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Zhu Y, Yao L, Gallo-Ferraz AL, Bombassaro B, Simões MR, Abe I, Chen J, Sarker G, Ciccarelli A, Zhou L, Lee C, Sidarta-Oliveira D, Martínez-Sánchez N, Dustin ML, Zhan C, Horvath TL, Velloso LA, Kajimura S, Domingos AI. Sympathetic neuropeptide Y protects from obesity by sustaining thermogenic fat. Nature 2024:10.1038/s41586-024-07863-6. [PMID: 39198648 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07863-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
Human mutations in neuropeptide Y (NPY) have been linked to high body mass index but not altered dietary patterns1. Here we uncover the mechanism by which NPY in sympathetic neurons2,3 protects from obesity. Imaging of cleared mouse brown and white adipose tissue (BAT and WAT, respectively) established that NPY+ sympathetic axons are a smaller subset that mostly maps to the perivasculature; analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing datasets identified mural cells as the main NPY-responsive cells in adipose tissues. We show that NPY sustains the proliferation of mural cells, which are a source of thermogenic adipocytes in both BAT and WAT4-6. We found that diet-induced obesity leads to neuropathy of NPY+ axons and concomitant depletion of mural cells. This defect was replicated in mice with NPY abrogated from sympathetic neurons. The loss of NPY in sympathetic neurons whitened interscapular BAT, reducing its thermogenic ability and decreasing energy expenditure before the onset of obesity. It also caused adult-onset obesity of mice fed on a regular chow diet and rendered them more susceptible to diet-induced obesity without increasing food consumption. Our results indicate that, relative to central NPY, peripheral NPY produced by sympathetic nerves has the opposite effect on body weight by sustaining energy expenditure independently of food intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yitao Zhu
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lu Yao
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ana L Gallo-Ferraz
- Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Bruna Bombassaro
- Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Marcela R Simões
- Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Ichitaro Abe
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cardiology and Clinical Examination, Oita University, Faculty of Medicine, Oita, Japan
| | - Jing Chen
- School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
| | - Gitalee Sarker
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Linna Zhou
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Carl Lee
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Noelia Martínez-Sánchez
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael L Dustin
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Cheng Zhan
- Department of Haematology, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Tamas L Horvath
- Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Licio A Velloso
- Laboratory of Cell Signaling, Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Shingo Kajimura
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ana I Domingos
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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2
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Grath A, Dai G. SOX17/ETV2 improves the direct reprogramming of adult fibroblasts to endothelial cells. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2024; 4:100732. [PMID: 38503291 PMCID: PMC10985233 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2024.100732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
An autologous source of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) is valuable for vascular regeneration and tissue engineering without the concern of immune rejection. The transcription factor ETS variant 2 (ETV2) has been shown to directly convert patient fibroblasts into vascular EC-like cells. However, reprogramming efficiency is low and there are limitations in EC functions, such as eNOS expression. In this study, we directly reprogram adult human dermal fibroblasts into reprogrammed ECs (rECs) by overexpressing SOX17 in conjunction with ETV2. We find several advantages to rEC generation using this approach, including improved reprogramming efficiency, increased enrichment of EC genes, formation of large blood vessels carrying blood from the host, and, most importantly, expression of eNOS in vivo. From these results, we present an improved method to reprogram adult fibroblasts into functional ECs and posit ideas for the future that could potentially further improve the reprogramming process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Grath
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Guohao Dai
- Department of Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
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Chen D, Rukhlenko OS, Coon BG, Joshi D, Chakraborty R, Martin KA, Kholodenko BN, Schwartz MA, Simons M. VEGF counteracts shear stress-determined arterial fate specification during capillary remodeling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.23.576920. [PMID: 38328237 PMCID: PMC10849567 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.23.576920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
A key feature of arteriogenesis is capillary-to-arterial endothelial cell fate transition. Although a number of studies in the past two decades suggested this process is driven by VEGF activation of Notch signaling, how arteriogenesis is regulated remains poorly understood. Here we report that arterial specification is mediated by fluid shear stress (FSS) independent of VEGFR2 signaling and that a decline in VEGFR2 signaling is required for arteriogenesis to fully take place. VEGF does not induce arterial fate in capillary ECs and, instead, counteracts FSS-driven capillary-to-arterial cell fate transition. Mechanistically, FSS-driven arterial program involves both Notch-dependent and Notch-independent events. Sox17 is the key mediator of the FSS-induced arterial specification and a target of VEGF-FSS competition. These findings suggest a new paradigm of VEGF-FSS crosstalk coordinating angiogenesis, arteriogenesis and capillary maintenance.
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Yu X, Ma X, Zhou J. DNMT3A-mediated epigenetic silencing of SOX17 contributes to endothelial cell migration and fibroblast activation in wound healing. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0292684. [PMID: 37856473 PMCID: PMC10586696 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wound healing, especially impaired chronic wound healing, poses a tremendous challenge for modern medicine. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying wound healing is essential to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. METHODS A wound-healing mouse model was established to analyze histopathological alterations during wound healing, and the expression of SRY-box transcription factor 17 (SOX17), DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (DNMT3A), and a specific fibroblast marker S100 calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4) in wound skin tissues was tested by immunofluorescence (IF) assay. Cell proliferation and migration were evaluated using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and Transwell migration assays. RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to measure RNA and protein expression. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the secretion of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by qPCR (ChIP-qPCR) and DNA pull-down assays were performed to confirm the interaction between DNMT3A and the CpG island of the SOX17 promoter. Promoter methylation was examined by pyrosequencing. RESULTS SOX17 and DNMT3A expression were regularly regulated during the different phases of wound healing. SOX17 knockdown promoted HUVEC migration and the production and release of TGF-β. Through establishing an endothelial cells-fibroblasts co-culture model, we found that SOX17 knockdown in HUVECs activated HFF-1 fibroblasts, which expressed α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and type I collagen (COL1). DNMT3A overexpression reduces SOX17 mRNA levels. ChIP-qPCR and DNA pull-down assays verified the interaction between DNMT3A and CpG island in the SOX17 promoter region. Pyrosequencing confirmed that DNMT3A overexpression increased the methylation level of the SOX17 promoter. CONCLUSION DNMT3A-mediated downregulation of SOX17 facilitates wound healing by promoting endothelial cell migration and fibroblast activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Yu
- The Department of Burn, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, China
| | - Xiaoting Ma
- Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou, China
| | - Junli Zhou
- The Department of Burn, Gansu Provincial Hospital, Lanzhou, China
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