ANRIL regulates production of extracellular matrix proteins and vasoactive factors in diabetic complications.

noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have gained widespread interest due to their prevailing presence in various diseases. lncRNA ANRIL (a. k. a. CDKN2B-AS1) is located on human chromosome 9 (p21.3) and transcribed in opposite direction to the INK4b-ARF-INK4a gene cluster. It has been identified as a highly susceptible region for diseases such as coronary artery diseases and type 2 diabetes. Here, we explored its regulatory role in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) in association with epigenetic modifiers p300 and polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) complex. We used an ANRIL-knockout (ANRILKO) mouse model for this study. The wild-type and ANRILKO animals with or without streptozotocin-induced diabetes were monitored for 2 min. At the end of the time point, urine and tissues were collected. The tissues were measured for fibronectin (FN), type IV collagen (Col1α4), and VEGF mRNA and protein expressions. Renal function was determined by the measurement of 24-h urine volume and albumin/creatinine ratio at euthanasia. Renal and cardiac structures were investigated using periodic acid-Schiff stain and/or immunohistochemical analysis. Elevated expressions of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins were prevented in ANRILKO diabetic animals. Furthermore, ANRILKO had a protective effect on diabetic mouse kidneys, as evidenced by lowering of urine volume and urine albumin levels in comparison with the wild-type diabetic animals. These alterations regulated by ANRIL may be mediated by p300 and enhancer of zeste 2 (EZH2) of the PRC2 complex. Our study concludes that ANRIL regulates functional and structural alterations in the kidneys and hearts in diabetes through controlling the expressions of ECM proteins and VEGF.