Serum osteopontin, but not OPN gene polymorphism, is associated with LVH in essential hypertensive patients

Clinical and Molecular Implications of Osteopontin in Heart Failure

The matricellular protein osteopontin modulates cell-matrix interactions during tissue injury and healing. A complex multidomain structure of osteopontin enables it not only to bind diverse cell receptors but also to interact with various partners, including other extracellular matrix proteins, cytokines, and growth factors. Numerous studies have implicated osteopontin in the development and progression of myocardial remodeling in diverse cardiac diseases. Osteopontin influences myocardial remodeling by regulating extracellular matrix production, the activity of matrix metalloproteinases and various growth factors, inflammatory cell recruitment, myofibroblast differentiation, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and myocardial vascularization. The exploitation of osteopontin loss- and gain-of-function approaches in rodent models provided an opportunity for assessment of the cell- and disease-specific contribution of osteopontin to myocardial remodeling. In this review, we summarize the recent knowledge on osteopontin regulation and its impact on various cardiac diseases, as well as delineate complex disease- and cell-specific roles of osteopontin in cardiac pathologies. We also discuss the current progress of therapeutics targeting osteopontin that may facilitate the development of a novel strategy for heart failure treatment.

Endocrine Regulation of Extra-skeletal Organs by Bone-derived Secreted Protein and the effect of Mechanical Stimulation

Bone serves as the support for body and provide attachment points for the muscles. The musculoskeletal system is the basis for the human body to complete exercise. Studies believe that bone is not only the basis for constructing structures, but also participates in the regulation of organs outside bone. The realization of this function is closely related to the protein secreted by bone. Whether bone can realize their positions in the human body is also related to their secretion. Bone-derived proteins provide a medium for the targeted regulation of bones on organs, making the role of bone in human body more profound and concrete. Mechanical stimulation effects the extra-skeletal organs by causing quantitative changes in bone-derived factors. When bone receives mechanical stimulation, the nichle of bone responds, and the secretion of various factors changes. However, whether the proteins secreted by bone can interfere with disease requires more research. In this review article, we will first introduce the important reasons and significance of the in-depth study on bone-derived secretory proteins, and summarize the locations, structures and functions of these proteins. These functions will not only focus on the bone metabolism process, but also be reflected in the cross-organ regulation. We specifically explain the role of typical bone-derived secretory factors such as osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), sclerostin (SOST) and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) in different organs and metabolic processes, then establishing the relationship between them and diseases. Finally, we will discuss whether exercise or mechanical stimulation can have a definite effect on bone-derived secretory factors. Understanding their important role in cross-organ regulation is of great significance for the treatment of diseases, especially for the elderly people with more than one basic disease.

Osteopontin Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Premature Coronary Artery Disease

Osteopontin (OPN) is considered a clinical predictor of cardiovascular disease. We aimed to evaluate the association of the OPN gene polymorphisms rs2728127 and rs11730582 with the development of premature coronary artery disease (pCAD), cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiometabolic parameters. We evaluated 1142 patients with pCAD and 1073 controls. Both polymorphisms were determined by Taqman assays. Similar allele and genotype frequencies were observed in both groups; additionally, an association of these polymorphisms with CAD and cardiometabolic parameters was observed in both groups. In patients with pCAD, the rs11730582 was associated with a high risk of hypoadiponectinemia (OR = 1.300, P _additive = 0.003), low risk of hypertension (OR = 0.709, P _{codominant 1} = 0.030), and low risk of having high non-HDL cholesterol (OR = 0.637, P _additive = 0.038). In the control group, the rs2728127 was associated with a low risk of fatty liver (OR = 0.766, P _additive = 0.038); while the rs11730582 was associated with a low risk of hypoadiponectinemia (OR = 0.728, P _dominant = 0.022), and risk of having elevated apolipoprotein B (OR = 1.400, P _dominant = 0.031). Our results suggest that in Mexican individuals, the rs11730582 and rs2728127 OPN gene polymorphisms are associated with some abnormal metabolic variables in patients with pCAD and controls.

Osteoprotegerin and osteopontin levels, but not gene polymorphisms, predict mortality in cardiovascular diseases

Aim: This study aims to investigate whether osteoprotegerin (OPG) or osteopontin (OPN) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) will predict survival. Materials & methods: This study enrolled 617 participants undergoing health examination, 536 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and 86 peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients. Genotypes of OPG SNP rs2073618 and OPN SNP rs11730582 were determined. OPG and OPN levels were measured. Results: In both CAD and PAD populations, high OPG and OPN levels were strong predictors of all-cause death. The OPG rs2073618 CC genotype and the OPN rs11730582 TT genotype did not predict mortality. Conclusion: High OPG and high OPN levels, but not OPG rs2073618 CC genotype or OPN rs11730582 TT genotype, were strong predictors of mortality in both CAD and PAD patients.

