The long non-coding HOTAIR is modulated by cyclic stretch and WNT/β-CATENIN in human aortic valve cells and is a novel repressor of calcification genes.
Aortic valve calcification is a significant and serious clinical problem for which there are no effective medical treatments. Individuals born with bicuspid aortic valves, 1-2% of the population, are at the highest risk of developing aortic valve calcification. Aortic valve calcification involves increased expression of calcification and inflammatory genes. Bicuspid aortic valve leaflets experience increased biomechanical strain as compared to normal tricuspid aortic valves. The molecular pathogenesis involved in the calcification of BAVs are not well understood, especially the molecular response to mechanical stretch. HOTAIR is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that has been implicated with cancer but has not been studied in cardiac disease. We have found that HOTAIR levels are decreased in BAVs and in human aortic interstitial cells (AVICs) exposed to cyclic stretch. Reducing HOTAIR levels via siRNA in AVICs results in increased expression of calcification genes. Our data suggest that β-catenin is a stretch responsive signaling pathway that represses HOTAIR. This is the first report demonstrating that HOTAIR is mechanoresponsive and repressed by WNT β-catenin signaling. These findings provide novel evidence that HOTAIR is involved in aortic valve calcification.
Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America.
Katrina
K
Carrion
Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America.
Jeffrey
J
Dyo
Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America.
Vishal
V
Patel
Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America.
Roman
R
Sasik
Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany.
Salah A
SA
Mohamed
Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America; Computational Science Research Center & Biomedical Informatics Research Center San Diego State University, San Diego, California, United States of America.
Gary
G
Hardiman
Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America; Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America.
Vishal
V
Nigam
D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000082882:Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000235:genetics*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014261:Tricuspid Valve / Q000378:metabolism*; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
C561566:HOTAIR long untranslated RNA, human; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering