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Endo-Umeda K, Kim E, Thomas DG, Liu W, Dou H, Yalcinkaya M, Abramowicz S, Xiao T, Antonson P, Gustafsson JÅ, Makishima M, Reilly MP, Wang N, Tall AR. Myeloid LXR (Liver X Receptor) Deficiency Induces Inflammatory Gene Expression in Foamy Macrophages and Accelerates Atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2022; 42:719-731. [PMID: 35477277 PMCID: PMC9162499 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.122.317583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cholesterol loaded macrophage foam cells are a prominent feature of atherosclerotic plaques. Single-cell RNA sequencing has identified foam cells as TREM2 (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2) positive populations with low expression of inflammatory genes, resembling the TREM2 positive microglia of neurodegenerative diseases. Cholesterol loading of macrophages in vitro results in activation of LXR (liver X receptor) transcription factors and suppression of inflammatory genes. METHODS To test the hypothesis that LXRs mediate anti-inflammatory effects in Trem2 expressing atherosclerotic plaque foam cells, we performed RNA profiling on plaque cells from hypercholesterolemic mice with myeloid LXR deficiency. RESULTS Myeloid LXR deficiency led to a dramatic increase in atherosclerosis with increased monocyte entry, foam cell formation, and plaque inflammation. Bulk cell-RNA profiling of plaque myeloid cells showed prominent upregulation of inflammatory mediators including oxidative, chemokine, and chemotactic genes. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed increased numbers of foamy TREM2-expressing macrophages; however, these cells had reduced expression of the Trem2 gene expression module, including phagocytic and cholesterol efflux genes, and had switched to a proinflammatory and proliferative phenotype. Expression of Trem2 was suppressed by inflammatory signals but not directly affected by LXR activation in bone marrow-derived macrophages. CONCLUSIONS Our current studies reveal the key role of macrophage LXRs in promoting the Trem2 gene expression program and in suppressing inflammation in foam cells of atherosclerotic plaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaori Endo-Umeda
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Biomedical
Sciences, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan
| | - Eunyoung Kim
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia
University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - David G. Thomas
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Present Address: Department of Medicine, New York
Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Wenli Liu
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Huijuan Dou
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Mustafa Yalcinkaya
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Sandra Abramowicz
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Tong Xiao
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Per Antonson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska
Institute, Huddinge, SE-14157, Sweden
| | - Jan-Åke Gustafsson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska
Institute, Huddinge, SE-14157, Sweden
- Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, University
of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Makoto Makishima
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Biomedical
Sciences, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 173-8610, Japan
| | - Muredach P. Reilly
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia
University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Nan Wang
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Alan R. Tall
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine,
Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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El-Darzi N, Mast N, Buchner DA, Saadane A, Dailey B, Trichonas G, Pikuleva IA. Low-Dose Anti-HIV Drug Efavirenz Mitigates Retinal Vascular Lesions in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:902254. [PMID: 35721135 PMCID: PMC9198296 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.902254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
A small dose of the anti-HIV drug efavirenz (EFV) was previously discovered to activate CYP46A1, a cholesterol-eliminating enzyme in the brain, and mitigate some of the manifestation of Alzheimer's disease in 5XFAD mice. Herein, we investigated the retina of these animals, which were found to have genetically determined retinal vascular lesions associated with deposits within the retinal pigment epithelium and subretinal space. We established that EFV treatment activated CYP46A1 in the retina, enhanced retinal cholesterol turnover, and diminished the lesion frequency >5-fold. In addition, the treatment mitigated fluorescein leakage from the aberrant blood vessels, deposit size, activation of retinal macrophages/microglia, and focal accumulations of amyloid β plaques, unesterified cholesterol, and Oil Red O-positive lipids. Studies of retinal transcriptomics and proteomics identified biological processes enriched with differentially expressed genes and proteins. We discuss the mechanisms of the beneficial EFV effects on the retinal phenotype of 5XFAD mice. As EFV is an FDA-approved drug, and we already tested the safety of small-dose EFV in patients with Alzheimer's disease, our data support further clinical investigation of this drug in subjects with retinal vascular lesions or neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole El-Darzi
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Natalia Mast
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - David A. Buchner
- Departments of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Aicha Saadane
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Brian Dailey
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Georgios Trichonas
