USP15 promotes pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension in a YAP1/TAZ-dependent manner

A review on decoding the roles of YAP/TAZ signaling pathway in cardiovascular diseases: Bridging molecular mechanisms to therapeutic insights

Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) serve as transcriptional co-activators that dynamically shuttle between the cytoplasm and nucleus, resulting in either the suppression or enhancement of their downstream gene expression. Recent emerging evidence demonstrates that YAP/TAZ is strongly implicated in the pathophysiological processes that contribute to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). In the cardiovascular system, YAP/TAZ is involved in the orchestration of a range of biological processes such as oxidative stress, inflammation, proliferation, and autophagy. Furthermore, YAP/TAZ has been revealed to be closely associated with the initiation and development of various cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, myocardial fibrosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and cardiomyopathy. In this review, we delve into recent studies surrounding YAP and TAZ, along with delineating their roles in contributing to the pathogenesis of CVDs with a link to various physiological processes in the cardiovascular system. Additionally, we highlight the current potential drugs targeting YAP/TAZ for CVDs therapy and discuss their challenges for translational application. Overall, this review may offer novel insights for understanding and treating cardiovascular disorders.

Active Anchoring Stimuli-Responsive Nano-Craft to Relieve Pulmonary Vasoconstriction by Targeting Smooth Muscle Cell for Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension Treatment

Recently, nanotechnology-based drug delivery platforms in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have gradually emerged. However, large mechanical stress and shear stress in blood vessels greatly affect the retention of nanopreparative materials at lesion sites, severely limiting nanotechnology-based drug delivery. Herein, a stimuli-responsive nanocraft is rationally designed by actively anchoring E-selectin overexpressed on pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs), under hypoxic conditions, allowing effective accumulation and retention of the drug at the lesion site. Briefly, a nitrobenzene group is incorporated into the framework of a nanocarrier, and then it is simultaneously linked with chitosan. Additionally, the surface of the nanocarrier with sialic acid (SA) and encapsulated the clinically used drug ambrisentan (Am), which enables the anchoring of E-selectin and subsequent drug delivery is modifed. This system facilitates intercellular transport to pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) when targeting PAECs and specifically responds to a reductive hypoxic microenvironment with elevated nitroreductase in PASMCs. Moreover, compared with free Am, nanoencapsulation and SA-PEG2000-NH2 prolong the blood circulation time, achieving better therapeutic outcomes in preventing vascular remodeling and reversing systolic dysfunction. The originality and contribution of this work reveal the promising value of this pulmonary arterial anchoring stimuli-responsive nanocraft as a novel therapeutic strategy for satisfactory PAH treatment.

circELP2 reverse-splicing biogenesis and function as a pro-fibrogenic factor by targeting mitochondrial quality control pathway

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is considered as a chronic, fibrosing interstitial pneumonia with unknown mechanism. The present work aimed to explore the function, biogenesis and regulatory mechanism of circELP2 in pulmonary fibrosis and evaluate the value of blocking circELP2-medicated signal pathway for IPF treatment. The results showed that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L initiated reverse splicing of circELP2 resulting in the increase of circELP2 generation. The biogenetic circELP2 activated the abnormal proliferation and migration of fibroblast and extracellular matrix deposition to promote pulmonary fibrogenesis. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that cytoplasmic circELP2 sponged miR-630 to increase transcriptional co-activators Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ). Then, YAP1/TAZ bound to the promoter regions of their target genes, such as mTOR, Raptor and mLST8, which in turn activated or inhibited the genes expression in mitochondrial quality control pathway. Finally, the overexpressed circELP2 and miR-630 mimic were packaged into adenovirus vector for spraying into the mice lung to evaluate therapeutic effect of blocking circELP2-miR-630-YAP1/TAZ-mitochondrial quality control pathway in vivo. In conclusion, blocking circELP2-medicated pathway can alleviate pulmonary fibrosis, and circELP2 may be a potential target to treat lung fibrosis.

