IGFBP6 regulates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and morphology via cyclin E-CDK2

Lung-Mimetic Hydrofoam Sealant to Treat Pulmonary Air Leak

Pulmonary air leak is the most common complication of lung surgery, contributing to post-operative morbidity in up to 60% of patients; yet, there is no reliable treatment. Available surgical sealants do not match the demanding deformation mechanics of lung tissue; and therefore, fail to seal air leak. To address this therapeutic gap, a sealant with structural and mechanical similarity to subpleural lung is designed, developed, and systematically evaluated. This "lung-mimetic" sealant is a hydrofoam material that has alveolar-like porous ultrastructure, lung-like viscoelastic properties (adhesive, compressive, tensile), and lung extracellular matrix-derived signals (matrikines) to support tissue repair. In biocompatibility testing, the lung-mimetic sealant shows minimal cytotoxicity and immunogenicity in vitro. Human primary monocytes exposed to sealant matrikines in vitro upregulate key genes (MARCO, PDGFB, VEGF) known to correlate with pleural wound healing and tissue repair in vivo. In rat and swine models of pulmonary air leak, this lung-mimetic sealant rapidly seals air leak and restores baseline lung mechanics. Altogether, these data indicate that the lung-mimetic sealant can effectively seal pulmonary air leak and promote a favorable cellular response in vitro.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis profiling lymphatic invasion-related TME in colorectal cancer

Lymphatic invasion (LI) is extremely aggressive and induces worse prognosis among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Thus, it is critical to characterize the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying LI in order to establish novel and efficacious therapeutic targets that enhance the prognosis of CRC patients. RNA-seq data, clinical and survival information of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) patients were obtained from the TCGA database. In addition, three scRNA-seq datasets of CRC patients were acquired from the GEO database. Data analyses were conducted with the R packages. We assessed the tumor microenvironment (TME) differences between LI+ and LI- based scRNA-seq data, LI+ cells exhibited augmented abundance of immunosuppression and invasive subset. Marked extracellular matrix network activation was also observed in LI+ cells within SPP1+ macrophages. We revealed that an immunosuppressive and pro-angiogenic TME strongly enhanced LI, as was evidenced by the CD4+ Tregs, CD8+ GZMK+, SPP1+ macrophages, e-myCAFs, and w-myCAFs subcluster infiltrations. Furthermore, we identified potential LI targets that influenced tumor development, metastasis, and immunotherapeutic response. Finally, a novel LIRS model was established based on the expression of 14 LI-related signatures, and in the two testing cohorts, LIRS was also proved to have accurate prognostic predictive ability. In this report, we provided a valuable resource and extensive insights into the LI of CRC. Our conclusions can potentially benefit the establishment of highly efficacious therapeutic targets as well as diagnostic biomarkers that improve patient outcomes.

Pers reverse angiotensin II -induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation by targeting cyclin E expression via inhibition of the MAPK signaling pathway

The circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) is believed to be regulated by the clock system, which is closely linked to levels of angiotensin II (Ang II). This study aimed to investigate whether Ang II mediates the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) through the interaction between the clock system and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Primary rat aortic VSMCs were treated with Ang II, with or without MAPK inhibitors. VSMC proliferation, expression of clock genes, CYCLIN E, and MAPK pathways were assessed. Ang II treatment resulted in increased VSMC proliferation and rapid upregulation of clock gene Periods (Pers) expression. Compared to the non-diseased control (NC) group, VSMCs incubated with Ang II displayed a noticeable delay in the G1/S phase transition and downregulation of CYCLIN E upon silencing of Per1 and Per2 genes. Importantly, silencing Per1 or Per2 in VSMCs led to decreased expression of key MAPK pathway proteins, including RAS, phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (P-MEK), and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (P-ERK). Moreover, the MEK and ERK inhibitors, U0126 and SCH772986, significantly attenuated the Ang II-induced proliferation of VSMCs, as evidenced by an increased G1/S phase transition and decreased CYCLIN E expression. The MAPK pathway plays a critical role in regulating VSMC proliferation in response to Ang II stimulation. This regulation is controlled by the expression of circadian clock genes involved in the cell cycle. These findings provide novel insights for further research on diseases associated with abnormal VSMC proliferation.

