ZNF580 mediates eNOS expression and endothelial cell migration/proliferation via the TGF-β1/ALK5/Smad2 pathway

Zfp580 Regulates Paracrine and Endocrine Igf1 and Igfbp3 Differently in the Brain and Blood After a Murine Stroke

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (Igf1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (Igfbp3) are endocrine and paracrine factors that influence stroke occurrence, severity, and recovery. Low levels of endocrine Igf1 and Igfbp3 were associated with larger infarct volumes and unfavorable outcomes. Paracrine Igf1 is brain cytoprotective and improves functional recovery after stroke. In this study, we evaluated the effects of zinc finger protein 580 (Zfp580) on endocrine and paracrine Igf1 and Igfbp3 after stroke. Zfp580 suppressed the expression of Igf1 and Igfbp3 in cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (bEnd.3) as determined by real-time RT-PCR. Zfp580 was suppressed by combined oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) and mediated the effect of OGD on Igf1 and Igfbp3. In vivo, we evaluated paracrine regulation by real-time RT-PCR of brain lysates and endocrine regulation by ELISA of blood samples. Genomic ablation of Zfp580 did not alter basal paracrine or endocrine Igf1 and Igfbp3 levels. After transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo), Zfp580 was globally elevated in the brain for up to 3 days. Paracrine Igf1 and Igfbp3 were selectively induced in the ischemic hemisphere from day 2 to day 3 or day 1 to day 7, respectively. In Zfp580 knockout mice, the paracrine regulations of Igf1 and Igfbp3 were attenuated while endocrine Igf1 and the molar Igf1/Igfbp3 ratio were increased. In conclusion, Zfp580 differentially controls paracrine and endocrine Igf1 and Igfbp3 after stroke. Inhibition of Zfp580 might be a new treatment target leading to increased activity of Igf1 to improve stroke outcome.

Heritability and genome-wide association study of blood pressure in Chinese adult twins

BACKGROUND

Blood pressure (BP) is an independent and important factor for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

METHODS

We firstly conducted twin modeling analyses to explore the heritability of BP, including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP), and then performed genome-wide association studies to explore the associated genomic loci, genes, and pathways.

RESULTS

A total of 380 Chinese twin pairs were included. The AE model containing additive genetic parameter (A) and unique/non-shared environmental parameter (E) was the best fit model, with A accounting for 53.7%, 50.1%, 48.1%, and 53.3% for SBP, DBP, PP and MAP, respectively. No SNP was found to reach the genome-wide significance level (p < 5 × 10^-8 ), however, three, four, 14 and nine SNPs were found to exceed suggestive significance level (p < 1 × 10^-5 ) for SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP, respectively. And after imputation, 46, 37, 91 and 61 SNPs were found to exceed the suggestive significance level for SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP, respectively. In gene-based analysis, 53 common genes were found among SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP. In pathway enrichment analysis, 672, 706, 701, and 596 biological pathways were associated with SBP, DBP, PP, and MAP, respectively (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that BP is moderately heritable in the Chinese population and could be mediated by a series of genomic loci, genes, and pathways. Future larger-scale studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Unexpected Amplification of Synergistic Gene Expression to Boom Vascular Flow in Advantageous Dual-Gene Co-expression Plasmid Delivery Systems over Physically Mixed Strategy

Gene therapy exerts powerful potential in the treatment of various diseases, such as overexpressing pro-angiogenic gene to accelerate angiogenesis and restore vascular flow of ischemic tissue. Tremendous efforts have been invested in developing gene carriers for high transfection efficiency, while little research has been devoted to synergistically expressing functional proteins via optimizing therapeutic genes. Actually, the amplified gene expression is the ultimate goal of gene delivery. Dual-gene co-delivery and coordinate expression become a "breach" of strengthened gene expression. Herein, we explored the synergistic effects on gene expression and pro-angiogenesis by two typical dual-gene delivery strategies to determine which one is more efficient. The physical mixing method used ZNF₅₈₀ and VEGF₁₆₅ plasmids with a 1/1 weight ratio (p1:1), and the other strategy involved chemically inserting ZNF₅₈₀ and VEGF₁₆₅ genes into one plasmid as a dual-gene co-expression plasmid (pZNF-VEGF). p1:1 and pZNF-VEGF were loaded by REDV-TAT-NLS-H₁₂ carrier, a promising peptide carrier, to form corresponding dual-gene delivery systems. Both systems exhibited approximately similar size and zeta potential, guaranteeing almost the same cellular uptake. We comprehensively evaluated two delivery systems through gene expression at mRNA and protein levels and angiogenesis-related activities in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, the pZNF-VEGF group showed a remarkably amplified synergistic effect in the expression of ZNF₅₈₀ and VEGF₁₆₅ genes in comparison with the p1:1 group. More importantly, the unexpected amplified synergistic effect of dual-gene co-expression plasmid was further verified for proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, we believed that the co-delivery of dual genes via constructing co-expression plasmids offers a better option for gene therapy, which can more effectively enhance the synergistic expression of target genes than the physical mixing method.

