LncRNAGAS5 sponges miRNA-221 to promote neurons apoptosis by up-regulated PUMA under hypoxia condition.

Objectives: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play substantial roles in cerebral ischemia. Growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) was reported to be involved in stroke. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the roles of GAS5 in cerebral condition and unveil the underlying mechanism.Method: Transient focal ischemia was induced by intraluminal occlusion of the right Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to evaluate the volume of cerebral infarction. RT-qPCR was applied to evaluate the level of GAS5 and miR-221. Fluorescence activated Cell Sorting (FACS) and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferased (TUNEL)  were used for detection of apoptosis. Western blotting was applied for protein level. Luciferase assay was applied to reveal the underlying relationship between GAS5 and miR-221 or p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) and miR-221.Results: The results indicated that GAS5 was up-regulated in MCAO rats and in vitro hypoxia cell model while miR-221 expression was decreased in vitro hypoxia cell model. GAS5 promoted cells apoptosis, while miR-221 inhibited cell apoptosis through regulation of PUMA and downstream JNK/H2AX signaling. Moreover, GAS5 and miR-221 have direct interaction and PUMA was the target of miR-221, indicating that GAS5 regulated PUMA through sponging miR-221.Conclusions: the present study revealed that GAS5 aggravated cell apoptosis in hypoxia condition via miR-221/PUMA axis, which may provide potential targets for the treatment of stroke.

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