Exosomal miR-17-5p derived from epithelial cells is involved in aberrant epithelium-fibroblast crosstalk and induces the development of oral submucosal fibrosis

作者：Changqing Xie, Liang Zhong, Hui Feng, Rifu Wang, Yuxin Shi, Yonglin Lv, Yanjia Hu, Jing Li, Desheng Xiao, Shuang Liu, Qianming Chen, Yongguang Tao · 发表于：International Journal of Oral Science · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1038/s41368-024-00302-2 · 被引用次数：15 · 研究领域：Extracellular vesicles in disease、Interstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis、Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic and inflammatory mucosal disease caused by betel quid chewing, which belongs to oral potentially malignant disorders. Abnormal fibroblast differentiation leading to disordered collagen metabolism is the core process underlying OSF development. The epithelium, which is the first line of defense against the external environment, can convert external signals into pathological signals and participate in the remodeling of the fibrotic microenvironment. However, the specific mechanisms by which the epithelium drives fibroblast differentiation remain unclear. In this study, we found that Arecoline-exposed epithelium communicated with the fibrotic microenvironment by secreting exosomes. MiR-17-5p was encapsulated in epithelial cell-derived exosomes and absorbed by fibroblasts, where it promoted cell secretion, contraction, migration and fibrogenic marker (α-SMA and collagen type I) expression. The underlying molecular mechanism involved miR-17-5p targeting Smad7 and suppressing the degradation of TGF-β receptor 1 (TGFBR1) through the E3 ubiquitination ligase WWP1, thus facilitating downstream TGF-β pathway signaling. Treatment of fibroblasts with an inhibitor of miR-17-5p reversed the contraction and migration phenotypes induced by epithelial-derived exosomes. Exosomal miR-17-5p was confirmed to function as a key regulator of the phenotypic transformation of fibroblasts. In conclusion, we demonstrated that Arecoline triggers aberrant epithel...