Cited by 376Circular RNAs in diseasesExtracellular vesicles in diseaseStroke Rehabilitation and Recovery

Extracellular Vesicle–Mediated Delivery of Circular RNA SCMH1 Promotes Functional Recovery in Rodent and Nonhuman Primate Ischemic Stroke Models

Yang, Li, Han, Bing, Zhang, Zhiting, Wang, Shuguo, Bai, Ying, Zhang, Yuan, Tang, Ying, Du, Lingli +20 more·2020·Circulation

Abstract

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability that can severely compromise the quality of life of patients, yet no effective medication currently exists to accelerate rehabilitation. A variety of circular RNA (circRNA) molecules are known to function in ischemic brain injury. Lentivirus-based expression systems have been widely used in basic studies of circRNAs, but safety issues with such delivery systems have limited exploration of the potential therapeutic roles for circRNAs. Methods: Circular RNA SCMH1 (circSCMH1) was screened from the plasma of patients with acute ischemic stroke by using circRNA microarrays. Engineered rabies virus glycoprotein-circSCMH1-extracellular vesicles were generated to selectively deliver circSCMH1 to the brain. Nissl staining was used to examine infarct size. Behavioral tasks were performed to evaluate motor functions in both rodent and nonhuman primate ischemic stroke models. Golgi staining and immunostaining were used to examine neuroplasticity and glial activation. Proteomic assays and RNA-sequencing data combined with transcriptional profiling were used to identify downstream targets of circSCMH1. Results: CircSCMH1 levels were significantly decreased in the plasma of patients with acute ischemic stroke, offering significant power in predicting stroke outcomes. The decreased levels of circSCMH1 were further confirmed in the plasma and peri-infarct cortex of photothrombotic stroke mice. Beyond demonstrating proof-of-concept for an RNA drug delivery technology, we observed that circSCMH1 treatment improved functional recovery after stroke in both mice and monkeys, and we discovered that circSCMH1 enhanced the neuronal plasticity and inhibited glial activation and peripheral immune cell infiltration. CircSCMH1 binds mechanistically to the transcription factor MeCP2 (methyl-CpG binding protein 2), thereby releasing repression of MeCP2 target gene transcription. Conclusions: Rabies virus glycoprotein-circSCMH1-extracellular vesicles afford protection by promoting functional recovery in the rodent and the nonhuman primate ischemic stroke models. Our study presents a potentially widely applicable nucleotide drug delivery technology and demonstrates the basic mechanism of how circRNAs can be therapeutically exploited to improve poststroke outcomes.

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Authors
Yang, L., Han, B., Zhang, Z., Wang, S., Bai, Y., Zhang, Y., Tang, Y., Du, L., Xu, L., Wu, F., Zuo, L., Chen, X., Lin, Y., Liu, K., Ye, Q., Chen, B., Li, B., Tang, T., Wang, Y., Shen, L., Wang, G., Ju, M., Yuan, M., Jiang, W., Zhang, J. H., Hu, G., Wang, J., & Yao, H.
Affiliations
  • Southeast University (CN)
  • Anhui University (CN)
  • Kunming Medical University (CN)
  • Kunming Institute of Zoology (CN)
  • Zhongda Hospital Southeast University (CN)
  • Jiangsu Province Hospital (CN)
  • Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (CN)
  • Nanjing Medical University (CN)
  • Nantong University (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Yang, Li
  • Han, Bing
Venue
Circulation
Published
2020-08-11
Volume
142
Issue
6
Pages
556-574
ISSN
  • 0009-7322 (ISSN-L)
  • 1524-4539
OpenAlex
W3027073936
Cited by
376
References
67
Citations by year
2026: 41 · 2025: 67 · 2024: 68 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 10
FWCI
16.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Circulation (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Circular RNAs in diseases
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Extracellular vesicles in disease
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
Keywords
circular RNA, ischemic stroke, extracellular vesicles, rabies virus glycoprotein, MeCP2, functional recovery, neuroplasticity, glial activation, peripheral immune cell infiltration, photothrombotic stroke, plasma biomarkers, stroke outcome prediction
MeSH terms
Extracellular Vesicles, RNA, Circular, Ischemic Stroke, Animals, Brain, Disease Models, Animal, Gene Expression Regulation, Genetic Vectors, Humans, Rabies, Rabies Vaccines, Rabies virus, Lentivirus, Drug Delivery Systems, Recovery of Function, Mice, Rats, Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2

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