Circular RNA UVRAG Mediated by Alternative Splicing Factor NOVA1 Regulates Adhesion and Migration of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

• Published in: Genes Vol. 12; no. 3; p. 418
• Main Authors: Liu, Ze, Lou, Yue, Cui, Jia-Chen, Chen, Yi, Liu, Ji-Ting, Yuan, Ying, Han, Yue, Huo, Yun-Long, Qi, Ying-Xin, Jiang, Zong-Lai, Yao, Qing-Ping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14.03.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: adhesion; Alternative splicing; Bioinformatics; Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Carotid arteries; Cell adhesion & migration; Circular RNA; circular RNAs; Coronary vessels; Cytoplasm; Gene expression; Gene therapy; Hybridization; Hyperplasia; Laboratory animals; migration; Nervous system; Smooth muscle; Splicing factors; Sutures; Transcriptomes; vascular smooth muscle cells; vein graft; United States > US; China; alternative splicing; NOVA1; circular RNAs; vein graft; migration; adhesion; vascular smooth muscle cells
• ISSN: 2073-4425; 2073-4425
• DOI: 10.3390/genes12030418

The movement of abnormal vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contributes to intimal hyperplasia in vein graft disease. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are single stranded RNAs with 3' and 5' ends covalently joined together. They have been shown to regulate cell function in many diseases. NOVA1 is considered to be a brain-specific splicing factor that plays an important role in the nervous system and cancer. The role of NOVA1 in VSMCs remains unclear. In the present study, transcriptome sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed circRNAs in the rat vein graft model. A novel circRNA, circUVRAG, was decreased in the grafted vein and stably located in the cytoplasm. Knockdown of circUVRAG suppressed VSMC adhesion and migration. In addition, we demonstrated that the alternative splicing factor NOVA1 co-located with UVRAG pre-mRNA in the nucleus and modulated the production of circUVRAG. These new discoveries may serve as a potential means to treat intimal hyperplasia after vein grafts.