Fig. 3

CDKN2B-AS1 was verified as a sponge for miR-15b-5p in HMCs. a Complementary binding sites within CDKN2B-AS1 and miR-15b-5p were predicted using the starBase database. b Dual-luciferase reporter assay was executed in HMCs cotransfected with miR-15b-5p or miR-NC and luciferase vectors containing WT-CDKN2B-AS1 or MUT-CDKN2B-AS1. c QRT-PCR was employed to assess the levels of miR-15b-5p in serum of 34 DN patients and 34 healthy controls, and U6 was selected as an internal reference. d Pearson’s correlation analysis displayed the correlation between CDKN2B-AS1 and miR-15b-5p in serum of DN patients. e QRT-PCR exhibited the expression of miR-15b-5p in HMCs after HG treatment, and U6 was selected as an internal reference. f QRT-PCR presented the expression of CDKN2B-AS1 in HMCs transfected with pcDNA or CDKN2B-AS1 under HG treatment, and GADPH was selected as an internal control. g QRT-PCR revealed the influence of CDKN2B-AS1 knockdown or CDKN2B-AS1 overexpression on the expression of miR-15b-5p in HMCs under HG treatment, and U6 was selected as an internal reference. The experiments were repeated 3 times, and data were presented as mean ± standard deviation. ***P < 0.001 and ****P < 0.0001