Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression and function. Their functional contribution to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction (MI), is still relatively unknown. The lncRNA CARMN has cardiogenic traits and is known to regulate differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) into smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and cardiomyocytes (CM). However, its role in cardiac repair/regeneration, including the role of the host gene miRNAs miR-143 and miR-145, remains unknown. We found that CARMN is expressed primarily in CM and pericytes of the vertebrate heart and its expression is increased following cardiac injury in zebrafish. Further, CRISPR-generated CARMN zebrafish mutants show impaired cardiac regeneration following injury. In addition, CARMN-/- injured hearts display modified scar composition with impaired deposition of collagen at lesion site, suggesting its role in physiology of scar regression and efficient cardiac repair. Thus, the specific role of CARMN in CPC differentiation and our data suggest its potential implications in cardiac tissue repair in zebrafish, and ultimately in adult mammalian systems.
Regenerating the Cardiovascular System (University of Oxford, UK) (2023) Proc Physiol Soc 52, C12
Oral Communications: The role of lncRNA CARMN and its associated miRNAs during scar regression and cardiac repair
Mukesh Kumar Lalwani1, Matthieu Vermeren1, Julie Rodor1, Abdelaziz Beqqali1, Matthew Bennett1, Hannah Havelock-Allan1, Carl Tucker1, Daniel Soong1, Martin Denvir1, Andrew Howard Baker1,
1BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh United Kingdom, 2Institute of Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh United Kingdom, 3Centre for Discovery Brain Science, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh United Kingdom,
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Where applicable, experiments conform with Society ethical requirements.