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LncRNA MEG3 inhibits the inflammatory response of ankylosing spondylitis by targeting miR-146a

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Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a progressive systemic disease characterized by chronic inflammation response of the sacroiliac joint and spine. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely involved in the regulation of various diseases. However, the role of lncRNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) in the inflammatory response of AS has not been studied. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in tissues and cells. The expression levels of MEG3, microRNA-146a (miR-146a), and inflammatory cytokines were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Correlation between MEG3 or miR-146a and inflammatory cytokines was analyzed by Pearson analysis. Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to clarify the interaction between MEG3 and miR-146a. MEG3 was downregulated in AS patients, negatively correlated with the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and blocked the inflammatory response of AS. MiR-146a was upregulated in AS patients and could interact with MEG3. The expression of miR-146a was positively correlated with IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels. Overexpression of miR-146a reversed the inhibitory effect of abnormal MEG3 expression on inflammatory cytokines. LncRNA MEG3 plays an anti-inflammatory role in AS partially through targeting miR-146a, which provides a potential new means for the treatment of AS patients.

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  1. Yehong Li and Shanshan Zhang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Spinal-Surgery, Jining No.1 People’s Hospital (Jining First People’s Hospital Affiliated to Jining Medical University), Jining, Shandong, China

    Yehong Li & Cunxin Zhang

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Jining No.1 People’s Hospital (Jining First People’s Hospital Affiliated to Jining Medical University), Jining, Shandong, China

    Shanshan Zhang

  3. Department of ICU, Jining No.1 People’s Hospital (Jining First People’s Hospital Affiliated to Jining Medical University), No. 6, Jiankang Road, Jining, 272011, Shandong, China

    Meihong Wang

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  1. Yehong Li
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Li, Y., Zhang, S., Zhang, C. et al. LncRNA MEG3 inhibits the inflammatory response of ankylosing spondylitis by targeting miR-146a. Mol Cell Biochem 466, 17–24 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-019-03681-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-019-03681-x

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