Ketogenic diet aggravates hypertension via NF-κB-mediated endothelial dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats

AIMS

Ketogenic diet (KD) has been proposed to be an effective lifestyle intervention for metabolic syndrome. However, the effects of KD on hypertension have not been well investigated. The present study aimed to investigate the effects and underling mechanisms of KD on hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

SHRs were subjected to normal diet or KD for 4 weeks, starting at the age of 10 weeks. Then, the blood pressure and vascular function were assessed. Next, the eNOS expression, inflammatory factors and relative signaling pathway were examined. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were used to investigate the underlying mechanism account for the effect of ketone on inflammation and eNOS expression.

KEY FINDINGS

Compared with the normal diet, KD was indicated to aggravate hypertension and impaire endothelium-dependent relaxation in mesenteric arteries of SHRs. eNOS and CD31 expression in mesenteric arteries were also significantly suppressed by KD. In addition, KD markedly increased the activation of NF-κB pathway and the expression of IL1-β and TNF-α. In vitro, results showed that inhibition of NF-κB could rescue the adverse effects of ketone body and TGF-β on eNOS expression and inflammation response.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our study indicated that KD impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation in mesenteric arteries and aggravated the development of hypertension in SHRs, suggesting that it should be more cautious to apply KD into clinical application in hypertensive individuals.

From single to a dual-gene delivery nanosystem: coordinated expression matters for boosting the neovascularization in vivo

A dual-gene delivery system with coordinated expression function boosted the neovascularization.

Cascaded bio-responsive delivery of eNOS gene and ZNF580 gene to collaboratively treat hindlimb ischemia via pro-angiogenesis and anti-inflammation

The cascaded, bio-responsively delivered eNOS gene and ZNF₅₈₀ gene overcome transfection bottlenecks and collaboratively exert anti-ischemic function via promoting angiogenesis and alleviating inflammation.

Role of oxidative stress in Retinitis pigmentosa: new involved pathways by an RNA-Seq analysis

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a very heterogeneous inherited ocular disorder group characterized by progressive retinal disruption. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degeneration, due to oxidative stress which arrests the metabolic support to photoreceptors, represents one of the principal causes of RP. Here, the role of oxidative stress in RP onset and progression was analyzed by a comparative whole transcriptome analysis of human RPE cells, treated with 100 µg/ml of oxLDL and untreated, at different time points. Experiment was thrice repeated and performed on Ion Proton^TM sequencing system. Data analysis, including low quality reads trimming and gene expression quantification, was realized by CLC Genomics Workbench software. The whole analysis highlighted 14 clustered "macro-pathways" and many sub-pathways, classified by selection of 5271 genes showing the highest alteration of expression. Among them, 23 genes were already known to be RP causative ones (15 over-expressed and 8 down-expressed), and their enrichment and intersection analyses highlighted new 77 candidate related genes (49 over-expressed and 28 down-expressed). A final filtering analysis then highlighted 29 proposed candidate genes. This data suggests that many new genes, not yet associated with RP, could influence its etiopathogenesis.

ZNF580 - a brake on Interleukin-6

Background

Zinc finger protein 580 (ZNF580) was reported to modulate angiogenesis, endothelial homeostasis and blood pressure control. ZNF580 regulated genes include VEGF-A and IL-8. However, it is unknown if ZNF580 could play a role during inflammation. The aim of this study was to find out if ZNF580 affects the expression of IL-6, if it occurs in monocytic cells and responds to inflammatory mediators.

