Knockdown of HSPA13 inhibits TGFβ1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition of RPE by suppressing the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

To investigate the effect of HSPA13 on TGFβ1-induced EMT of RPE cells, we performed bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that gene signatures associated with EMT and cell migration were significantly downregulated in the shHSPA13+TGFβ1 group relative to the shScramble+TGFβ1 group. PI3K/Akt signaling-related gene levels were repressed as well. We compared the transcriptomic profiles of shHSPA13 and shScramble human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) -derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells treated with or without TGFβ1. To induce EMT, hESC-RPE cells were seeded in 1% Matrigel-coated 12-well plates at a density of 5 x 10^5 cells/well. Following 24 hours of cell plating, the cells underwent 24-hour serum deprivation. Subsequently, the cells were subjected to incubation with a concentration of 10 ng/ml of recombinant human TGFβ1 for 48 hours.