CircNSD1 promotes cardiac fibrosis through targeting the miR-429-3p/SULF1/Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Cardiac fibrosis is a detrimental pathological process, which constitutes the key factor for adverse cardiac structural remodeling leading to heart failure and other critical conditions. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of various cardiovascular diseases. It is known that several circRNAs regulate gene expression and pathological processes by binding miRNAs. In this study we investigated whether a novel circRNA, named circNSD1, and miR-429-3p formed an axis that controls cardiac fibrosis. We established a mouse model of myocardial infarction (MI) for in vivo studies and a cellular model of cardiac fibrogenesis in primary cultured mouse cardiac fibroblasts treated with TGF-ß1. We showed that miR-429-3p was markedly downregulated in the cardiac fibrosis models. Through gain- and loss-of-function studies we confirmed miR-429-3p as a negative regulator of cardiac fibrosis. In searching for the upstream regulator of miR-429-3p, we identified circNSD1 that we subsequently demonstrated as an endogenous sponge of miR-429-3p. In MI mice, knockdown of circNSD1 alleviated cardiac fibrosis. Moreover, silence of human circNSD1 suppressed the proliferation and collagen production in human cardiac fibroblasts in vitro. We revealed that circNSD1 directly bound miR-429-3p, thereby upregulating SULF1 expression and activating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Collectively, circNSD1 may be a novel target for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis and associated cardiac disease.

[The screening of mutants induced by physical and chemical factors and construction of mutant population for Brassica napus L].

The mature seeds of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) from variety Gaoyou 605 were treated with g-rays and Ethyl Methan Sulfonate (EMS). 152 mutants (12.67% of M2 population) with mutative traits, including the mutation of leaf color, leaf shape, plant height, number and angle of branches, diameter of main stalk, color of stalk and flower, number and size of petals, pistil shape, male sterility, bud death and date of bloom were found in screened M2 progenies, which have been identified in M3. The mutants of cotyledon and root traits were also screened by hydroponics culture and their total mutant frequency were estimated at 12.78% and 7.07% in M3, respectively. Identification of M4 showed that these mutations could be inherited stably. The mutant library including the mutants of leaf, plant-type, flower, cotyledon, root and physiological traits had been built in present experiment. These mutants might be used as important germplasm for rapeseed breeding and functional genomics study.