{
  "abstract": "Background: Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is a central pathological event in the progression of various chronic kidney diseases (CKD) to end-stage renal disease, for which effective therapeutic strategies remain lacking. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular epithelial cells serves as a pivotal mechanism driving RIF. While circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in various pathological processes, their specific roles and underlying mechanisms in the progression of RIF remain incompletely elucidated.\n\nMethods: A circRNA microarray was utilized to screen differentially expressed circRNAs in a TGF-β1-induced HK-2 cell model of renal fibrosis. Loss-of-function experiments were performed to explore the biological effects of circ_0024390 on renal tubular EMT, as well as the proliferation and migration of HK-2 cells. Mechanistic assays were further conducted to verify the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory mechanism of circ_0024390.\n\nResults: Circ_0024390 was significantly upregulated in the in vitro fibrosis model, specifically in TGF-β1-induced HK-2 cells. Functional studies demonstrated that knockdown of circ_0024390 effectively attenuated renal tubular EMT and inhibited key cellular processes, including proliferation and migration. Mechanistic investigations further revealed that circ_0024390 functioned as a ceRNA by sponging miR-6890-3p. This sponging relieved the repressive effect of miR-6890-3p on its downstream target, chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4), leading to the upregulation of CHD4 expression.\n\nConclusion: These findings delineate a novel circ_0024390/miR-6890-3p/CHD4 axis that promotes EMT in renal tubular epithelial cells and contributes to the progression of RIF. This study provides new insights into the pathogenesis of RIF and highlights circ_0024390 as a potential promising therapeutic target for CKD.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Nephrology, Multidisciplinary Innovation Center for Nephrology, The Second Qilu Hospital of Shandong University",
    "Nephrology Research Institute of Shandong University",
    "Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xue Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lujie Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yan Song"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Gang Liu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cc99psysgtr2t.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1941987",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13713731",
  "id": "cc99psysgtr2t",
  "issns": [
    "1663-9812"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1941987/full",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Circular RNAs in diseases"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221747963",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1941987/pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13713731",
  "pmid": "42953044",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cc99psysgtr2t.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:06Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1941987",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1941987/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:41Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42953044",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953044"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:24:14Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13713731",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2026.1941987"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Circular RNAs in diseases",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Circ_0024390 promotes renal tubular EMT through the miR-6890-3p/CHD4 axis: implications for renal interstitial fibrosis",
  "title_text": "Circ_0024390 promotes renal tubular EMT through the miR-6890-3p/CHD4 axis: implications for renal interstitial fibrosis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:21:21Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cc99psysgtr2t",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Pharmacology",
  "versions": []
}