Abstract 20541: MicroRNA-216a Mediates the Activation of Telomerase in Macrophages Differentiation via the Smad3/NF-κB Pathway

Background: The monocyte/macrophage is a central participant in the inflammatory process that is involved in all stages of atherosclerosis. Our previous work showed that telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression was particularly observed in the macrophage-rich region of atherosclerotic lesions. Interestingly, we have identified that miR-216a was remarkably up-regulated in macrophages differentiation, paralleling with the increased expression of TERT. In the present study, we aimed to examine the role of miR-216a in the activation of telomerase during macrophages differentiation. Methods and results: To investigate whether TERT is expressed particularly in macrophages of the atherosclerotic lesion, we performed immunofluorescent test on the human carotid atherosclerotic plaques, and the co-localization of TERT with macrophage CD68 immuno-reactivity was verified. We next assessed the regulatory effect of miR-216a on TERT expression, and the results showed that miR-216a overexpression markedly incre...