MicroRNA-103a regulates the calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells by targeting runt-related transcription factor 2 in high phosphorus conditions

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader MicroRNA-103a regulates the calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells by targeting runt-related transcription factor 2 in high phosphorus conditions Via Experimental and therapeutic medicine Exp Ther Med. 2021 Sep;22(3):1036. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10468. Epub 2021 Jul 19. ABSTRACT Vascular calcification, such as atherosclerosis, is a serious complication of chronic kidney disease that is characterized by tunica media calcification, and has gained increasing attention from researchers. The commonly observed association between vascular calcification and osteoporosis suggests a link between bone and vascular disorders. As microRNAs (miRNAs) have a wide range of gene regulation functions, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, stress and transdifferentiation, the current study aimed to determine whether miRNAs play a vital role in the calcification and osteoblastic differentiation of rat thoracic aorta vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Gene expression analysis was performed on seven miRNAs (miR-29a, -30b, -103a, -125b, -133a, -143 and -211) that maybe potentially involved in the differentiation of smooth muscle cells into osteoblastic cells. The results showed that the levels of miR-29a, -30b, -103a, -125b and -143 were markedly reduced in the VSMC calcification model, particularly miR-103a, whereas runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) expression was increased. Furthermore, it was found that the expression of RUNX2 was significantly decreased following the upregulation of miR-103a, and that the expression of RUNX2 was significantly increased by downregulating miR-103a in VSMCs. Therefore, it was concluded that miR-103a plays a notable role in the transdifferentiation of the VSMCs in high phosphorus-induced calcification by targeting the regulation of RUNX2, and may therefore constitute a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of vascular calcification. PMID:34373722 | PMC:PMC8343701 | DOI:10.3892/etm.2021.10468 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.