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Irina A. Pikuleva
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Cleveland, OH, United States,*Correspondence: Irina A. Pikuleva,
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Susser LI, Rayner KJ. Through the layers: how macrophages drive atherosclerosis across the vessel wall. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:157011. [PMID: 35499077 PMCID: PMC9057606 DOI: 10.1172/jci157011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Leah I. Susser
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Katey J. Rayner
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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von Ehr A, Bode C, Hilgendorf I. Macrophages in Atheromatous Plaque Developmental Stages. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:865367. [PMID: 35548412 PMCID: PMC9081876 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.865367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is the main pathomechanism leading to cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction or stroke. There is consensus that atherosclerosis is not only a metabolic disorder but rather a chronic inflammatory disease influenced by various immune cells of the innate and adaptive immune system. Macrophages constitute the largest population of inflammatory cells in atherosclerotic lesions. They play a critical role in all stages of atherogenesis. The heterogenous macrophage population can be subdivided on the basis of their origins into resident, yolk sac and fetal liver monocyte-derived macrophages and postnatal monocyte-derived, recruited macrophages. Recent transcriptomic analyses revealed that the major macrophage populations in atherosclerosis include resident, inflammatory and foamy macrophages, representing a more functional classification. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the trafficking, fate, and functional aspects of the different macrophage populations in the "life cycle" of an atheromatous plaque. Understanding the chronic inflammatory state in atherosclerotic lesions is an important basis for developing new therapeutic approaches to abolish lesion growth and promote plaque regression in addition to general cholesterol lowering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander von Ehr
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Heart Center Freiburg-Bad Krozingen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Bode
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Heart Center Freiburg-Bad Krozingen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ingo Hilgendorf
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Heart Center Freiburg-Bad Krozingen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg-Bad Krozingen, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Willemsen L, Chen HJ, van Roomen CPAA, Griffith GR, Siebeler R, Neele AE, Kroon J, Hoeksema MA, de Winther MPJ. Monocyte and Macrophage Lipid Accumulation Results in Down-Regulated Type-I Interferon Responses. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:829877. [PMID: 35224060 PMCID: PMC8869252 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.829877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Macrophages are critical components of atherosclerotic lesions and their pro- and anti-inflammatory responses influence atherogenesis. Type-I interferons (IFNs) are cytokines that play an essential role in antiviral responses and inflammatory activation and have been shown to promote atherosclerosis. Although the impact of type-I IFNs on macrophage foam cell formation is well-documented, the effect of lipid accumulation in monocytes and macrophages on type-I IFN responses remains unknown. Here we examined IFN stimulated (ISG) and non-ISG inflammatory gene expression in mouse and human macrophages that were loaded with acetylated LDL (acLDL), as a model for foam cell formation. We found that acLDL loading in mouse and human macrophages specifically suppressed expression of ISGs and IFN-β secretion, but not other pro-inflammatory genes. The down regulation of ISGs could be rescued by exogenous IFN-β supplementation. Activation of the cholesterol-sensing nuclear liver X receptor (LXR) recapitulated the cholesterol-initiated type-I IFN suppression. Additional analyses of murine in vitro and in vivo generated foam cells confirmed the suppressed IFN signaling pathways and suggest that this phenotype is mediated via down regulation of interferon regulatory factor binding at gene promoters. Finally, RNA-seq analysis of monocytes of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) patients also showed type-I IFN suppression which was restored by lipid-lowering therapy and not present in monocytes of healthy donors. Taken together, we define type-I IFN suppression as an athero-protective characteristic of foamy macrophages. These data provide new insights into the mechanisms that control inflammatory responses in hyperlipidaemic settings and can support future therapeutic approaches focusing on reprogramming of macrophages to reduce atherosclerotic plaque progression and improve stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Willemsen
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Hung-Jen Chen
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Cindy P. A. A. van Roomen
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Guillermo R. Griffith
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ricky Siebeler
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Annette E. Neele
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey Kroon
- Department of Experimental Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marten A. Hoeksema
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Menno P. J. de Winther
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands,*Correspondence: Menno P. J. de Winther
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