Circular RNA RRM2 alleviates metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease by targeting miR-142-5p to increase NRG1 expression

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a prevalent chronic liver condition worldwide, demanding further investigation into its pathogenesis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as pivotal regulators in MASLD processes, yet their pathological implications in MASLD remain poorly understood. This study focused on elucidating the role of circular RNA ribonucleotide reductase subunit M2 (circRRM2) in MASLD progression. In this study, we used both in vitro and in vivo MASLD models, utilizing long-chain-free fatty acid (FFA)-treated hepatocytes and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced MASLD in mice, respectively. We determined the expression patterns of circRRM2, microRNA-142-5p (miR-142-5p), and NRG1 in livers of MASLD-afflicted mice and MASLD hepatocytes by RT-qPCR. Dual-luciferase reporter assays verified the binding relationships among circRRM2, miR-142-5p, and NRG1. We conducted further analyses of their roles in MASLD hepatocytes and modulated circRRM2, miR-142-5p, and NRG1 expression in vitro by transfection. Our findings were validated in vivo. The results demonstrated reduced levels of circRRM2 and NRG1, along with elevated miR-142-5p expression in MASLD livers and hepatocytes. Overexpression of circRRM2 downregulated lipogenesis-related genes and decreased triglycerides accumulation in livers of MASLD mice. MiR-142-5p, which interacts with circRRM2, effectively counteracted the effects of circRRM2 in MASLD hepatocytes. Furthermore, NRG1 was identified as a miR-142-5p target, and its overexpression mitigated the regulatory impact of miR-142-5p on MASLD hepatocytes. In conclusion, circRRM2, via its role as a miR-142-5p sponge, upregulating NRG1, possibly influenced triglycerides accumulation in both in vitro and in vivo MASLD models.