miR-200c regulates endothelin-1 induced PASMCs abnormal proliferation and apoptosis.

miR-200c is an antioncogene in multiple tumors. However, its function in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has not been thoroughly investigated nor understood. In this study, we discovered that miR-200c was able to substantially upregulate in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) treated with endothelin-1 (ET-1). miR-200c also induced cell proliferation and suppressed cell apoptosis in PASMCs in vitro. However, miR-200c had no effect on G1/S/G2 transitions during the cell cycle. Furthermore, we identified miR-200c as a new regulator of the microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP-2) and zinc finger E-box binding homeobox1 (ZEB-1) in PASMCs. miR-200c inhibited MAP-2 and ZEB-1 expression by directly binding to their 3'-untranslated regions(3'UTR) according to luciferase assay results. Our findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms of PAH pathogenesis and potential molecular biomarkers for PAH diagnosis and treatment.