DLEU2 has been proved to act as an oncogene in a variety of cancers, but its role in cardiovascular diseases is dearth of research. Thus, this study mainly discussed the effect and possible mechanism of DLEU2 on platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)-triggered vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) injury. To obtain authentic results, the expressions of target genes in atherosclerosis serum were determined by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and the protein levels were evaluated by Western blot. PDGF-BB was used to simply simulate the biological characteristics of VSMCs in vitro. The effect of DLEU2 on the biological behavior of PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs was analyzed by gain- and loss-of-function assays. Bioinformatics analysis, dual luciferase reporter assay, and Pearson correlation method were conducted to determine the relationship between target genes. The role of DLEU2/miR-212-5p/ YWHAZ (tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta) axis in PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs was verified by rescue experiments. As a result, DLEU2 and YWHAZ were up-regulated, and miR-212-5p was down-regulated in atherosclerosis serum. Overexpressed DLEU2 facilitated the biological behavior of PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs, whilst siDLEU2 did the opposite. Moreover, overexpressed DLEU2 promoted proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression but repressed α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and Calponin expressions, while it also enhanced YWHAZ expression via suppressing miR-212-5p. MiR-212-5p mimic and siYWHAZ reversed the effects of overexpressed DLEU2 on above biological characteristics and protein expressions in PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs, while the regulatory effect of miR-212-5p mimic was partially offset by overexpressed YWHAZ. Collectively, DLEU2 modulates PDGF-BB-induced VSMC injury via miR-212-5p/YWHAZ axis in atherosclerosis.
Keywords: Atherosclerosis; DLEU2; YWHAZ; miR-212-5p; vascular smooth muscle cells.