Linc-OIP5 working as a ceRNA of miR-616 promotes PON1 expression in HUEVC cells.

Coronary atherosclerosis affects human health all over the world. PON1 was found to be associated with coronary atherosclerosis but the specific mechanism is still unclear. Non-coding RNA plays an important role in many diseases. In recent years, studies have focused on non-coding RNA in coronary atherosclerosis. In this study, we investigated the effect of non-coding RNA Linc-OIP5 on PON1 expression. Results showed that in the serum of patients with coronary atherosclerosis, there was lower PON1 activity and PON1 level, the same trend in Linc-OIP5, and the opposite trend in miR-616 expression. Through further cell experiments, with up-regulation or down-regulation of Linc-OIP5 and miR-616, we found that Linc-OIP5 positively regulated the expression of PON1 gene and its protein level, while miR-616 negatively regulated the expression of PON1 gene and protein. Through further functional experiments, we also found that the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and nitric oxide (NO) related to oxidative stress also had corresponding changes. Further dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that Linc-OIP5 regulated PON1 expression as a ceRNA of miR-616. Thus Linc-OIP5 working as a ceRNA of miR-616 apparently promotes PON1 expression in HUEVC cells and Linc-OIP5 and miR-616 may be an ideal target for the treatment of coronary atherosclerosis in the future.