Paracrine Signals in Calcified Conditioned Media Elicited Differential Responses in Primary Aortic Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and in Adventitial Fibroblasts

Our goal was to determine if paracrine signals from different aortic layers can impact other cell types in the diabetic microenvironment, specifically medial vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and adventitial fibroblasts (AFBs). The diabetic hyperglycemic aorta undergoes mineral dysregulation, causing cells to be more responsive to chemical messengers eliciting vascular calcification. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs)/AGE receptors (RAGEs) signaling has been implicated in diabetes-mediated vascular calcification. To elucidate responses shared between cell types, pre-conditioned calcified media from diabetic and non-diabetic VSMCs and AFBs were collected to treat cultured murine diabetic, non-diabetic, diabetic RAGE knockout (RKO), and non-diabetic RKO VSMCs and AFBs. Calcium assays, western blots, and semi-quantitative cytokine/chemokine profile kits were used to determine signaling responses. VSMCs responded to non-diabetic more than diabetic AFB calcified pre-conditioned media. AFB calcification was not significantly altered when VSMC pre-conditioned media was used. No significant changes in VSMCs signaling markers due to treatments were reported; however, genotypic differences existed. Losses in AFB α-smooth muscle actin were observed with diabetic pre-conditioned VSMC media treatment. Superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD-2) increased with non-diabetic calcified + AGE pre-conditioned VSMC media, while same treatment decreased diabetic AFBs levels. Overall, non-diabetic and diabetic pre-conditioned media elicited different responses from VSMCs and AFBs.

Prediction of Functional Genes in Primary Varicose Great Saphenous Veins Using the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA Network

Background

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been widely suggested to bind with the microRNA (miRNA) sites and play roles of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), which can thus affect and regulate target gene and mRNA expression. Such lncRNA-related ceRNAs are identified to exert vital parts in vascular disease. Nonetheless, it remains unknown about how the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network functions in the varicose great saphenous veins.

Methods

This study acquired the lncRNA and mRNA expression patterns from the GEO database and identifies the differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs by adopting the R software “limma” package. Then, miRcode, miRDB, miRTarbase, and TargetScan were used to establish the miRNA-mRNA pairs and lncRNA-miRNA pairs. In addition, the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network was constructed by using Cytoscape. Protein-protein interaction, Gene Ontology functional annotations, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment were carried out to examine the candidate hub genes, the functions of genes, and the corresponding pathways.

Results

In line with the preset theory, we constructed ceRNA network comprising 12 lncRNAs, 38 miRNAs, and 149 mRNAs. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis indicated that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway played a vital part in the development of varicose great saphenous veins. AC114730, AC002127, and AC073342 were significant biomarkers. At the same time, we predicted the potential miRNA, which may exert a significant influence on the varicose great saphenous veins, namely, miR-17-5p, miR-129-5p, miR-1297, miR-20b-5p, and miR-33a-3p.

Conclusion

By performing ceRNA network analysis, our study detects new lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs, which can be applied as underlying biomarkers of varicose great saphenous veins and as therapeutic targets for the treatment of varicose great saphenous veins.

Integrative Single-Cell RNA-Seq and ATAC-Seq Analysis of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells Derived from Human Placenta

