Tenogenic differentiation of human tendon-derived stem cells induced by long non-coding RNA LINCMD1 via miR-342-3p/EGR1 axis

ABSTRACT

Background

Tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) are proposed as a potential cell-seed for the treatment of tendon injury due to their tenogenic differentiation potential. In this work, we defined the action of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) muscle differentiation 1 (LINCMD1) in tenogenic differentiation of human TDSCs (hTDSCs).

Methods

Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to assess the levels of LINCMD1, microRNA (miR)-342-3p, and early growth response-1 (EGR1) mRNA. Cell proliferation was detected by the XTT colorimetric assay. Protein expression was quantified by western blot. hTDSCs were grown in an osteogenic medium to induce osteogenic differentiation, and the extent of osteogenic differentiation was assessed by Alizarin Red Staining (ARS). The activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was measured by the ALP Activity Assay Kit. Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to evaluate the direct relationship between miR-342-3p and LINCMD1 or EGR1.

Results

Our results showed that enforced expression of LINCMD1 or suppression of miR-342-3p accelerated the proliferation and tenogenic differentiation and reduced osteogenic differentiation of hTDSCs. LINCMD1 regulated miR-342-3p expression by binding to miR-342-3p. EGR1 was identified as a direct and functional target of miR-342-3p, and knockdown of EGR1 reversed the effects of miR-342-3p suppression on cell proliferation and tenogenic and osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, the miR-342-3p/EGR1 axis mediated the regulation of LINCMD1 on hTDSC proliferation and tenogenic and osteogenic differentiation.

Conclusion

Our study suggests the induction of LINCMD1 in tenogenic differentiation of hTDSCs through miR-342-3p/EGR1 axis.

KEYWORDS:

• TDSCs
• LINCMD1
• MiR-342-3p
• EGR1
• tenogenic differentiation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Authors’ contributions

Xuezhen Shen designed and performed the research; Ketao Wang, Chengyi Sun and Pengfei Li analyzed the data; Feng Qu wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/03008207.2023.2217258.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Written informed consents were obtained from all participants, and this study was permitted by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University.

Additional information

Funding

The present study was supported by Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals Incubating Program. NO. PX2021005