lncRNA-SNHG14 Promotes Atherosclerosis by Regulating RORα Expression through Sponge miR-19a-3p

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common cardiovascular disease with high prevalence, disability, and mortality. The balance between proliferation and apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays a key role in the initiation of atherosclerosis. In this study, we found a significant decrease in the expression of lncRNA-SNHG14 in atherosclerotic plaque tissues of ApoE-/- mice. Overexpression of lncRNA-SNHG14 can inhibit VSMC proliferation while promoting apoptosis. There is a potential reciprocal regulatory relationship between lncRNASNHG14 and miR-19a-3p, which inhibit each other's expression in vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, the luciferase reporter gene analysis results showed that there was a direct interaction between miR-19a-3p and the 3′UTR of RORα. The results of qRT-PCR showed that the level of RORα mRNA was significantly increased in the aortas treated with miR-19a-3p and SNHG14 compared with that treated with miR-19a-3p alone. In conclusion, we demonstrated that lncRNA-SNHG14 regulates the apoptosis/proliferation balance of VSMCs in atherosclerosis.