GASS LNCRNA PROMOTES NUCLEUS PULPOSUS CELL APOPTOSIS IN DEGENERATIVE DISEASES OF THE SPINE BY ACTIVATING THE MITOCHONDRIAL APOPTOSIS PATHWAY IN NUCLEUS PULPOSUS CELLS

<bold>Objective</bold>: To investigate the mechanism of long, non-coding RNA GAS5 (GAS5 lncRNA) in promoting apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells in degenerative diseases of the spine. <bold> </bold>Methods: The intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus cells were cultured in the medium, and the total RNA of nucleus pulposus cells was collected after transfection in the GAS5 LncRNA overexpression group and the negative control group, and the expression of GAS5 LncRNA in the two groups was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. Western blot was used to determine the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-9, Caspase-3, and Cyt-c in the two groups. Apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells was detected by flow cytometry. <bold> </bold>Results: Compared with the negative control group, the expression level of GAS5 LncRNA in the GAS5 LncRNA overexpression group was significantly increased (P<0.05). According to the results of the Western blotting, the expression level of Bcl-2 in the GAS5 LncRNA overexpression group was significantly lower than that in the negative control group, and the expression levels of Bax, Caspase-9, Caspase-3, and Cyt-c were significantly higher for the overexpression group than for the negative control group. Compared with the negative control group, the apoptosis rate of nucleus pulposus cells in the GAS5 LncRNA overexpression group was significantly increased (P<0.05). <bold> </bold>Conclusion: GAS5 LncRNA can significantly promote the apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells in spinal degenerative diseases through activating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in nucleus pulposus cells.