Abstract
Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation is considered as a central driver of liver fibrosis and effective suppression of HSC activation contributes to the treatment of liver fibrosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to be important in tumor progression. However, the contributions of circRNAs in liver fibrosis remain largely unclear. The liver fibrosis-specific circRNA was explored by a circRNA microarray and cVIM (a circRNA derived from exons 4 to 8 of the vimentin gene mmu_circ_32994) was selected as the research object. Further studies revealed that cVIM, mainly expressed in the cytoplasm, may act as a sponge for miR-122-5p and miR-9-5p to enhance expression of type I TGF-β receptor (TGFBR1) and TGFBR2 and promotes activation of the TGF-β/Smad pathway, thereby accelerating the progression of liver fibrosis. Our results demonstrate a vital role for cVIM in promoting liver fibrosis progression and provide a fresh perspective on circRNAs in liver fibrosis.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.