MiR-200b in heme oxygenase-1-modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes alleviates inflammatory injury of intestinal epithelial cells by targeting high mobility group box 3

Cell Death Dis. 2020 Jun 25;11(6):480. doi: 10.1038/s41419-020-2685-8.

Abstract

Heme Oxygen-1 (HO-1)-modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are effective to protect and repair transplanted small bowel and intestinal epithelial cells (IECs); however, the mechanism and the role of HO-1/BMMSCs-derived exosomes is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to verify that exosomes from a HO-1/BMMSCs and IEC-6 cells (IEC-6s) co-culture system could reduce the apoptosis of IEC-6s and decrease the expression of the tight junction protein, zona occludens 1, in the inflammatory environment. Using mass spectrometry, we revealed that high mobility group box 3 (HMGB3) and phosphorylated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), under the influence of differentially abundant proteins identified through proteomic analysis, play critical roles in the mechanism. Further studies indicated that microRNA miR-200b, which was upregulated in exosomes derived from the co-culture of HO-1/BMMSCs and IEC-6s, exerted its role by targeting the 3' untranslated region of Hmgb3 in this biological process. Functional experiments confirmed that miR-200b overexpression could reduce the inflammatory injury of IEC-6s, while intracellular miR-200b knockdown could significantly block the protective effect of HO-1/BMMSCs exosomes on the inflammatory injury of IEC-6s. In addition, the level of miR-200b in cells and exosomes derived from HO-1/BMMSCs stimulated by tumor necrosis factor alpha was significantly upregulated. In a rat small bowel transplantation model of allograft rejection treated with HO-1/BMMSCs, we confirmed that the level of miR-200b in the transplanted small bowel tissue was increased significantly, while the level of HMGB3/JNK was downregulated significantly. In conclusion, we identified that exosomes derived from HO-1/BMMSCs play an important role in alleviating the inflammatory injury of IECs. The mechanism is related to miR-200b targeting the abnormally increased expression of the Hmgb3 gene in IECs induced by inflammatory injury. The reduced level of HMGB3 then decreases the inflammatory injury.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3' Untranslated Regions / genetics
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Down-Regulation / genetics
  • Epithelial Cells / metabolism
  • Epithelial Cells / pathology*
  • Exosomes / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • HMGB3 Protein / metabolism*
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / genetics
  • Heme Oxygenase-1 / metabolism*
  • Inflammation / pathology*
  • Intestines / pathology*
  • JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • MicroRNAs / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism*
  • Models, Biological
  • Protective Agents / metabolism
  • Proteomics
  • Rats, Inbred Lew
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Substances

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • HMGB3 Protein
  • MIRN200 microRNA, rat
  • MicroRNAs
  • Protective Agents
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Heme Oxygenase-1
  • JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases