We investigated the role and mechanism of hsa-HLA-DRB1 in the development and progression of diabetic foot ulcers. High-throughput sequencing was performed on three normal foot trauma tissues and diabetic foot ulcer tissues. The circRNAs with significant differences were identified. The downstream miRNAs were predicted by miRanda and RNAhybrid databases, and the mRNAs were predicted by the TargetScan database. Validation was performed with CCK8, flow cytometry, trabecular scratch assay, tubule generation assay, Western blot, dual luciferase assay, and RT-qPCR. High-throughput sequencing identified 461 significantly different circRNAs, of which 260 were up-regulated and 201 down-regulated. Compared to normal tissue, hsa-HLA-DRB1 was highly expressed in diabetic foot ulcers. The hsa-HLA-DRB1/miRNA_12118/FLT-1 axis was constructed. In vitro, we found that HLA-DRB1 overexpression inhibited cell viability, wound healing, and tubule formation, promoted apoptosis, and enhanced FLT-1 expression in HUVECs. The upregulation of hsa-HLA-DRB1 may promote diabetic foot development The upregulation of hsa - HLA - DRB1 may inhibit the biological function of endothelial cells by targeting miRNA_12118 and acting on FLT − 1. by targeting miRNA_12118 and acting on FLT-1. Therefore, our study highlights the key role of the hsa-HLA-DRB1/miRNA_12118/FLT-1 axis in diabetic foot trauma.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been associated with thyroid dysfunction, but their relationship with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and relevant molecular processes remains unclear. We integrated bioinformatics analyses, a hospital-based case–control study, and in vitro experiments to investigate associations between PFAS exposure and PTC and to explore potentially relevant post-transcriptional RNA regulatory processes. Transcriptomic data, PFAS-associated genes, and m7G-associated genes were integrated to identify candidate genes. Among 24 overlapping candidates, 21 remained differentially expressed between PTC and normal thyroid tissues after false discovery rate correction, and EIF4E, NCBP1, and AGO2 were identified as candidate hub genes. The case–control study included 60 patients with newly diagnosed PTC and 60 controls. Serum concentrations of 17 PFAS were measured, and individual and mixture associations with PTC status were evaluated using logistic regression, weighted quantile sum regression, quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression. Higher concentrations of several PFAS were associated with lower odds of PTC, although the findings were not fully consistent across analytical models. In vitro, high concentrations of PFOA and PFOS reduced relative thyroid-cell viability, whereas wound-healing responses were variable and did not show a consistent enhancement. PFOA and PFOS exposure was also accompanied by altered EIF4E and NCBP1 mRNA expression, respectively. Overall, these findings support an association between PFAS exposure and PTC and identify m7G-associated post-transcriptional regulatory candidates, particularly EIF4E and NCBP1, that may contribute to PFAS-related thyroid cellular responses and warrant further mechanistic investigation.