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SubramanianBalachandar V, Islam MM, Steward RL. A machine learning approach to predict cellular mechanical stresses in response to chemical perturbation. Biophys J 2023; 122:3413-3424. [PMID: 37496269 PMCID: PMC10502424 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.07.016] [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: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanical stresses generated at the cell-cell level and cell-substrate level have been suggested to be important in a host of physiological and pathological processes. However, the influence various chemical compounds have on the mechanical stresses mentioned above is poorly understood, hindering the discovery of novel therapeutics, and representing a barrier in the field. To overcome this barrier, we implemented two approaches: 1) monolayer boundary predictor and 2) discretized window predictor utilizing either stepwise linear regression or quadratic support vector machine machine learning model to predict the dose-dependent response of tractions and intercellular stresses to chemical perturbation. We used experimental traction and intercellular stress data gathered from samples subject to 0.2 or 2 μg/mL drug concentrations along with cell morphological properties extracted from the bright-field images as predictors to train our model. To demonstrate the predictive capability of our machine learning models, we predicted tractions and intercellular stresses in response to 0 and 1 μg/mL drug concentrations which were not utilized in the training sets. Results revealed the discretized window predictor trained just with four samples (292 images) to best predict both intercellular stresses and tractions using the quadratic support vector machine and stepwise linear regression models, respectively, for the unseen sample images.
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Affiliation(s)
- VigneshAravind SubramanianBalachandar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida; Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Md Mydul Islam
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
| | - R L Steward
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida; Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
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Aguilar VM, Paul A, Lazarko D, Levitan I. Paradigms of endothelial stiffening in cardiovascular disease and vascular aging. Front Physiol 2023; 13:1081119. [PMID: 36714307 PMCID: PMC9874005 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1081119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Endothelial cells, the inner lining of the blood vessels, are well-known to play a critical role in vascular function, while endothelial dysfunction due to different cardiovascular risk factors or accumulation of disruptive mechanisms that arise with aging lead to cardiovascular disease. In this review, we focus on endothelial stiffness, a fundamental biomechanical property that reflects cell resistance to deformation. In the first part of the review, we describe the mechanisms that determine endothelial stiffness, including RhoA-dependent contractile response, actin architecture and crosslinking, as well as the contributions of the intermediate filaments, vimentin and lamin. Then, we review the factors that induce endothelial stiffening, with the emphasis on mechanical signals, such as fluid shear stress, stretch and stiffness of the extracellular matrix, which are well-known to control endothelial biomechanics. We also describe in detail the contribution of lipid factors, particularly oxidized lipids, that were also shown to be crucial in regulation of endothelial stiffness. Furthermore, we discuss the relative contributions of these two mechanisms of endothelial stiffening in vasculature in cardiovascular disease and aging. Finally, we present the current state of knowledge about the role of endothelial stiffening in the disruption of endothelial cell-cell junctions that are responsible for the maintenance of the endothelial barrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor M. Aguilar
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States,Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Amit Paul
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Dana Lazarko
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Irena Levitan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States,Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States,*Correspondence: Irena Levitan,
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Dolmatova EV, Forrester SJ, Wang K, Ou Z, Williams HC, Joseph G, Kumar S, Valdivia A, Kowalczyk AP, Qu H, Jo H, Lassègue B, Hernandes MS, Griendling KK. Endothelial Poldip2 regulates sepsis-induced lung injury via Rho pathway activation. Cardiovasc Res 2022; 118:2506-2518. [PMID: 34528082 PMCID: PMC9612795 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvab295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Sepsis-induced lung injury is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Previously, we showed that heterozygous deletion of polymerase δ-interacting protein 2 (Poldip2) was protective against sepsis-induced lung injury. Since endothelial barrier disruption is thought to be the main mechanism of sepsis-induced lung injury, we sought to determine if the observed protection was specifically due to the effect of reduced endothelial