Increased circulating osteopontin levels in adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and association with dysmetabolic profile

OBJECTIVE

Osteopontin (OPN) is a sialoprotein implicated in different immunity and metabolic pathways. Capable of activating dendritic cells and inducing Th1-Th17-mediated tissue damage, OPN plays a significant role in the development/progression of several autoimmune diseases; interestingly, it was also shown that OPN participates in the acute pancreatic islets response to experimentally induced diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Furthermore, OPN promotes adipose tissue dysfunction, systemic inflammation and insulin resistance. Our aims of this study were to evaluate circulating OPN levels in adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) compared to non-diabetic control participants and to unravel clinical and biochemical correlates of OPN concentration.

DESIGN

Case-control study.

METHODS

We enrolled 54 consecutive T1DM patients referred to our diabetes outpatient clinic at Sapienza University of Rome and 52 healthy sex and age-comparable controls. The study population underwent clinical evaluation, blood sampling for biochemistry and complete screening for diabetes complications. Serum OPN levels were measured by MILLIPLEX Multiplex Assays Luminex.

RESULTS

T1DM patients had significantly higher serum OPN levels than controls (17.2±12.9 vs 10.5±11.6 mg/ml, P=0.009). OPN levels correlated with T1DM, higher blood pressure, BMI, creatinine, γ-GT, ALP and lower HDL; the association between high OPN levels and T1DM was independent from all confounders. No correlation was shown between OPN and HbA1c, C-peptide, insulin requirement, co-medications and diabetes duration.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates for the first time in a case-control study that adults with T1DM have increased serum OPN levels, and that higher OPN concentrations are associated with an unfavorable metabolic profile in these patients.

The association between BMP4 gene polymorphism and its serum level with the incidence of LVH in hypertensive patients

Background

Bone morphogenic proteins 4 (BMP4) is associated with cardiac remodeling under different conditions. However, the role of BMP4 and its gene polymorphism in the incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients remains unknown.

Methods

A total of 1265 patients diagnosed with essential hypertension (EH) were recruited. Patients were assigned to LVH+ (n = 420) and LVH- (n = 845) groups. serum BMP4 level was measured and two single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) polymorphisms, 6007C > T and -5826G > A of BMP4 gene were genotyped. We also inhibited the BMP4 by small interfering RNA (siRNA). The effect of BMP4 on the hypertrophic response in Human Cardiomyocytes AC16 cells was studied.

Results

We found that the 6007C > T polymorphism of the BMP4 gene and the serum BMP4 level were significantly associated with the risk to develop LVH. With TT as reference, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the 6007CC genotype carriers had a higher susceptibility to LVH incidence (adjusted OR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.63-4.31, adjusted P < 0.001). Our in vitro study shows that the BMP4 inhibition in cardiomyocyte by si-RNA technique significantly decreased the Ang II induced cardiomyocyte size and protein content per cell, indicating the importance of BMP4 in the cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

Conclusion

Collectively, our data suggest that both the 6007C > T of the BMP4 gene and the serum BMP4 level may be used as potential marker for LVH incidence among the EH patients.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-014-0368-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Serum apelin level predicts the major adverse cardiac events in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction receiving percutaneous coronary intervention

The cardiovascular profile of the apelin makes it a promising therapeutic target for heart failure and ischemic heart disease. However, it remains unknown whether apelin affect the clinical outcome of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We enrolled a total of 120 patients with acute STEMI who underwent primary PCI. Serum apelin was detected. After PCI procedure, all patients were followed for 12 months. The follow-up end-point was occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE). Lower serum apelin levels (<0.54 ng/mL) was significantly associated with higher serum low density lipoprotein-cholesterol level, higher peak creatine kinase MB fraction (CK-MB) and peak troponin-I (TNI) levels, the number of obstructed vessels, and need for inotropic support. The incidence of MACE was significantly higher in the low apelin group (23 patients out of 67) than in the high apelin group (10 patients out of 75, P < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the MACE-free rate was significantly lower in the patients with low apelin than those with high apelin (P < 0.001, log rank test). The multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis adjusted with the clinical and angiographic characteristic reveals that the serum low apelin is a predictor for MACE incidence (hazard ratio = 2.36, 95% confidence interval: 1.83-3.87, P = 0.004). The finding of this study suggests that the serum apelin may be used as a marker to predict the MACE after PCI in patients with STEMI.

