Long Noncoding RNA X-Inactive Specific Transcript Regulates Neuronal Cell Apoptosis in Ischemic Stroke Through miR-98/BACH1 Axis

Long noncoding RNA X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) has been identified as a crucial regulator in neurodegenerative disorders. However, the role and mechanism of XIST in ischemic stroke remain elusive. In our study, we found that XIST expression was upregulated in both mice subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-treated neurons. Functional assays disclosed that the interference of XIST accelerated viability, and suppressed apoptosis and caspase-3 activity in OGD-treated neurons. Moreover, XIST interacted with miR-98, and miR-98 targeted BTB-to-CNC homology 1 (BACH1). miR-98 silencing or BACH1 overexpression counteracted XIST knockdown-mediated effects on cell viability and apoptosis in OGD-treated neurons. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that XIST facilitated the progression of ischemic stroke through regulating the miR-98/BACH1 axis. These findings might provide a novel therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke treatment.