Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42890953›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in cell and developmental biology2026

Methylglyoxal hampers the angiogenic capacity of human retinal endothelial cells modifying cell transcriptome with the contribution of NRSF/REST.

Marianna Aprile, Cecilia Nigro, Caterina Perfetto, Alessia Leone, Simona Cataldi, Antonella Nicolò, Mariagiovanna Tramontano, Antonella Desiderio, Francesco Beguinot, Valerio Costa and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Marianna Aprile *Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati Traverso", National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Cecilia Nigro *Institute of Endotypes in Oncology, Metabolism and Immunology, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Caterina PerfettoInstitute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati Traverso", National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Alessia LeoneInstitute of Endotypes in Oncology, Metabolism and Immunology, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Simona CataldiInstitute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati Traverso", National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Antonella NicolòInstitute of Endotypes in Oncology, Metabolism and Immunology, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Mariagiovanna TramontanoInstitute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati Traverso", National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Antonella DesiderioDepartment of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
Francesco BeguinotDepartment of Translational Medicine, Federico II University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
Valerio Costa *Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati Traverso", National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Claudia Miele *Institute of Endotypes in Oncology, Metabolism and Immunology, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
Alfredo Ciccodicola *Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati Traverso", National Research Council, Naples, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The functional impairment of retinal microvascular cells is an early and central event in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methylglyoxal (MGO), the most reactive precursor of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), has been implicated in vascular injury and neuro-retinal dysfunction. Its direct effects on retinal endothelial cells and underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Methods: Human retinal endothelial cells (hRECs) were exposed to MGO and the effect of sublethal doses on the proangiogenic function was evaluated by migration, tube formation and pericyte recruitment assays. MGO derived AGEs were evaluated by western blot. Transcriptome and miRNome profiling were performed to identify gene expression and microRNA perturbations. Integrative Results: The exposure of hRECs to MGO for 72 h is sufficient to increase protein glycation adducts, impair the migration, tube-formation and the recruitment of pericytes. Transcriptome and miRNome analyses highlight that MGO induces extensive transcriptional perturbations, related to gene expression regulation, cell cycle, cell death and vasculature development. Among the identified transcriptional regulators, Neuron-Restrictive Silencer Factor/RE1-Silencing Transcription Factor (NRSF/REST) emerges as a candidate mediator, with binding sites enriched in 56% of deregulated genes. NRSF/REST expression markedly increases after 24 h of MGO treatment, suggesting it is an early event of the exposure to MGO. Protein-protein interaction network analysis prioritized NRSF/REST as a central node linking key MGO-responsive pathways. Accordingly, NRSF/REST knockdown is associated with the reduction of Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that MGO exposure disrupts endothelial function and transcriptional homeostasis in hRECs, identifying NRSF/REST as a contributor to MGO-induced endothelial dysfunction and supporting further investigations of the MGO/NRSF-REST axis as a potential therapeutic target for DR.

Indexed as

advanced glycation end-productdiabetic retinopathydicarbonyl stressendothelial dysfunctionhuman retinal endothelial cellsmethylglyoxalNRSF/RESTtranscriptional regulation

Identifiers

PMID42890953
PMCPMC13672637

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