Role of Circular RNA ZNF521 in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

Recent research has shown involvement of several epigenetic mechanisms, including alterations of circular RNAs (circRNA) and miRNAs (miR) in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). miR-9 targets important extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, such as fibronectin (FN) and collagen (Col), which are upregulated in DCM. The role of circRNA ZNF521 (cZNF521) is unknown in DCM. In this study, we investigated cZNF521 and its regulatory mechanism on ECM protein through miR-9. CircRNA microarray analysis identified cZNF521 expression in the diabetic mouse hearts and was validated by qPCR.