RND3 Transcriptionally Regulated by FOXM1 Inhibits the Migration and Inflammation of Synovial Fibroblasts in Rheumatoid Arthritis Through the Rho/ROCK Pathway

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic immune disease. Rho family GTPase 3 (RND3) has been reported to play an important role in inflammatory diseases. In this study, the expression of RND3 in RA was analyzed by gene chips. After RND3 was overexpressed, cell counting kit-8 assay was to detect the viability of fibroblast-like synovial cells (RA-FLSs). Transwell assays were to appraise the migratory and invasive capacities of RA-FLSs. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis were to estimate inflammatory response. In addition, MMP3 and MMP9 levels were also tested by ELISA analysis. After forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) was overexpressed, RND3 expression was detected by Western blot. The transcriptional relationship between FOXM1 and RND3 was predicted by HumanTFDB and JASPAR databases. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays verified the binding ability of FOXM1 and RND3. The role of FOXM1/RND3 axis in RA was detected again by functional experiments. Western blot detected the expression of Rho/ROCK pathway-related proteins. RND3 expression was downregulated in RA. Overexpression of RND3 reduced the proliferation, migration, invasion, and inflammation of RA-FLSs. RND3 was inhibited by FOXM1 transcription, and upregulated FOXM1 reduced the inhibitory effect of RND3 overexpression on cell growth and inflammation, which might be associated with the Rho/ROCK pathway. RND3 transcriptionally regulated by FOXM1 inhibited the migration and inflammation of RA-FLSs in RA through the Rho/ROCK pathway.