Abstract
Aims
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a vascular complication of diabetes mellitus that causes visual impairment and blindness. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been revealed to be involved in biological processes of several diseases including DR. We designed this study to investigate the specific role of TPTEP1 in DR.
Methods
First, we mimicked diabetic conditions with high glucose (HG) stimulation of human retinal vascular endothelial cells (HRVECs) and measured TPTEP1 expression in HG-stimulated HRVECs using RT-qPCR analysis. Then, CCK-8, Transwell, and Matrigel tube formation assays as well as western blot analysis were performed to reveal the biological functions of TPTEP1 in HG-stimulated HRVECs. Subsequently, bioinformatics analysis, RNA pull down, luciferase reporter and ChIP assays as well as western blot analysis evaluated the relationship of TPTEP1, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) in HG-stimulated HRVECs. Finally, to verify the regulation of the TPTEP1/STAT3/VEGFA axis in HG-stimulated HRVECs, rescue experiments were carried out in HG-stimulated HRVECs.
Results
TPTEP1 presented a significant downregulation in HG-stimulated HRVECs. Additionally, TPTEP1 overexpression reduced viability, migration, and angiogenesis in HG-stimulated HRVECs. Moreover, TPTEP1 suppressed phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of STAT3, and thereby downregulated VEGFA mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, TPTEP1 overexpression-mediated suppression of HG-induced dysfunction in HRVECs was countervailed by STAT3 upregulation or VEGFA upregulation.
Conclusions
TPTEP1 alleviated HG-induced dysfunction in HRVECs via interacting with STAT3 and targeting VEGFA.
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Change history
09 November 2022
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-022-01979-9
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Thank you for all laboratory members involved in this study.
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This work supported by Clinical Specialized Discipline of Health System of Putuo District in Shanghai (No. 2020TSZK01).
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This article belongs to the topical collection Eye Complications of Diabetes, managed by Giuseppe Querques.
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The original online version of this article was revised: Correct version of figures tube formation assays (Figure 2D&6D) and Transwell assays (Figure 2C&6C) updated.
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Sun, X., Lu, Y. & Lei, T. TPTEP1 suppresses high glucose-induced dysfunction in retinal vascular endothelial cells by interacting with STAT3 and targeting VEGFA. Acta Diabetol 58, 759–769 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-020-01663-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-020-01663-w