MiR-106a targets ATG7 to inhibit autophagy and angiogenesis after myocardial infarction

Background:Myocardial infarction(MI)is an acute condition in which the heart mus-cle dies due to the lack of blood supply.Previous research has suggested that au-tophagy and angiogenesis play vital roles in the prevention of heart failure after MI,and miR-106a is considered to be an important regulatory factor in MI.But the specific mechanism remains unknown.In this study,using cultured venous endothelial cells and a rat model of MI,we aimed to identify the potential target genes of miR-106a and discover the mechanisms of inhibiting autophagy and angiogenesis.Methods:We first explored the biological functions of miR-106a on autophagy and angiogenesis on endothelial cells.Then we identified ATG7,which was the down-stream target gene of miR-106a.The expression of miR-106a and ATG7 was investi-gated in the rat model of MI.Results:We found that miR-106a inhibits the proliferation,cell cycle,autophagy and angiogenesis,but promoted the apoptosis of vein endothelial cells.Moreover,ATG7 was identified as the target of miR-106a,and ATG7 rescued the inhibition of autophagy and angiogenesis by miR-106a.The expression of miR-106a in the rat model of MI was decreased but the expression of ATG7 was increased in the infarction areas.Conclusion:Our results indicate that miR-106a may inhibit autophagy and angiogenesis by targeting ATG7.This mechanism may be a potential therapeutic treatment for MI.