ERG-Associated lncRNA (ERGAL) Promotes the Stability and Integrity of Vascular Endothelial Barrier During Dengue Viral Infection via Interaction With miR-183-5p
Baojia Zheng, Hui Wang, Guohui Cui, Qianfang Guo, Lulu Si, Huijun Yan, Danyun Fang, Lifang Jiang, Zhenyou Jiang, Junmei Zhou
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) continues to be a major public health problem. The most serious complication associated with its infection is dengue hemorrhagic fever and/or dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS), which is mainly characterized by vascular leakage. Currently, the pathogenesis of DHF/DSS is not elucidated thoroughly, and there are no known therapeutic targets for controlling the disease effectively. This study aimed to further reveal the potential molecular mechanism of DHF/DSS. In this study, the long non coding RNA, ERG-associated lncRNA (lncRNA-ERGAL), was activated and significantly up-regulated in DENV-infected vascular endothelial cells. After knockdown of lncRNA-ERGAL, the expression of ERG, VE-cadherin, and claudin-5 were repressed; besides cell apoptosis was enhanced, and cytoskeletal remodeling was disordered, leading to instability and increased permeability of vascular endothelial barrier during DENV infection. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) assay showed lncRNA-ERGAL to be mainly expressed in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the expression of miR-183-5p was found to increase during DENV-infection and revealed to regulate ERG, junction-associated proteins, and the cytoskeletal structure after overexpression and knockdown. Then ERGAL was confirmed to interact with miR-183-5p by luciferase reporter assay. Collectively, ERGAL acted as a miRNA sponge can promote stability and integrity of vascular endothelial barrier during DENV infection via binding to miR-183-5p, thus revealing the potential molecular mechanism of DHF/DSS providing a foundation for a promising clinical target in future.