NRF2 Controls Endothelial Plasticity with miR-93

Here we studied the role of oxidized phospholipids in mediating phenotype switching of endothelial cells between quiescent and angiogenic states. Two oxPAPC datasets, a microRNA array and global run-on sequencing (GRO-seq), was combined with Nuclear factor erythroid 2-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) binding model to select candidate miRNAs for further studies. The pre-screening resulted in a selection of miR-106b~25 cluster for further studies. The cluster was shown to be both oxPAPC-responsive and NRF2-regulated, and its diagnostic and prognostic potential was investigated in pericardial fluid samples of heart failure and atherosclerosis patients. As the most abundant member of the cluster in both endothelial cells and pericardial fluid of atherosclerosis patients, miR-93-5p was selected for more detailed studies. RNA-seq from miR-93 overexpressing cells revealed significant changes in pathways related to angiogenesis. Together with NRF2, miR-93 was shown to control endothelial plasticity through regulation of the key players, namely Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) for quiescence, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) for glycolysis, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGFA), Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and MYC proto-oncogene protein (MYC) for growth and proliferation.The findings show that NRF2 and miR-93 control the activity of endothelial cells and mediate the effects of oxPAPC on endothelial activation, collectively providing novel mechanisms for the control of endothelial plasticity and oxPAPC response. Two samples. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells, control vs oxPAPC 6h