Long noncoding RNA OIP5-AS1 accelerates the ox-LDL mediated vascular endothelial cells apoptosis through targeting GSK-3β via recruiting EZH2.

An increasing amount of research is demonstrating the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human cardiovascular disease, and in particular, atherosclerosis. To date, the mechanism through which lncRNA OIP5-AS1 regulates the oxidative low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-mediated endothelial cell apoptosis is still unclear. Results from this study found that lncRNA OIP5-AS1 was significantly over-expressed in the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) administered with ox-LDL. The silencing of OIP5-AS1 inhibited apoptosis and promoted proliferation via inducing G0/G1 cycle arrest. Chromatin immunoprecipitate (ChIP) revealed that lncRNA OIP5-AS1 reduced GSK-3β expression through recruiting EZH2, a critical element of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) complex that directly bind with the GSK-3β promoter region. Rescue experiments validated that GSK-3β could eliminate the effect of OIP5-AS1 on HUVECs. Overall, these findings suggest that lncRNA OIP5-AS1 accelerates ox-LDL mediated vascular endothelial cell apoptosis through targeting GSK-3β via recruiting EZH2, providing potential therapeutic strategies for atherosclerosis.