%0 Journal Article
%T RNA Interference Targeting Snail Inhibits the Transforming Growth Factor ¦Â2-Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Human Lens Epithelial Cells
%A Ping Li
%A Jiaona Jing
%A Jianyan Hu
%A Tiejun Li
%A Yuncheng Sun
%A Huaijin Guan
%J Journal of Ophthalmology
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/869101
%X Epithelial-msenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to posterior capsule opacification (PCO) type of cataract. Transcription factors Snail is a key trigger of EMT activated by transforming growth factor ¦Â (TGF¦Â). This study was done to investigate the effect of Snail targeting siRNA on TGF¦Â2-induced EMT in human lens epithelial cells. TGF¦Â2 treatment of cultured human epithelial cell line (HLEB3) upregulated the expression of Snail and the EMT relevant molecules such as vimentin and ¦Á-SMA but downregulated the expression of keratin and E-cadherin. After the stimulation of TGF¦Â2, the HLEB3 cells became fibroblast-like in morphology, and the junctions of cell-cell disappeared. TGF¦Â2 treatment also enhanced migration ability of HLEB3 cells. TGF¦Â2-induced Snail expression and EMT were significantly inhibited by Snail siRNA. By analyzing the response characteristics of HLEB3 in TGF¦Â2-induced EMT model with/without Snail-specific siRNA, we concluded that Snail is an element in the EMT of HLEB3 cells induced by TGF¦Â2. Snail siRNA targeting can block the induced EMT and therefore has the potential to suppress the development of PCO. 1. Introduction Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a programmed development of biological cells characterized by loss of cell adhesion, repression of E-cadherin expression, increased cell mobility, and change of morphology. EMT is a highly conserved and fundamental process not only in development, but also in fibrosis, metastasis of tumor cells, and wound healing [1¨C4]. In cataract surgery, where entire lens content is removed, lens epithelial cells (LECs) can undergo EMT, migrate to the posterior capsular surface, and result in fibrosis of the posterior capsule as well as the residual anterior capsule [4¨C6]. Clinically, the EMT of LECs after cataract lens removal usually results in secondary cataract that can present as anterior polar cataracts and/or posterior capsular opacification [7, 8]. During EMT, epithelium cells undergo transdifferentiation toward a myofibroblastic phenotype. The two cell types have different skeletal proteins, keratin for epithelium and vimentin for myofibroblastic. The cells derived from surface ectoderm always express E-cadherin to form adherence to each other. The EMT process involves transcriptional reprogramming of a series of genes that include ¦Á-SMA known as a maker of myofibroblast cells. Therefore, except for the distinct expression of keratin and vimentin, the ¦Á-SMA expression is considered as the feature of LECs transdifferentiation as well as the loss of E-cadherin production [9¨C11].
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/joph/2013/869101/