Increased expression of miR-483-3p impairs the vascular response to injury in type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Aggravated endothelial injury and impaired endothelial repair capacity contribute to the high cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the underlying mechanisms are still incompletely understood. Here we describe the functional role of a mature form of miRNA (miR) 483-3p, which limits endothelial repair capacity in patients with T2D. Expression of human (hsa)-miR-483-3p was higher in endothelial-supportive M2-type macrophages (M2MΦs) and in the aortic wall of patients with T2D than in control subjects without diabetes. Likewise, the murine (mmu)-miR-483* was higher in T2D than in nondiabetic murine carotid samples. Overexpression of miR-483-3p increased endothelial and macrophage apoptosis and impaired reendothelialization in vitro. The inhibition of hsa-miR-483-3p in human T2D M2MΦs transplanted to athymic nude mice (NMRI-Foxn1 v /Foxn1 v ) or systemic inhibition of mmu-miR-483* in B6.BKS(D)-Lepr db /J diabetic mice rescued diabetes-associated impairment of reendothelialization in the murine carotid-injury model. We identified the endothelial transcription factor vascular endothelial zinc finger 1 (VEZF1) as a direct target of miR-483-3p. VEZF1 expression was reduced in aortae of diabetic mice and upregulated in diabetic murine aortae upon systemic inhibition of mmu-483*. The miRNA miR-483-3p is a critical regulator of endothelial integrity in patients with T2D and may represent a therapeutic target to rescue endothelial regeneration after injury in patients with T2D.