Role of the long non‑coding RNA HOTAIR/miR‑126 axis in an in vitro psoriasis model

Abstract

Psoriasis is a T-cell-mediated inflammatory skin disease that is characterized by excessive keratinocyte proliferation and persistent skin inflammation. Accumulating evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are dysregulated in a number of inflammatory conditions. In the present study, an in vitro psoriasis cell model was established. Human HaCaT keratinocytes were activated using the inflammatory factor IL-22. Briefly, HaCaT cells were starved in serum-free DMEM for 24 h and then stimulated with 100 ng/ml IL-22 in serum-free DMEM for 24 h. Previous research indicated that HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) may participate in the development of psoriasis. First, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis was performed to detect HOTAIR expression. The results indicated that HOTAIR expression was reduced in IL-22-stimulated HaCaT cells. Subsequently, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to verify the binding site between HOTAIR and microRNA (miR)-126. The RT-qPCR results indicated that miR-126 expression was increased in IL-22-stimulated HaCaT cells. Moreover, the effects of HOTAIR and miR-126 on IL-22-stimulated HaCaT cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed. HaCaT cells were transfected with control-plasmid, HOTAIR-plasmid, HOTAIR-plasmid + mimic control or HOTAIR-plasmid + miR-126 mimic for 24 h. At 24 h post-transfection, the cells were stimulated with 100 ng/ml IL-22 for 24 h and experiments were conducted. IL-22 induced cell proliferation and suppressed apoptosis. However, HOTAIR-plasmid inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis in IL-22-stimulated HaCaT cells. In addition, the western blotting results indicated that HOTAIR-plasmid increased cleaved caspase-3 expression and the cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 ratio, whereas the HOTAIR-plasmid-mediated effects were reversed by miR-126 mimic. Collectively, the results of the present study demonstrated that the lncRNA-HOTAIR/miR-126 axis may be implicated in the regulation of psoriasis progression and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for psoriasis.

LncRNA HOTAIR as a novel biomarker in Psoriasis

“…Contrary to our results, a protective role of HOTAIR in psoriasis was suggested by a study that was conducted in vitro on a psoriasis cell model through interacting with miR-126, inhibiting the proliferation of cells activated by IL-22, and inducing apoptosis [22].…”

Identification of the potential biological target molecules related to primary open-angle glaucoma

“…Consequently, 53 lncRNAs, eight miRNAs, and 10 mRNAs were selected for the ceRNA network analysis. Among them, the most up-regulated lncRNA in the ceRNA network is HOTAIR, which is an antisense lncRNA that has been reported to play a critical role in multiple complex diseases, such as the progression of Parkinson’s disease, psoriasis and cancers, by targeting hsa-miR-126 and its downstream pathways [ 69 – 71 ]. In POAG patients, hsa-miR-126 may be down-regulated under chronic hypoxia conditions, resulting in retinal ganglion cells injury through targeting VEGF-Notch signaling pathway [ 72 ].…”