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Volpini X, Natali L, Brugo MB, de la Cruz-Thea B, Baigorri RE, Cerbán FM, Fozzatti L, Motran CC, Musri MM. Trypanosoma cruzi Infection Promotes Vascular Remodeling and Coexpression of α-Smooth Muscle Actin and Macrophage Markers in Cells of the Aorta. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:2271-2290. [PMID: 36083791 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease is an emerging global health problem; however, it remains neglected. Increased aortic stiffness (IAS), a predictor of cardiovascular events, has recently been reported in asymptomatic chronic Chagas patients. After vascular injury, smooth muscle cells (SMCs) can undergo alterations associated with phenotypic switch and transdifferentiation, promoting vascular remodeling and IAS. By studying different mouse aortic segments, we tested the hypothesis that Trypanosoma cruzi infection promotes vascular remodeling. Interestingly, the thoracic aorta was the most affected by the infection. Decreased expression of SMC markers and increased expression of proliferative markers were observed in the arteries of acutely infected mice. In acutely and chronically infected mice, we observed cells coexpressing SMC and macrophage (Mo) markers in the media and adventitia layers of the aorta, indicating that T. cruzi might induce cellular processes associated with SMC transdifferentiation into Mo-like cells or vice versa. In the adventitia, the Mo cell functional polarization was associated with an M2-like CD206+arginase-1+ phenotype despite the T. cruzi presence in the tissue. Only Mo-like cells in inflammatory foci were CD206+iNOS+. In addition to the disorganization of elastic fibers, we found thickening of the aortic layers during the acute and chronic phases of the disease. Our findings indicate that T. cruzi infection induces a vascular remodeling with SMC dedifferentiation and increased cell populations coexpressing α-SMA and Mo markers that could be associated with IAS promotion. These data highlight the importance of studying large vessel homeostasis in Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ximena Volpini
- Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (INIMEC-CONICET-UNC), Friuli 2434. Colinas de Velez Sarfield, Córdoba, PC X5016NST, Argentina.,Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIBICI-CONICET), Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende. Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (FCQ-UNC). Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina
| | - Lautaro Natali
- Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (INIMEC-CONICET-UNC), Friuli 2434. Colinas de Velez Sarfield, Córdoba, PC X5016NST, Argentina.,Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIBICI-CONICET), Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende. Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina
| | - Maria Belén Brugo
- Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIBICI-CONICET), Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende. Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (FCQ-UNC). Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina
| | - Benjamin de la Cruz-Thea
- Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (INIMEC-CONICET-UNC), Friuli 2434. Colinas de Velez Sarfield, Córdoba, PC X5016NST, Argentina
| | - Ruth Eliana Baigorri
- Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIBICI-CONICET), Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende. Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (FCQ-UNC). Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina
| | - Fabio Marcelo Cerbán
- Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIBICI-CONICET), Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende. Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (FCQ-UNC). Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina
| | - Laura Fozzatti
- Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIBICI-CONICET), Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende. Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (FCQ-UNC). Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina
| | - Claudia Cristina Motran
- Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CIBICI-CONICET), Haya de la Torre y Medina Allende. Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina.,Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (FCQ-UNC). Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, PC X5000HUA, Argentina
| | - Melina Mara Musri
- Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (INIMEC-CONICET-UNC), Friuli 2434. Colinas de Velez Sarfield, Córdoba, PC X5016NST, Argentina.,Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (FCEFyN-UNC). Av. Velez Sarfield 299, Centro, Córdoba, PC X5000JJC, Argentina
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Allen JM, Balagtas M, Barajas E, Cano Macip C, Alvarez Zepeda S, Iberkleid I, Duncan EM, Zayas RM. RNAi Screen of RING/U-Box Domain Ubiquitin Ligases Identifies Critical Regulators of Tissue Regeneration in Planarians. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:803419. [PMID: 35127720 PMCID: PMC8807557 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.803419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Regenerative processes depend on the interpretation of signals to coordinate cell behaviors. The role of ubiquitin-mediated signaling is known to be important in many cellular and biological contexts, but its role in regeneration is not well understood. To investigate how ubiquitylation impacts tissue regeneration in vivo, we are studying planarians that are capable of regenerating after nearly any injury using a population of stem cells. Here we used RNAi to screen RING/U-box E3 ubiquitin ligases that are highly expressed in planarian stem cells and stem cell progeny. RNAi screening identified nine genes with functions in regeneration, including the spliceosomal factor prpf19 and histone modifier rnf2; based on their known roles in developmental processes, we further investigated these two genes. We found that prpf19 was required for animal survival but not for stem cell maintenance, suggesting a role in promoting cell differentiation. Because RNF2 is the catalytic subunit of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1), we also examined other putative members of this complex (CBX and PHC). We observed a striking phenotype of regional tissue misspecification in cbx and phc RNAi planarians. To identify genes regulated by PRC1, we performed RNA-seq after knocking down rnf2 or phc. Although these proteins are predicted to function in the same complex, we found that the set of genes differentially expressed in rnf2 versus phc RNAi were largely non-overlapping. Using in situ hybridization, we showed that rnf2 regulates gene expression levels within a tissue type, whereas phc is necessary for the spatial restriction of gene expression, findings consistent with their respective in vivo phenotypes. This work not only uncovered roles for RING/U-box E3 ligases in stem cell regulation and regeneration, but also identified differential gene targets for two putative PRC1 factors required for maintaining cell-type-specific gene expression in planarians.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Allen
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
- Deparment of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Madison Balagtas
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Barajas
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Carolina Cano Macip
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | | | - Ionit Iberkleid
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Elizabeth M Duncan
- Deparment of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Ricardo M Zayas
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
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