controlled the fibrosis of HLF cells. It was found that circ_0003609 acted as a sponge for miR-155, regulating the fibrosis of HLF cells. Further, miR-155 targets SIRT1, and the miR-155/SIRT1 axis promotes HLF cell fibrosis. Conclusion: Circ_0003609 ameliorates hypertrophied ligamentum flavum (LF) by modulating the miR-155/SIRT1 axis, indicating a potential treatment approach for HLF.

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Keywords

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