Research Paper Volume 16, Issue 19 pp 12909—12927

Figure 5. The silencing of MIAT induces apoptosis and inhibits myofibroblastic properties by targeting miR-342-3p. (A–D) Fibrotic BMFs (fBMFs−1 and −2) expressing the Sh-Luc. or Sh-MIAT were transfected with either miR-Scramble (miR-Src.) or miR-342-3p inhibitor for 24 hours. Cell apoptosis (annexin V⁺ or annexin V⁺/PI⁺) was assessed using flow cytometry (A). Cells (fBMFs−1 and −2) were cultured in collagen gel for an additional 48 hours, followed by the measurement of the gel area after cell contraction (B). Data are presented as mean ± SD (n=3); *p < 0.05 vs. Sh-Luc.; #p < 0.05 vs. Sh-MIAT with miR-Src. (A, B). The protein expression of α-SMA and COL1A1 in fBMFs−1 was analyzed using Western blotting (C). Cells (fBMFs−1 and −2) were cultured in Transwell system for an additional 24 hours, and their migration ability was quantified. Data are presented as mean ± SD (n=3); *p < 0.05 vs. Sh-Luc.; #p < 0.05 vs. Sh-MIAT with miR-Src.; Scale bar, 50 μm (D).