Background:Osteoarthritis(OA)is a common degenerative joint disease character-ized by the progressive degradation of articular cartilage.Mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy,including mitophagy,have been implicated...Background:Osteoarthritis(OA)is a common degenerative joint disease character-ized by the progressive degradation of articular cartilage.Mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy,including mitophagy,have been implicated in OA pathogenesis.Long noncoding RNAs(lncRNA)are emerging as key regulators in various cellular pro-cesses,but their roles in OA,particularly in chondrocytes,remain poorly understood.This study explores the involvement of lncRNA-GCH1 in regulating mitophagy and its impact on chondrocyte function and cartilage degradation in OA.Methods:Primary chondrocytes were isolated from the cartilage tissues of OA pa-tients and healthy controls.lncRNA-GCH1 expression was assessed using RNA-seq,reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction,and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization.Functional assays,including Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8),colony formation,flow cytometry,and Western blotting,were used to evaluate the effects of lncRNA-GCH1 knockdown on chondrocyte proliferation,apoptosis,cell cycle,and mi-tophagy.Mitochondrial function was assessed by measuring adenosine triphosphate production,reactive oxygen species levels,and mitochondrial membrane potential.In vivo,a murine OA model was used to examine the impact of lncRNA-GCH1 knock-down on cartilage degradation.Results:lncRNA-GCH1 was upregulated in OA chondrocytes and localized in the cy-toplasm.Knockdown of lncRNA-GCH1 enhanced cell proliferation and arrested cell cycle in G0/G1.It also suppressed mitophagy,improved mitochondrial function,and reduced matrix-degrading enzyme expression-effects that were reversed by rapa-mycin treatment.Meanwhile,lncRNA-GCH1 knockdown reduced PTEN-induced ki-nase 1(PINK1)aggregation and in vivo local inhibition of PINK1 diminished cartilage degradation.Conclusion:lncRNA-GCH1 regulates mitophagy in OA chondrocytes,influencing mi-tochondrial function and matrix degradation.Targeting lncRNA-GCH1 may offer a potential therapeutic approach for OA treatment.展开更多
基金Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital Clinical Research 5010 Program,Grant/Award Number:SYS-5010-202403Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,Grant/Award Number:2024A1515012811+1 种基金Sun Yat-sen Scientific Research Project,Grant/Award Number:YXQH202202Guangdong Provincial Key Research and Development Program,Grant/Award Number:2023B1111050003。
文摘Background:Osteoarthritis(OA)is a common degenerative joint disease character-ized by the progressive degradation of articular cartilage.Mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy,including mitophagy,have been implicated in OA pathogenesis.Long noncoding RNAs(lncRNA)are emerging as key regulators in various cellular pro-cesses,but their roles in OA,particularly in chondrocytes,remain poorly understood.This study explores the involvement of lncRNA-GCH1 in regulating mitophagy and its impact on chondrocyte function and cartilage degradation in OA.Methods:Primary chondrocytes were isolated from the cartilage tissues of OA pa-tients and healthy controls.lncRNA-GCH1 expression was assessed using RNA-seq,reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction,and RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization.Functional assays,including Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8),colony formation,flow cytometry,and Western blotting,were used to evaluate the effects of lncRNA-GCH1 knockdown on chondrocyte proliferation,apoptosis,cell cycle,and mi-tophagy.Mitochondrial function was assessed by measuring adenosine triphosphate production,reactive oxygen species levels,and mitochondrial membrane potential.In vivo,a murine OA model was used to examine the impact of lncRNA-GCH1 knock-down on cartilage degradation.Results:lncRNA-GCH1 was upregulated in OA chondrocytes and localized in the cy-toplasm.Knockdown of lncRNA-GCH1 enhanced cell proliferation and arrested cell cycle in G0/G1.It also suppressed mitophagy,improved mitochondrial function,and reduced matrix-degrading enzyme expression-effects that were reversed by rapa-mycin treatment.Meanwhile,lncRNA-GCH1 knockdown reduced PTEN-induced ki-nase 1(PINK1)aggregation and in vivo local inhibition of PINK1 diminished cartilage degradation.Conclusion:lncRNA-GCH1 regulates mitophagy in OA chondrocytes,influencing mi-tochondrial function and matrix degradation.Targeting lncRNA-GCH1 may offer a potential therapeutic approach for OA treatment.
