microRNA‐338‐3p promotes ox‐LDL‐induced endothelial cell injury through targeting BAMBI and activating TGF‐β/Smad pathway
Authors: Xuhui Hou
Songbai Yang
Jian Yin
Journal: Journal of cellular physiology (2019)
Discipline: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS
Keywords: BMP and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI); TGF-β/Smad pathway; atherosclerosis (AS); microRNA-338-3p; oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL).
Affiliations: Department of Vascular Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.

Abstract:  microRNAs (miRNAs) have been revealed to participate in the pathological process of atherosclerosis (AS). However, the exact role of miR-338-3p, a target miRNA of BMP and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI), and its possible molecular mechanism in AS remain unidentified. In this study, we found that BAMBI was significantly decreased, whereas miR-338-3p increased in patients with AS and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced HUVEC cells. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-338-3p significantly decreased cell viability and elevated cell apoptosis, whereas its inhibition significantly promoted cell viability and inhibited cell apoptosis in ox-LDL-induced HUVEC cells. Moreover, miR-338-3p overexpression increased TGF-β/Smad pathway activation in ox-LDL-induced HUVEC cells. A dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the direct interaction between miR-338-3p and the 3'-untranslated region of BAMBI messenger RNA. Furthermore, the suppression of BAMBI ameliorated the effect of miR-338-3p inhibition against ox-LDL-induced HUVEC cell injury. In conclusion, our study thus suggests that miR-338-3p promoted ox-LDL-induced HUVEC cell injury by targeting BAMBI and activating the TGF-β/Smad pathway, which may provide a novel and promising therapeutic target for AS. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 Fig 5(d).  Suppression of BAMBI restrained the effect of miRu2010338u20103p inhibition in oxu2010LDLu2010induced HUVEC cells. Control group, normal HUVEC cells; oxu2010LDL group, HUVEC cells incubated with oxu2010LDL; miRu2010338u20103p inhibitor group, oxu2010LDLu2010induced HUVEC cells transfected with miRu2010338u20103p inhibitor; miRu2010338u20103p inhibitor+BAMBI siRNA group, oxu2010LDLu2010induced HUVEC cells cotransfected with miRu2010338u20103p inhibitor and BAMBI siRNA. ... (d,e) Cell apoptosis was determined by the flow cytometry . ![file] Peach and black rectangles are to mark similar panels in Fig 3A of [Li et al (2019)] , and other manifestations in that thread. ![] Bright pink rectangle marks the similar panel in Figs 3A of [Long et al (2017)] . ![] Blue-grey rectangle marks an overlap with Fig 4A B of [Chang et al (2018)] . ![file] , 
 Fig 2(d).  miRu2010338u20103p regulates cell viability and apoptosis in oxu2010LDLu2010induced HUVEC cells. Control group, normal HUVEC cells; oxu2010LDL group, HUVEC cells incubated with oxu2010LDL; miRu2010338u20103p mimic group, oxu2010LDLu2010induced HUVEC cells transfected with miRu2010338u20103p mimic; mimic control group, oxu2010LDLu2010induced HUVEC cells transfected with mimic control; miRu2010338u20103p inhibitor group, oxu2010LDLu2010induced HUVEC cells transfected with miRu2010338u20103p inhibitor; inhibitor control group, oxu2010LDLu2010induced HUVEC cells transfected with inhibitor control.(d) The flow cytometry analysis of apoptotic HUVEC cells. ![file] Yellow and green rectangles mark similar panels in Fig 2A from [Tang, Yang Zhang (2017)] ; ![file] and Figs 2G and 5D from [Li et al (2018)] and [Zhang et al (2017)] . ![] ![] Other manifestations of this little repertoire of flow-cytometry scatterplots are collated in a spreadsheet: https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 19wUtpXazLg2zKbTpDBuq0smG6-A7VHYifkieoyyuTcQ edit?usp=sharing , 
 Dear Hoya Camphorifolia Thank you for your comments to our article, regarding these flow cytometry images. The experiments of this study was stared in 2014 and finished in 2018. After carefully checking, we noticed that some of our data, including these flow cytometry images, might have been divulged to other researchers by our graduated students, and had been published. We had contacted the authors in the articles as you mentioned. We confirmed that these articles had been or are being retracted by the corresponding authors. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused to you and other readers. Sincerely yours Songbai Yang , 
 #3 Thank you, Dr Yang! It is gratifying to learn the original source of these frequently-used scatterplots. I am glad that you managed to convince the authors who copied them that they needed to retract their faked papers. ,