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells derived from placenta (PMSCs) are an attractive source for regenerative medicine because of their multidifferentiation potential and immunomodulatory capabilities. However, the cellular and molecular heterogeneity of PMSCs has not been fully characterized. Here, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (scATAC-seq) techniques to cultured PMSCs from human full-term placenta. Based on the inferred characteristics of cell clusters, we identify several distinct subsets of PMSCs with specific characteristics, including immunomodulatory-potential and highly proliferative cell states. Furthermore, integrative analysis of gene expression and chromatin accessibility showed a clearer chromatin accessibility signature than those at the transcriptional level on immunomodulatory-related genes. Cell cycle gene-related heterogeneity can be more easily distinguished at the transcriptional than the chromatin accessibility level in PMSCs. We further reveal putative subset-specific cis-regulatory elements regulating the expression of immunomodulatory- and proliferation-related genes in the immunomodulatory-potential and proliferative subpopulations, respectively. Moreover, we infer a novel transcription factor PRDM1, which might play a crucial role in maintaining immunomodulatory capability by activating PRDM1-regulon loop. Collectively, our study first provides a comprehensive and integrative view of the transcriptomic and epigenomic features of PMSCs, which paves the way for a deeper understanding of cellular heterogeneity and offers fundamental biological insight of PMSC subset-based cell therapy.

Bioinformatics Analysis Reveals Cell Cycle-Related Gene Upregulation in Ascending Aortic Tissues From Murine Models

Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is a high-risk aortic disease. Mouse models are usually used to explore the pathological progression of TAAD. In our studies, we performed bioinformatics analysis on a microarray dataset (GSE36778) and verified experiments to define the integrated hub genes of TAAD in three different mouse models. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses, and histological and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments were used in our study. First, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and twelve common differentially expressed genes were found. Second, genes related to the cell cycle and inflammation were enriched by using GO and PPI. We focused on filtering and validating eighteen hub genes that were upregulated. Then, expression data from human ascending aortic tissues in the GSE153434 dataset were also used to verify our findings. These results indicated that cell cycle-related genes participate in the pathological mechanism of TAAD and provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of TAAD.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals cellular heterogeneity in the ascending aortas of normal and high-fat diet-fed mice

The aorta contains numerous cell types that contribute to vascular inflammation and thus the progression of aortic diseases. However, the heterogeneity and cellular composition of the ascending aorta in the setting of a high-fat diet (HFD) have not been fully assessed. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on ascending aortas from mice fed a normal diet and mice fed a HFD. Unsupervised cluster analysis of the transcriptional profiles from 24,001 aortic cells identified 27 clusters representing 10 cell types: endothelial cells (ECs), fibroblasts, vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), immune cells (B cells, T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells), mesothelial cells, pericytes, and neural cells. After HFD intake, subpopulations of endothelial cells with lipid transport and angiogenesis capacity and extensive expression of contractile genes were defined. In the HFD group, three major SMC subpopulations showed increased expression of extracellular matrix-degradation genes, and a synthetic SMC subcluster was proportionally increased. This increase was accompanied by upregulation of proinflammatory genes. Under HFD conditions, aortic-resident macrophage numbers were increased, and blood-derived macrophages showed the strongest expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Our study elucidates the nature and range of the cellular composition of the ascending aorta and increases understanding of the development and progression of aortic inflammatory disease.

The clinical characteristics and prognostic value of IGFBP6 in glioma

BACKGROUND

Glioma is the most common intrinsic tumor in central nervous system and is characterized by their diffuse infiltration of the brain tissue. Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-6 (IGFBP6) was associated with the insulin-like growth factor binding and insulin-like growth factor II binding processes in many cancers. Herein, we aimed to investigate the biological functions and clinical features of IGFBP6 in gliomas.

METHODS

Totally, we collected 325 RNA sequencing data from CGGA dataset as training cohort, and 969 RNA sequencing data from TCGA dataset as validation cohort. The clinical and molecular characteristics analysis and gene ontology analysis of IGFBP6 were performed. All analyses and graphs were produced based on R language.

RESULTS

We found that IGFBP6 expression was significantly upregulated in GBM patients and downregulated in IDH mutant patients. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that IGFBP6 could be used as a biomarker to predict TCGA mesenchymal subtype. GO analysis revealed that IGFBP6 was correlated with immunological functions and inflammation activities. Meanwhile, higher expression of IGFBP6 suggested significant relationship with worse prognosis in glioma patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings improved the understanding of IGFBP6 in glioma, and IGFBP6 might be a potential therapeutic target for glioma patients in future clinical trials.