We found that the expression of LINC00974 in OSF tissues or myofibroblasts was aberrantly upregulated, and there was a positive correlation between LINC00974 and myofibroblast markers. Altogether, these findings suggested that arecoline-increased myofibroblast transdifferentiation was via LINC00974-mediated activation of TGF-β signaling.
Causality:
Yes
Causal Description:
Our results showed that inhibition of LINC00974 suppressed the myofibroblast activities, while overexpression of LINC00974 increased the activation.