A novel circ_Supt3/miR-185-5p/G3bp2 ceRNA network regulates high glucose-induced injury in mouse podocyte MPC5 cells

Abstract

Abstract Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a complication of diabetes that is the leading cause of death in diabetic patients. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a hot topic in the research of human diseases. However, the role of circ_Supt3 in DN remains unclear. Methods High glucose (HG) treatment of mouse podocyte (MPC5) cells to mimic DN cell injury. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression of circ_Supt3, microRNA-185-5p (miR-185-5p), and GTPase-activating protein-binding protein 2 (G3bp2). 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU) and 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assays were used to examine cell proliferation, and flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. Western blot was used to assess the levels of relative proteins. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) detected the inflammation cytokines. Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays were used to confirm the interaction of miR-185-5p and circ_Supt3 or G3bp2. Results Circ_Supt3 and G3bp2 were highly expressed and miR-185-5p expression was diminished in DN mice. HG treatment inhibited cell proliferation and accelerated cell apoptosis and inflammation response, and the knockdown of circ_Supt3 reversed these effects. Bioinformatics predicted that circ_Supt3 contained a binding site for miR-185-5p, and G3bp2 was a direct target of miR-185-5p. Circ_Supt3 regulated G3bp2 expression by miR-185-5p. Moreover, the circ_Supt3/miR-185-5p/G3bp2 axis regulated the cell behavior of HG-induced MPC5 cells. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the knockdown of circ_Supt3 protects mouse MPC5 cells against HG-induced cell injury via the miR-185-5p/G3bp2 axis.