miR-34a is a common link in both HIV- and antiretroviral therapy-induced vascular aging

Both HIV and antiretroviral therapy could induce vascular aging with unclear mechanisms. In this study, via microarray analysis, we identified, for the first time, that miR-34a expression was significantly increased in both HIV-infected, and antiretroviral agents-treated vessels and vascular endothelial cells (ECs) from these vessels. In cultured ECs, miR-34a expression was significantly increased by HIV-Tat protein and by the antiretroviral agents, lopinavir/ritonavir. Both HIV-Tat protein and antiretroviral agents could induce EC senescence, which was inhibited by miR-34a inhibition. In contrast, EC senescence was exacerbated by miR-34a overexpression. In addition, the vascular ECs isolated from miR-34a knockout mice were resistant to HIV and antiretroviral agents-mediated senescence. In vivo, miR-34a expression in mouse vascular walls and their ECs was increased by antiretroviral therapy and by HIV-1 Tat transgenic approach. miR-34a inhibition could effectively inhibit both HIV-Tat protein and antiretroviral therapy-induced vascular aging in mice. The increased miR-34a was induced via p53, whereas Sirt1 was a downstream target gene of miR-34a in both HIV-Tat protein and antiretroviral agents-treated ECs and vessels. The study has demonstrated that miR-34a is a common link in both HIV and antiretroviral therapy-mediated vascular aging.