m6A reader IGF2BP1 accelerates apoptosis of high glucose-induced vascular endothelial cells in a m6A-HMGB1 dependent manner

Abstract

Emerging evidence indicates that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays a critical role in vascular biological characteristic. In diabetes mellitus pathophysiology, high glucose (HG)-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction is associated with diabetes vascular complications. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism of high glucose (HG)-related m6A regulation on vascular endothelial cells is still unclear. Results indicated that m6A reader insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) was up-regulated in HG-treated human umbilical vascular endothelium cells (HUVECs) comparing to normal group. Functionally, results indicated that IGF2BP1 knockdown recovered the proliferation of HUVECs inhibited by HG-administration. Besides, IGF2BP1 knockdown reduced the apoptosis induced by HG-administration. Mechanistically, IGF2BP1 interacted with HMGB1 mRNA and stabilized its expression of m6A-modified RNA. Therefore, these findings provided compelling evidence demonstrating that m6A reader IGF2BP1 contributes to the proliferation and apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells in hyperglycaemia, serving as a target for development of diabetic angiopathy therapeutics.