Integrative analysis of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA Interactions in Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Transitions I

To uncover new interactions between OCT4, lncRNA, and miRNA that may eventually help us in understanding not only OCT4-dependent effects, but also general causes of smooth muscle dysfunction associated with AS. Primary mouse aortic smooth muscle cells (MASMC) were isolated and grown as previously described (Cherepanova et al., 2016). For experiments, cells at the 70% confluency were transfected with blocking siOct4 or non-target siRNA (NT siRNA) for 48 hours in serum-free media, followed by the treatment with 10 µg/mL POVPC (Cayman Chem, #10031) or vehicle (DMSO) for 24 hours based on our previous findings (Pidkovka et al., 2007). The samples were used for LncRNA/mRNA expression profiling using Mouse 8 x 60K LncRNA expression array