Transcription factor Sp2 promotes TGFB-mediated interstitial cell osteogenic differentiation in bicuspid aortic valves through a SMAD-dependent pathway

Calcification of the bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) involves differential expression of various RNA genes, which is achieved through complex regulatory networks that are controlled in part by transcription factors and microRNAs. We previously found that miR-195–5p regulates the osteogenic differentiation of valvular interstitial cells (VICs) by targeting the TGF-β pathway. However, the transcriptional regulation of miR-195–5p in calcified BAV patients is not yet clear. In this study, stenotic aortic valve tissues from patients with BAVs and tricuspid aortic valves (TAVs) were collected. Candidate transcription factors of miR-195–5p were predicted by bioinformatics analysis and tested in diseased valves and in male porcine VICs. SP2 gene expression and the corresponding protein levels in BAV were significantly lower than those in TAV, and a low SP2 expression level environment in VICs resulted in remarkable increases in RNA expression levels of RUNX2, BMP2, collagen 1, MMP2, and MMP9 and the corresponding proteins. ChIP assays revealed that SP2 directly bound to the transcription promoter region of miR-195–5p. Cotransfection of SP2 shRNA and a miR-195–5p mimic in porcine VICs demonstrated that SP2 repressed SMAD7 expression via miR-195–5p, while knockdown of SP2 increased the mRNA expression of SMAD7 and the corresponding protein and attenuated Smad 2/3 expression. Immunofluorescence staining of diseased valves confirmed that the functional proteins of osteogenesis differentiation, including RUNX2, BMP2, collagen 1, and osteocalcin, were overexpressed in BAVs. In Conclusion, the transcription factor Sp2 is expressed at low levels in VICs from BAV patients, which has a negative impact on miR-195–5p expression by binding its promoter region and partially promotes calcification through a SMAD-dependent pathway.