CircRNA-WNK2 Acts as a ceRNA for miR-328a-3p to Promote AANAT Expression in the Male Rat Pineal Gland

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), which are expressed with a daily rhythm in the rat pineal gland, are associated with the regulation of melatonin secretion and other biological functions. However, the mechanisms of these molecules in the rat pineal...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Endocrinology (Philadelphia) 2022-02, Vol.163 (2), p.1
Main Authors: Zheng, Yi, Wang, Hao-Qi, Guo, Hai-Xiang, Xie, Heng-Li, Zhang, Wei-Di, Han, Dong-Xu, Jiang, Hao, Yuan, Bao, Zhang, Jia-Bao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3' Untranslated regions
Animals
Aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase
Circadian Rhythm - genetics
Circadian rhythms
Circular RNA
Cyclic adenylic acid
Endocrine system
Endocrinology
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Fluorescence
Fluorescence in situ hybridization
Ganglia
Gene Expression
Genes
Genetic transcription
Luciferase
Male
Melatonin
Melatonin - genetics
Melatonin - metabolism
MicroRNAs
MicroRNAs - genetics
miRNA
Models, Animal
NAT gene
Non-coding RNA
Pineal gland
Pineal Gland - metabolism
Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases - genetics
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
RNA, Untranslated - physiology
Secretion
Suprachiasmatic nucleus
Suprachiasmatic Nucleus - metabolism
Transcription, Genetic
Transfection
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Summary:Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), which are expressed with a daily rhythm in the rat pineal gland, are associated with the regulation of melatonin secretion and other biological functions. However, the mechanisms of these molecules in the rat pineal gland are not yet fully understood. In this study, we found that circR-WNK2 was highly expressed at night, which may be involved in the regulation of melatonin secretion through the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism. By dual luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays, we found that miR-328a-3p can target circR-WNK2 and the Aa-nat mRNA 3′UTR. Transfection experiments indicated that circR-WNK2 could competitively bind to miR-328a-3p, reduce miR-328a-3p expression, and promote Aa-nat gene expression and melatonin secretion. And by constructing a superior cervical ganglionectomy (SCGx) rat model, we found that ncRNAs expression in the pineal gland was regulated by signals from the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This finding supports the hypothesis that these noncoding RNAs may interact to shape the circadian rhythm through transcriptional processing in melatonin synthesis.
ISSN:0013-7227
1945-7170
DOI:10.1210/endocr/bqab255