miRNA-34a-5p downregulation of VEGFA in endometrial stem cells contributes to the pathogenesis of endometriosis

Ying Ma, Yu-Xin Huang, Yuxin Huang, Yan-Ying Chen, Yanying Chen
Molecular medicine reports · 2017 · vol. 16(6) , pp. 8259–8264 · doi:10.3892/mmr.2017.7677 · PMID:28990049 · W2760811091
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

Endometriosis patients exhibit downregulated miR-34a-5p in endometrial stem cells, which targets VEGFA and suppresses cell proliferation.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This study investigated whether miR-34a-5p and its target VEGFA are dysregulated in endometriosis and tested the mechanism in human endometrial-derived stem cells (EnSCs). Using endometrial tissue from 10 women with endometriosis and 10 without, the authors measured miR-34a-5p by RT-PCR, then isolated and transfected EnSCs with miR-34a-5p mimics to assess VEGFA mRNA/protein levels (qPCR and western blot), VEGFA 3′UTR targeting (dual-luciferase reporter), and EnSC proliferation (MTT). miR-34a-5p was significantly downregulated in endometriosis tissues, and overexpression of miR-34a-5p reduced VEGFA expression and suppressed EnSC proliferation by targeting the VEGFA 3′UTR. The study’s main limitation is the small tissue sample size (n=10 per group) and that findings are primarily demonstrated in cultured EnSCs rather than in vivo. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — specifically, miR-34a-5p downregulation in endometrial stem cells and its VEGFA-mediated effects relevant to endometriosis pathogenesis.

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Abstract

Endometrial-derived stem cells (EnSCs) serve an important role in the development of endometriosis via retrograde menstruation. Abnormal expression of miRNAs in EnSCs is involved in the etiology of endometriosis, however, the mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of miR‑34a‑5p and VEGFA in endometrial samples from patients with or without endometriosis, and then examine the underlying mechanism of microRNA‑34a‑5p regulation of VEGFA in EnSCs. Endometrial samples from patients with or without endometriosis were collected, and miR‑34a‑5p expression in the two groups was measured using RT‑PCR. Human endometrial‑derived stem cells (hEnSCs) were isolated from these endometrial samples, and hEnSCs were transfected with the miR‑34a‑5p mimics or control miRNAs. qPCR and western blotting were performed to assess the effects of miR‑34a‑5p on the expression of VEGFA in hEnSCs, and cell growth was assessed by an MTT assay. miR‑34a‑5p was significantly downregulated in patients with endometriosis when compared with that of those without endometriosis. VEGFA expression levels in hEnSCs with an overexpression of miR‑34a‑5p were significantly reduced when compared with those in the negative control (P<0.01). In addition, the upregulation of miR‑34a‑5p suppressed EnSCs proliferation by targeting the 3' untranslated region of VEGFA. miR‑34a‑5p provides a novel avenue for the understanding of the development of endometriosis, and may facilitate the development of potential therapeutics against endometriosis.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Gene Expression Regulation MicroRNAs RNA Interference Stem Cells Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A 3' Untranslated Regions Cell Proliferation Cells, Cultured Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans MicroRNAs Neovascularization, Pathologic Neovascularization, Pathologic Stem Cells Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

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