Abstract
Pre-eclampsia (PE) is the leading cause of maternal death; however, the causative molecular basis remains largely unknown. Recent studies have revealed the important role microRNAs (miRNAs) play in PE. We aimed to explore the effects of let-7d on trophoblast proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis in PE and its underlying mechanism. Placental tissues were collected from PE patients and healthy pregnant women, and it was found that let-7d expression was increased, while KDM3A and ENO2 expression was decreased in PE tissues and cells. Bioinformatics analysis indicated the interaction among let-7d, KDM3A and ENO2, confirmed by dual luciferase reporter gene assay; ChIP experiment identified methylated modification to ENO2 by KDM3A. With gain- and loss-function method, silencing of let-7d increased KDM3A expression and enhanced the binding between KDM3A and ENO2. Furthermore, overexpression of let-7d suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblasts, and induced apoptosis of trophoblasts, while these capacities were restored upon additional treatment of overexpressed ENO2. PE rat models were established to explore the effects of let-7d and ENO2 on PE in vivo. The results established that the silencing of let-7d alleviated the tissue injury and PE-related symptoms when reducing urine protein, TUNEL-positive cells and increasing ENO2, and KDM3A expression in rats. Cumulatively, let-7d suppressed cell progression of trophoblasts, and induced apoptosis through the down-regulation of KDM3A to promote ENO2 methylation, thereby promoting progression of PE. Such an epigenetic network of let-7d, KDM3A and ENO2 in the pathogenesis of PE might provide novel insight into targeted therapy against this disorder.