Long non-coding RNA H19 deficiency ameliorates bleomycin-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis

Abstract

Background: The poor understanding of pathogenesis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) impaired development of effective therapeutic strategies. The aim of the current study is to investigate the roles of long non-coding RNA H19 (lncRNA H19 ) in the pathogenesis of IPF. Methods: Bleomycin was used to induce pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in mice. The mRNAs and proteins expression in lung tissues was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. H19 knockout ( H19 -/- ) mice were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 and used to investigate the roles of H19 in the pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in vivo . Results: The expression of H19 mRNA was up-regulated in fibrotic lungs patients with IPF as well as in lungs tissues that obtained from bleomycin-treated mice. H19 -/- mice suppressed bleomycin-mediated pulmonary inflammation and inhibited the Il6/Stat3 signaling. H19 deficiency ameliorated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and repressed the activation of TGF-β/Smad and S1pr2/Sphk2 in the lungs of bleomycin-treated mice. Conclusions : Our data suggests that H19 is a profibrotic lncRNA and a potential therapeutic target for pulmonary fibrosis.