Role of osteoprotegerin and its gene polymorphisms in the occurrence of left ventricular hypertrophy in essential hypertensive patients

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of osteoprotegerin (OPG) in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) development in patients with essential hypertension (EH). A total of 1092 patients diagnosed with EH were recruited. The LVHs were determined and OPG gene polymorphisms were genotyped. Patients with LVH had a significantly higher mean serum OPG level than those without LVH. The 1181CC genotype carriers had significantly lower risk for LVH compared with GC and GG genotype carriers. The serum OPG level and OPG 1181 G>C polymorphism were found to be independent risk factors for the occurrence of LVH in hypertensive patients. In vitro study shows that OPG overexpression upregulates cell surface size, protein synthesis per cell, and hypertrophy- and fibrosis-related proteins in both cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts, whereas OPG inhibition can abolish the above-mentioned changes. Consistent with the in vitro data, our in vivo study revealed that the OPG administration induced the LVH in hypertensive rats. This study is the first to report the close association between OPG and LVH development in EH patients and the regulatory effect of OPG on cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts.

HIF-1α polymorphism in the susceptibility of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and its outcome after anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion treatment

Background

To investigate the association between the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of hypoxia-inducible factor1 α (HIF-1α) and the susceptibility to cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) and its outcome after surgical treatment.

Method

A total of 230 CSM patients and 284 healthy controls were recruited. All patients received anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACF) and were followed for 12 months. The genotypes for two HIF-1α variants (1772C>T and 1790G>A) were determined.

Results

In the present study, we found that the HIF-1α polymorphism at 1790G>A significantly affects the susceptibility to CSM and its clinical features, including severity and onset age. In addition, the 1790A>G polymorphism also determines the prognosis of CSM patients after ACF treatment. The GG genotype of 1790G>A polymorphism is associated with a higher risk to develop CSM, higher severity and earlier onset age. More importantly, we found that the 1790G>A polymorphism determines the clinical outcome in CSM patients who underwent ACF treatment.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the HIF-1α 1790G>A polymorphism is associated with the susceptibility to CSM and can be used as predictor for the clinical outcome in CSM patients receiving ACF treatment.

OPN Polymorphism Is Related to the Chemotherapy Response and Prognosis in Advanced NSCLC

Background. Osteopontin (OPN) is associated with prognosis of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, little is known about the association between OPN gene polymorphism and the chemotherapy response in NSCLC patients. Methods. A total of 497 patients with inoperable advanced stage of NSCLC (stages III B and IV NSCLC) were enrolled. All patients had received platinum-based chemotherapy. OPN gene polymorphisms at 156 GG/G, 443 C/T, and -66T/G were determined. Results. The genotypes and allele frequency of -443C>T were significantly different between the responders and nonresponders. Responders had a markedly higher frequency of -443TT genotype than responders (40.71% versus 19.09%, P < 0.001). With CC as reference, the TT genotype carriers had a higher chance to be well responders (adjusted OR = 4.43, 95% CI: 2.60-7.53, adjusted P < 0.001). The median overall survival time for patients with -443CC, -443CT, and -443TT genotype carriers was significantly different. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models showed that OPN -443C>T gene polymorphisms were closely correlated to poor NSCLC prognosis. Conclusion. OPN -443C>T gene polymorphism may be used as a molecular marker to predict the treatment response to chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients.

Cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein protects against cardiac hypertrophy by blocking ASK1/p38 signaling in mice

Cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (Flip) is a negative regulator of nuclear factor κB signaling which has been shown previously to complicate with cardiac hypertrophy. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the knockout of Flip would increase cardiac hypertrophy in vivo and in vitro. The effects of Flip knockout on cardiac hypertrophy were investigated using in vitro and in vivo models. Flip was downregulated in transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced animal hearts and cardiomyocytes that had been treated with angiotensin II or phenylephrine for 1 h. An in vivo, heart hypertrophy model, was performed by TAC in Flip knockdown and sham mice. The extent of hypertrophy of heart was quantitated by echocardiography, and further confirmed by pathological and molecular examination of heart tissue samples. Conditional knockout of Flip in the murine heart increases the hypertrophic response induced by TAC, whereas cardiac function was preserved with reduced Flip levels in response to hypertrophic stimuli. Western blot experiments further showed Flip knockout activated markedly ASK1/P38 signaling cascades in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, Flip preserves cardiac functions and inhibits cardiac hypertrophy partially by blocking ASK1/P38 signaling.