title: MicroRNA-210 modulates endothelial cell response to hypoxia and inhibits the receptor tyrosine kinase ligand Ephrin-A3.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-protein-coding RNAs that function as negative gene expression regulators. In the present study, we investigated miRNAs role in endothelial cell response to hypoxia. We found that the expression of miR-210 progressively increased upon exposure to hypoxia. miR-210 overexpression in normoxic endothelial cells stimulated the formation of capillary-like structures on Matrigel and vascular endothelial growth factor-driven cell migration. Conversely, miR-210 blockade via anti-miRNA transfection inhibited the formation of capillary-like structures stimulated by hypoxia and decreased cell migration in response to vascular endothelial growth factor. miR-210 overexpression did not affect endothelial cell growth in both normoxia and hypoxia. However, anti-miR-210 transfection inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis, in both normoxia and hypoxia. We determined that one relevant target of miR-210 in hypoxia was Ephrin-A3 since miR-210 was necessary and sufficient to down-modulate its expression. Moreover, luciferase reporter assays showed that Ephrin-A3 was a direct target of miR-210. Ephrin-A3 modulation by miR-210 had significant functional consequences; indeed, the expression of an Ephrin-A3 allele that is not targeted by miR-210 prevented miR-210-mediated stimulation of both tubulogenesis and chemotaxis. We conclude that miR-210 up-regulation is a crucial element of endothelial cell response to hypoxia, affecting cell survival, migration, and differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Patologia Vascolare, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IRCCS, 00167 Rome.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fasanaro
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: D'Alessandra
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Stefano
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Melchionna
authors.forename: Sveva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Romani
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pompilio
authors.forename: Maurizio C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Capogrossi
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martelli
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D036384:Ephrin-A3 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000235:genetics; D014162:Transfection; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D036384:Ephrin-A3; D035683:MicroRNAs; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A