Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40897735›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Circular RNA RORβ regulates TGFβR1 in alcohol-induced fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation.

Viranuj Sueblinvong, Xian Fan, Harry Kartmouty-Quintana, Benjamin T Kopp, Bum-Yong Kang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Viranuj SueblinvongDivision of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
Xian FanDivision of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
Harry Kartmouty-QuintanaUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Benjamin T KoppDivision of Pulmonary, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, 2015 Uppergate Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
Bum-Yong KangDivision of Pulmonary, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, 2015 Uppergate Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. Bum-Yong.Kang@emory.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8251-1637

Funding

Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE)UL1TR002378 · NCATS · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI Andres J Garcia, Elizabeth O. Ofili · 2017 to 2026
$92.1M
Resue of CF phagocyte function with CFTR modulator therapyR01HL158747 · NHLBI · RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP · PI GUGLANI, LOKESH, KOPP, BENJAMIN T · 2022 to 2025
$2.1M
Alcohol-mediated Clock genes interfere with lung injury and repairR01AA029690 · NIAAA · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI VIRANUJ SUEBLINVONG · 2023 to 2026
$2.0M
Impact of alcohol on lung fibroblast regulation of the alveolar epithelial barrierR03AA027662 · NIAAA · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI SUEBLINVONG, VIRANUJ · 2020 to 2021
$156k
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health UL1TR002378NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002378NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL158747NIAAA NIH HHS R01 AA029690NIAAA NIH HHS R03 AA027662NIH HHS 1R01AA029690-01A1NIH HHS 1R03AA027662-01A1NIH HHS R01HL158747-01A1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Alcohol exposure augments the expression and signaling of transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ), leading to fibroproliferation. We showed that inhibition of TGFβ receptor type 1 (TGFβR1) mitigates the effect of alcohol in the lung. We further demonstrated that alcohol modulates TGFβ signaling, partly through its ability to modify microRNA (miRNA or miR) expressions in the lung. The mechanism by which alcohol mediates miRNA expressions and how its connection to TGFβ signaling has not been well elucidated. Circular RNAs (circRNAs or circ) have emerged as potential therapeutic targets due to their stability, tissue specificity, and ability to modify miRNAs. Human and murine lung fibroblasts (LF) were treated ± ethanol (60 mM). Samples were analyzed for TGFβR1 and circ-RORβ levels. In silico analysis was performed to identify common miRNAs with binding sites for both TGFβR1 and circ-RORβ. The top 10 miRNA levels in human LF (HLF) ± ethanol were analyzed. Human LF were treated with circ-RORβ anti-sense oligonucleotide (ASO) ± ethanol, and samples were collected for miR-140-3p, TGFβR1, fibronectin (FN1), and α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) levels, and stress fiber formation analyses. In parallel, HLF were treated with mimic miR-140-3p and analyzed for TGFβR1 mRNA levels. HLF were treated ± RORβ silencing RNA, then analyzed for RORβ, circ-RORβ, miR-140-3p, and TGFβR1 levels. We showed that ethanol upregulates TGFβR1 and circ-RORβ in ethanol-treated LF. In silico analysis revealed that miR-140-3p has putative binding sites for both TGFβR1 3' untranslated region (UTR) and circ-RORβ. We demonstrated that ethanol exposure attenuated LF 's miR-140-3p expression, and inhibition of circ-RORβ abrogated ethanol-mediated miR-140-3p suppression. Inhibition of circ-RORβ attenuated ethanol-induced TGFβR1, FN1, and αSMA expressions, as well as αSMA stress fiber formation in LF, while inhibition of RORβ did not alter circ-RORβ, miR-140-3p, or TGFβR1 levels. Overexpression of miR-140-3p promotes TGFβR1 mRNA degradation and inhibits ethanol-induced TGFβR1 expression while has no impact on circ-RORβ level. Taken together, our findings suggest the potential role of circ-RORβ-miR-140-3p-TGFβR1 axis in alcohol-induced TGFβ signaling and fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation.

Indexed as

Cell DifferentiationEthanolFibroblastsMyofibroblastsReceptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type IRNA, CircularAnimalsGene Expression RegulationHumansLungMiceMicroRNAsSignal TransductionEthanolMicroRNAsReceptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type IRNA, CircularAlcoholCirc-RORβCircular RNAFibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiationmicroRNATGFβ receptor 1

Identifiers

PMID40897735
PMCPMC12405534

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.