circFAT1(e2) Inhibits Cell Apoptosis and Facilitates Progression in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells through miR-298/MYB Axis

Abstract

Presently, as one of the three types of muscles in the human body, smooth muscle carries out many biological activities. Meanwhile, its abnormal development also leads to many diseases. Circular RNA, belonging to the noncoding RNA family, is demonstrated to function importantly in various diseases including smooth muscle. Here, we assumed circFAT1(e2) probably exhibited a primary role in vascular smooth muscle. Therefore, we conducted cell viability and cell apoptosis assay to validate the effects of circFAT1(e2) on vascular smooth muscle progression. Then, we supposed miR-298 was one target of circFAT1(e2) and executed corresponding experiments to test this hypothesis. Dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated miR-298 could bind to circFAT1(e2) and then modulated MYB level, thus regulating smooth muscle progression. Subsequently, based on the GSE41177 dataset, we identified 1982 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in atrial fibrillation, and all DEGs were upregulated, including MYB. Finally, enrichment analysis of upregulated genes indicated that they were related to endodermal cell differentiation. The protein-protein interaction network revealed that EGFR, GNG2, and FPR2 were related to atrial fibrillation. In conclusion, our data find that circFAT1(e2) sponges miR-298 and then regulates MYB expression, thus affecting atrial fibrillation progression. Our findings provide a newly produced indicator and target for vascular smooth muscle diagnosis and treatment.