hsa_circ_0087100/hsa-miR-6743-5p affects Th1 cell differentiation by regulating STAT1 in diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

Objective: To elucidate the role of the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network in immune infiltration of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: We obtained differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Then, we identified immune infiltration by CIBERSORT and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis and discovered co-expression genes by weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Furthermore, STAT1-mediated Th1 differentiation was determined in DR cell models, DR patients and DR mouse models. Results:hsa_circ_0087100/hsa-miR-6743-5p/STAT1 was involved in immune infiltration of Th1 cells. Aberrant expression of the ceRNA network and STAT1-mediated Th1 differentiation was thus verified in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion:hsa_circ_0087100/hsa-miR-6743-5p/STAT1 may affect Th1 cell differentiation in DR.

Keywords: :

• ceRNA network
• diabetic retinopathy
• immune regulation
• STAT1
• Th1 cell

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: wwww.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/epi-2023-0359

Author contributions

S He and D Lai carried out the study and wrote the main manuscript text. C Ma, C Gu and C Meng prepared figures and tables. Q Chen and C Cai revised the manuscript. Q Qiu proposed the idea and design the study. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Financial disclosure

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 81970811, 82372072) and the Domestic Science and Technology Cooperation Project of Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (no. 21015800700). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Competing interests disclosure

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Writing disclosure

Writing support was provided by American Journal Experts and was funded by the authors.

Ethical conduct of research

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and was implemented in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. All patients were informed about the study and signed written informed consent before their enrollment. All animal experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Shanghai General Hospital and were performed in accordance with the Animal Research: Reporting of in vivo Experiments guidelines.

Data sharing statement

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.