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LncRNA HCG18 promotes inflammation and apoptosis in intervertebral disc degeneration via the miR-495-3p/FSTL1 axis

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Abstract

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) causes pain in the back and neck. This study investigated the role of long non-coding RNA HLA complex group 18 (HCG18) in a cell model of IDD. An IDD model was established by stimulating nucleus pulposus (NP) cells with interleukin (IL)-1β. MTT assay was performed to evaluate NP cell viability. The apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The expressions of HCG18, microRNA (miR)-495-3p, and follistatin-like protein-1 (FSTL1) were measured by RT-qPCR. The interactions of miR-495-3p with HCG18 and FSTL1 were analyzed by luciferase reporter assay. IL-1β stimulation upregulated HCG18 and FSTL1, but downregulated miR-495-3p in NP cells. Silencing of HCG18 or FSTL1, as well as miR-495-3p overexpression in NP cells alleviated IL-1β-induced apoptosis and inflammation of NP cells. Both HCG18 and FSTL1 had binding sites for miR-495-3p. Overexpression of FSTL1 abolished the effects of HCG18 silencing on IL-1β-induced apoptosis and inflammation. The HCG18/miR-495-3p/FSTL1 axis is essential for IDD development. Therapeutic strategies targeting this axis may be used for IDD treatment.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to give our sincere gratitude to the reviewers for their constructive comments.

Funding

This work was supported by Scientific research project of Health Commission of Hunan Province (No.202204072873).

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  1. The Affiliated Changsha Central Hospital, Department of Spine Surgery, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Changsha, No. 161, The Shaoshan South Road, Changsha, 410007, Hunan, People’s Republic of China

    Yi Luo, Youzhi He, Yongfu Wang, Yuxia Xu & Li Yang

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Yi Luo wrote the main manuscript text and Yi Luo, Youzhi He, Yongfu Wang, Yuxia Xu and Li Yang prepared figures. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Luo, Y., He, Y., Wang, Y. et al. LncRNA HCG18 promotes inflammation and apoptosis in intervertebral disc degeneration via the miR-495-3p/FSTL1 axis. Mol Cell Biochem 479, 171–181 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-023-04716-0

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