Lung regeneration: diverse cell types and the therapeutic potential

Lung tissue has a certain regenerative ability and triggers repair procedures after injury. Under controllable conditions, lung tissue can restore normal structure and function. Disruptions in this process can lead to respiratory system failure and even death, causing substantial medical burden. The main types of respiratory diseases are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Multiple cells, such as lung epithelial cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells, are involved in regulating the repair process after lung injury. Although the mechanism that regulates the process of lung repair has not been fully elucidated, clinical trials targeting different cells and signaling pathways have achieved some therapeutic effects in different respiratory diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of the cell type involved in the process of lung regeneration and repair, research models, and summarize molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of lung regeneration and fibrosis. Moreover, we discuss the current clinical trials of stem cell therapy and pharmacological strategies for COPD, IPF, and ARDS treatment. This review provides a reference for further research on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of lung regeneration, drug development, and clinical trials.

Activating transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif by (R)-PFI-2 attenuates osteoclastogenesis and prevents ovariectomized-induced osteoporosis

Excessive osteoclast activation is a leading cause of osteoporosis. Therefore, identifying molecular targets and relevant pharmaceuticals that inhibit osteoclastogenesis is of substantial clinical importance. Prior research has indicated that transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) impedes the process of osteoclastogenesis by engaging the nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway, thereby suggesting TAZ activation as a potential therapeutic approach to treat osteoporosis. (R)-PFI-2 is a novel selective inhibitor of SETD7 methyltransferase activity, which prevents the nuclear translocation of YAP, a homolog of TAZ. Therefore, we hypothesized that (R)-PFI-2 could be an effective therapeutic agent in the treatment of osteoporosis. To test this hypothesis and explore the underlying mechanism, we first examined the impact of (R)-PFI-2 on osteoclastogenesis in bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) in vitro. (R)-PFI-2 treatment inhibited TAZ phosphorylation induced by NF-κB, thereby enhancing its nuclear localization, protein expression, and activation in BMMs. Moreover, (R)-PFI-2-induced TAZ activation inhibited osteoclast formation in a dose-dependent manner, which involved inhibition of osteoclastogenesis through the TAZ and downstream NF-κB pathways. Furthermore, (R)-PFI-2 inhibited osteoclastogenesis and prevented ovariectomy-induced bone loss in vivo in a mouse model. Overall, our findings suggest that TAZ activation by (R)-PFI-2 inhibits osteoclastogenesis and prevents osteoporosis, indicating an effective strategy for treating osteoclast-induced osteoporosis.

A role of TRIM59 in pulmonary hypertension: modulating the protein ubiquitylation modification

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary hypertension (PH), an infrequent disease, is characterized by excessive pulmonary vascular remodeling and proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). However, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Uncovering its molecular mechanisms will be beneficial to the treatment of PH.

METHODS

Differently expressed genes (DEGs) in the lung tissues of PH patients were analyzed with a GEO dataset GSE113439. From these DEGs, we focused on TRIM59 which was highly expressed in PH patients. Subsequently, the expression of TRIM59 in the pulmonary arteries of PH patients, lung tissues of PH rat model and PASMCs cultured in a hypoxic condition was verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), western blot and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the role of TRIM59 in PAMSC proliferation and pathological changes in PH rats was assessed via gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments. In addition, the transcriptional regulation of YAP1/TEAD4 on TRIM59 was confirmed by qPCR, western blot, luciferase reporter assay, ChIP and DNA pull-down. In order to uncover the underlying mechanisms of TRIM59, a protein ubiquitomics and a CoIP- HPLC-MS/MS were companied to identify the direct targets of TRIM59.

RESULTS

TRIM59 was highly expressed in the pulmonary arteries of PH patients and lung tissues of PH rats. Over-expression of TRIM59 accelerated the proliferation of PASMCs, while TRIM59 silencing resulted in the opposite results. Moreover, TRIM59 silencing mitigated the injuries in heart and lung and attenuated pulmonary vascular remodeling during PH. In addition, its transcription was positively regulated by YAP1/TEAD4. Then we further explored the underlying mechanisms of TRIM59 and found that TRIM59 overexpression resulted in an altered ubiquitylation of proteins. Accompanied with the results of CoIP- HPLC-MS/MS, 34 proteins were identified as the direct targets of TRIM59.

CONCLUSION

TRIM59 was highly expressed in PH patients and promoted the proliferation of PASMCs and pulmonary vascular remodeling, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of PH. It is indicated that TRIM59 may become a potential target for PH treatment.