Hypoxia-inducible lncRNA MIR210HG promotes HIF1a expression by inhibiting miR-93-5p in renal tubular cells

Chronic hypoxia in the renal tubular interstitium has been reported to contribute to the progression of chronic kidney disease. Recently, long-noncoding RNAs have been shown to be involved in various pathological conditions, including hypoxia, one of which is the MIR210 host gene (MIR210HG). To elucidate the function of MIR210HG in renal hypoxia, we exposed primary cultured renal proximal tubular epithelial cells to hypoxia and examined the temporal profile of MIR210HG expression and the role of MIR210HG interaction with hypoxia-inducible factor1a (HIF1a, encoded by HIF1A). MIR210HG expression was induced by hypoxia. HIF1A silencing and cobalt chloride exposure showed that MIR210HG expression in hypoxia is HIF1a-dependent. MIR210HG silencing significantly reduced both the mRNA and protein levels of HIF1a, pointing to positive feedback regulation. To further investigate the details of this regulation, we turned to the in-silico miRNA targets of MIR210HG. We found that miR-93-5p levels increased when MIR210HG was knocked down. We then showed that miR-93-5p reduced the expression of HIF1A mRNA and MIR210HG. Furthermore, a dual luciferase assay confirmed that miR-93-5p binds to MIR210HG and HIF1A 3' UTR, inhibiting their expression. In conclusion, the long-noncoding RNA MIR210HG is induced shortly after hypoxia, and it promotes HIF1a expression by competing for miR-93-5p and inhibiting it. MIR210HG plays a crucial role in the biological response to hypoxia in renal tubular epithelial cells.