Results

Overexpression of ZNF580 reduced LPS-induced promotor activity of IL-6. Consistently, overexpression of ZNF580 reduced by half the LPS-induced expression of IL-6. ZNF580 was strongly expressed in the nucleus of MonoMac6, a human monocytic cell line. LPS-stimulated IL-6 secretion increased when ZNF580 was suppressed with siRNA. After stimulation of MonoMac6 with LPS for 24 h, ZNF580 negatively correlated with the amount of secreted IL-6. In response to LPS, ZNF580 was increased within the first 8 h, followed by a marked decrease after 16 h. This decrease coincided with sustained IL-6 production.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that ZNF580 inhibits LPS-induced expression of IL-6. ZNF580 was highly expressed in monocytic cells and therefore may contribute to the modulation of its IL-6 production, at least in response to LPS. This suggests cooperation between ZNF580 and NFκB, which could play a role during sepsis.

Preventive Effect of Lactobacillus Plantarum CQPC10 on Activated Carbon Induced Constipation in Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) Mice

Chinese Paocai is a traditional fermented food containing an abundance of beneficial microorganisms. In this study, the microorganisms in Szechwan Paocai were isolated and identified, and a strain of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC10, LP-CQPC10) was found to exert an inhibitory effect on constipation. Microorganisms were isolated and identified via 16S rDNA. Activated carbon was used to induce constipation in a mouse model and the inhibitory effect of LP-CQPC10 on this induced constipation was investigated via both pathological sections and qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction). A strain of Lactobacillus plantarum was identified and named LP-CQPC10. The obtained results showed that, as compared to the control group, LP-CQPC10 significantly inhibited the amount, weight, and water content of faeces. The defecation time of the first tarry stool was significantly shorter in LP-CQPC10 groups than in the control group. The activated carbon progradation rate was significantly higher when compared to the control group and the effectiveness was improved. LP-CQPC10 increased the serum levels of MTL (motilin), Gas (gastrin), ET (endothelin), AchE (acetylcholinesterase), SP (substance P), and VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide), while decreasing the SS (somatostatin) level. Furthermore, it improved the GSH (glutathione) level and decreased the MPO (myeloperoxidase), MDA (malondialdehyde), and NO (nitric oxide) levels. The results of qPCR indicated that LP-CQPC10 significantly up-regulated the mRNA expression levels of c-Kit, SCF (stem cell factor), GDNF (glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor), eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase), nNOS (neuronal nitric oxide synthase), and AQP3 (aquaporin-3), while down-regulating the expression levels of TRPV1 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1), iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase), and AQP9 (aquaporin-9). LP-CQPC10 showed a good inhibitory effect on experimentally induced constipation, and the obtained effectiveness is superior to that of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, indicating the better probiotic potential of this strain.

HSPA12B promotes functional recovery after ischaemic stroke through an eNOS-dependent mechanism

Stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide. HSPA12B, a heat-shock protein recently identified expression specifically in endothelial cells, is able to promote angiogenesis. Here, we have investigated its effects on functional recovery at chronic phase of ischaemic stroke. Ischaemic stroke was induced by 60 min. of middle cerebral artery occlusion in transgenic mice with overexpression of HSPA12B (HSPA12B Tg) and wild-type littermates (WT). HSPA12B Tg mice demonstrated a significant higher survival rate than WT mice within 28 days post-stroke. Significant improved neurological functions, increased spontaneous locomotor activity and decreased anxiety were detected inHSPA12B Tg mice compared with WT controls within 21 days post-stroke. Stroke-induced hippocampal degeneration was attenuated in HSPA12B Tg mice examined at day 28 post-stroke. Interestingly, HSPA12B Tg mice showed enhanced peri-infarct angiogenesis (examined 28 days post-stroke) and hippocampal neurogenesis (examined 7 days post-stroke), respectively, compared to WT mice. The stroke-induced eNOS phosphorylation and TGF-β1 expression were augmented in HSPA12B Tg mice. However, administration with eNOS inhibitor L-NAME diminished the HSPA12B-induced protection in neurological functional recovery and mice survival post-stroke. The data suggest that HSPA12B promoted functional recovery and survival after stroke in an eNOS-dependent mechanism. Targeting HSPA12B expression may have a therapeutic potential for the stroke-evoked functional disability and mortality.

Implications of impaired zinc homeostasis in diabetic cardiomyopathy and nephropathy

Impaired zinc homeostasis is observed in diabetes mellitus (DM2) and its complications. Zinc has a specific role in pancreatic β-cells via insulin synthesis, storage, and secretion. Intracellular zinc homeostasis is tightly controlled by zinc transporters (ZnT and Zip families) and metallothioneins (MT) which modulate the uptake, storage, and distribution of zinc. Several investigations in animal models demonstrate the protective role of MT in DM2 and its cardiovascular or renal complications, while a copious literature shows that a common polymorphism (R325W) in ZnT8, which affects the protein's zinc transport activity, is associated with increased DM2 risk. Emerging studies highlight a role of other zinc transporters in β-cell function, suggesting that targeting them could make a possible contribution in managing the hyperglycemia in diabetic patients. This article summarizes the current findings concerning the role of zinc homeostasis in DM2 pathogenesis and development of diabetic cardiomyopathy and nephropathy and suggests novel therapeutic targets. © 2017 BioFactors, 43(6):770-784, 2017.

