Comparative mRNA and microRNA expression profiling of methylglyoxal-exposed human endothelial cells

Methylglyoxal (MG) is a highly toxic compound that contributes to the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). MG is detected at high concentration in plasma of diabetic patients and is involved in the pathogenesis of several diabetic macro- and microvascular complications, such as atherosclerosis, retinopathy, nephropathy and hypertension. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in the negative regulation of genes in many biologic processes. They are also known to post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression involved in cellular responses to toxicants. In this study, we investigated whether miRNAs play a role in the regulation of gene expressions in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) after the treatment with MG. We performed pair-wise correlation analysis, acquired altered expression levels of 274 miRNAs and 686 mRNA, and observed their anti-correlations. Genes associated with diabetic vascular disease were sorted from miRNA-correlated genes, and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis on the differential expression of selected genes was carried out. Our results revealed the relationship between miRNAs and mRNA in MG-exposed endothelial cells using the expression profiling.