Multifunctional Gene Carriers with Enhanced Specific Penetration and Nucleus Accumulation to Promote Neovascularization of HUVECs in Vivo

Recently, gene therapy has attracted much attention, especially for the treatment of vascular disease. However, it is still challenging to develop the gene carriers with high biocompatibility as well as highly efficient gene delivery to overcome multiple barriers. Herein, a frequently used cell-penetrating peptide PKKKRKV (TAT) was selected as a functional sequence of the gene carrier with distinctive cell-penetrating ability. REDV peptide with selectively targeting function for endothelial cells (ECs) and nuclear localization signals (NLS) were integrated with this TAT peptide to obtain a highly efficient gene delivery system with ECs specificity and nucleus accumulation capacity. Besides, the glycine sequences with different repeat numbers were inserted into the above integrated peptide. These glycine sequences acted as a flexible spacer arm to exert the targeting, cell-penetrating, and nucleus accumulation functions of each functional peptide. Three tandem peptides REDV-G_m-TAT-G_m-NLS (m = 0, 1, and 4) complexed with pZNF580 plasmid to form gene complexes. The results of hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility indicated that these peptides and gene complexes were nontoxic and biocompatible. The internalization efficiency and mechanism of these gene complexes were investigated. The internalization efficiency was improved as the introduction of targeting REDV and glycine sequence, and the REDV-G₄-TAT-G₄-NLS/pZNF580 (TP-G4/pZNF580) complexes showed the highest cellular uptake among the gene complexes. The TP-G4/pZNF580 complexes also presented significantly higher internalization efficiency (∼1.36 times) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) than human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells. TP-G4/pZNF580 complexes substantially promoted the expression of pZNF580 by confocal live cell imaging, gene delivery efficiency, and HUVECs migration assay. The in vitro and in vivo revascularization ability of transfected HUVECs was further enhanced obviously. In conclusion, these multifunctional REDV-G_m-TAT-G_m-NLS peptides offer a promising and efficacious delivery option for neovascularization to treat vascular diseases.

MicroRNA-206 regulates vascular smooth muscle cell phenotypic switch and vascular neointimal formation

MiR-206 has been found to play a critical role in skeletal muscle proliferation, differentiation, and regeneration. However, little is known about the function of miR-206 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) biology. In this study, we will investigate its roles in phenotypic switching of VSMCs and neointimal lesion formation. First, we identified the expression of miR-206 in VSMCs treated with various concentrations of TGFβ1 and in rat carotid arteries after angioplasty by using qPCR. TGFβ1 inhibited the expression of miR-206 and TGFβ1 inhibitor induced miR-206 expression. In VSMCs of injured vascular walls, miR-206 expression was upregulated. Then, we overexpressed miR-206 using lentivirus Lv-rno-mir-206 and knocked down miR-206 using LV-rno-mir-206-inhibitor in rat carotid arteries after angioplasty. Overexpression of miR-206 resulted in decreasing SM22α expression in VSMCs in vitro and knockdown of miR-206 suppressed neointimal lesion formation in vivo. Finally, ZFP580 (zinc finger protein 580) was identified as the direct target of miR-206 in VSMCs by using luciferase report assay. The results indicate that miR-206 is involved in phenotypic switching of VSMCs and neointimal lesion formation after angioplasty through targeting ZFP580. These findings may provide a novel therapeutic target in post-angioplasty restenosis.

The role of ZFP580, a novel zinc finger protein, in TGF-mediated cytoprotection against chemical hypoxia‑induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiac myocytes

Zing finger protein 580 (ZFP580) is a novel Cys2-His2 zinc-finger transcription factor that has an anti-apoptotic role in myocardial cells. It is involved in the endothelial transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signal transduction pathway as a mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (Smad)2 binding partner. The aim of the present study was to determine the involvement of ZFP580 in TGF-β1-mediated cytoprotection against chemical hypoxia-induced apoptosis, using H9c2 cardiac myocytes. Hypoxia was chemically induced in H9c2 myocardial cells by exposure to cobalt chloride (CoCl₂). In response to hypoxia, cell viability was decreased, whereas the expression levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1α and ZFP580 were increased. Pretreatment with TGF-β1 attenuated CoCl₂-induced cell apoptosis and upregulated ZFP580 protein expression; however, these effects could be suppressed by SB431542, an inhibitor of TGF-β type I receptor and Smad2/3 phosphorylation. Furthermore, suppression of ZFP580 expression by RNA interference reduced the anti-apoptotic effects of TGF-β1 and thus increased CoCl₂-induced apoptosis. B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2-associated X protein/Bcl-2 ratio, reactive oxygen species generation and caspase-3 activation were also increased following ZFP580 inactivation. In conclusion, these results indicate that ZFP580 is a component of the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway, and is involved in the protective effects of TGF-β1 against chemical hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis, through inhibition of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.

CAGW Peptide- and PEG-Modified Gene Carrier for Selective Gene Delivery and Promotion of Angiogenesis in HUVECs in Vivo

Gene therapy is a promising strategy for angiogenesis, but developing gene carriers with low cytotoxicity and high gene delivery efficiency in vivo is a key issue. In the present study, we synthesized the CAGW peptide- and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified amphiphilic copolymers. CAGW peptide serves as a targeting ligand for endothelial cells (ECs). Different amounts of CAGW peptide were effectively conjugated to the amphiphilic copolymer via heterofunctional poly(ethylene glycol). These CAG- and PEG-modified copolymers could form nanoparticles (NPs) by self-assembly method and were used as gene carriers for the pEGFP-ZNF580 (pZNF580) plasmid. CAGW and PEG modification coordinately improved the hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility of NPs. The results of cellular uptake showed significantly enhanced internalization efficiency of pZNF580 after CAGW modification. Gene expression at mRNA and protein levels demonstrated that EC-targeted NPs possessed high gene delivery efficiency, especially the NPs with higher content of CAGW peptide (1.16 wt %). Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo vascularization assays also showed outstanding vascularization ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells treated by the NP/pZNF580 complexes. This study demonstrates that the CAGW peptide-modified NP is a promising candidate for gene therapy in angiogenesis.

REDV–polyethyleneimine complexes for selectively enhancing gene delivery in endothelial cells

Gene therapy provides a new strategy for promoting endothelialization, and rapid endothelialization has attracted increasing attention for inhibiting thrombosis and restenosis in artificial vascular implants.

Targeting REDV peptide functionalized polycationic gene carrier for enhancing the transfection and migration capability of human endothelial cells

Targeting gene engineering should be considered as an effective method for promoting endothelialization of vascular grafts. Herein, we developed a targeting REDV peptide functionalized polycationic gene carrier for carrying the pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmid with the aim of enhancing the transfection and migration capability of human endothelial cells. This polycationic gene carrier with the REDV peptide (mPEG-P(LA-co-CL)-PEI-REDV) was prepared by the conjugation of the Cys-Arg-Glu-Asp-Val-Trp (CREDVW) peptide with the amphiphilic block copolymer methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) ether-poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)-poly(ethyleneimine) (mPEG-P(LA-co-CL)-PEI). mPEG-P(LA-co-CL)-PEI nanoparticles (NP) and mPEG-P(LA-co-CL)-PEI-REDV nanoparticles (REDV-NP) were formed by the self-assembly of the corresponding polycationic polymers, and then their pEGFP-ZNF580 complexes were prepared via the electrostatic interaction with pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmids, respectively. Gel electrophoresis results show that the targeted REDV-NPs could compress pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmids into stable complexes and protect the plasmids against desoxyribonuclease degradation. MTT assay indicates that these targeted REDV-NP/pEGFP-ZNF580 complexes exhibit better cyto-compatibility than the non-targeted NP/pEGFP-ZNF580 complexes and the control PEI 1800 Da/pEGFP-ZNF580 complexes. In vitro transfection experiments and western blot analysis of EA.hy926 endothelial cells show that the pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmid expression and the relative protein level transfected by targeted REDV-NP/pEGFP-ZNF580 complexes are roughly consistent with that transfected by PEI 25 kDa/pEGFP-ZNF580 complexes. More importantly, the scratch wound assay results demonstrate that the migration capability of EA.hy926 cells has been improved significantly by the expression of the pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmid. Our results indicate that the polycationic polymer with functional REDV peptides can be a potential candidate as a pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmid delivery carrier and may be used in the endothelialization of vascular grafts.