Poldip2. METHODS AND RESULTS Endothelial-specific Poldip2 knock-out mice (EC-/-) and their wild-type littermates (EC+/+) were injected with saline or lipopolysaccharide (18 mg/kg) to model sepsis-induced lung injury. At 18 h post-injection mice, were euthanized and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and lung tissue were collected to assess leucocyte infiltration. Poldip2 EC-/- mice showed reduced lung leucocyte infiltration in BAL (0.21 ± 0.9×106 vs. 1.29 ± 1.8×106 cells/mL) and lung tissue (12.7 ± 1.8 vs. 23 ± 3.7% neutrophils of total number of cells) compared to Poldip2 EC+/+ mice. qPCR analysis of the lung tissue revealed a significantly dampened induction of inflammatory gene expression (TNFα 2.23 ± 0.39 vs. 4.15 ± 0.5-fold, IκBα 4.32 ± 1.53 vs. 8.97 ± 1.59-fold), neutrophil chemoattractant gene expression (CXCL1 68.8 ± 29.6 vs. 147 ± 25.7-fold, CXCL2 65 ± 25.6 vs. 215 ± 27.3-fold) and a marker of endothelial activation (VCAM1 1.25 ± 0.25 vs. 3.8 ± 0.38-fold) in Poldip2 EC-/- compared to Poldip2 EC+/+ lungs. An in vitro model using human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells was used to assess the effect of Poldip2 knock-down on endothelial activation and permeability. TNFα-induced endothelial permeability and VE-cadherin disruption were significantly reduced with siRNA-mediated knock-down of Poldip2 (5 ± 0.5 vs. 17.5 ± 3-fold for permeability, 1.5 ± 0.4 vs. 10.9 ± 1.3-fold for proportion of disrupted VE-cadherin). Poldip2 knock-down altered expression of Rho-GTPase-related genes, which correlated with reduced RhoA activation by TNFα (0.94 ± 0.05 vs. 1.29 ± 0.01 of relative RhoA activity) accompanied by redistribution of active-RhoA staining to the centre of the cell. CONCLUSION Poldip2 is a potent regulator of endothelial dysfunction during sepsis-induced lung injury, and its endothelium-specific inhibition may provide clinical benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena V Dolmatova
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Steven J Forrester
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Keke Wang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Ziwei Ou
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Holly C Williams
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Giji Joseph
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Alejandra Valdivia
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Andrew P Kowalczyk
- Departments of Dermatology and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State College of Medicine, 700 HMC Cres Rd, Hershey, PA 17033
| | - Hongyan Qu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Hanjoong Jo
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Bernard Lassègue
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Marina S Hernandes
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Kathy K Griendling
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University, 101 Woodruff Circle, WMB 308a, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Yuste RA, Muenkel M, Axarlis K, Gómez Benito MJ, Reuss A, Blacker G, Tal MC, Kraiczy P, Bastounis EE. Borrelia burgdorferi modulates the physical forces and immunity signaling in endothelial cells. iScience 2022; 25:104793. [PMID: 35992087 PMCID: PMC9389243 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), a vector-borne bacterial pathogen and the causative agent of Lyme disease, can spread to distant tissues in the human host by traveling in and through monolayers of endothelial cells (ECs) lining the vasculature. To examine whether Bb alters the physical forces of ECs to promote its dissemination, we exposed ECs to Bb and observed a sharp and transient increase in EC traction and intercellular forces, followed by a prolonged decrease in EC motility and physical forces. All variables returned to baseline at 24 h after exposure. RNA sequencing analysis revealed an upregulation of innate immune signaling pathways during early but not late Bb exposure. Exposure of ECs to heat-inactivated Bb recapitulated only the early weakening of EC mechanotransduction. The differential responses to live versus heat-inactivated Bb indicate a tight interplay between innate immune signaling and physical forces in host ECs and suggest their active modulation by Bb. Early exposure to Borrelia decreases endothelial cell motility and physical forces Early exposure to Borrelia also upregulates the host’s innate immune signaling pathways Host cell mechanics and signaling return to steady state at late exposure times Exposure to dead bacteria steadily reduces motility and physical forces of host cells
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Substrate stiffening promotes VEGF-A functions via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 586:27-33. [PMID: 34823219 PMCID: PMC8785232 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
While it is now well-established that substrate stiffness regulates vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) mediated signaling and functions, causal mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we report an underlying role for the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. This pathway is activated on stiffer substrates, is amplified by VEGF-A stimulation, and correlates with enhanced endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, contraction, pro-angiogenic secretion, and capillary-like tube formation. In the settings of advanced age-related macular degeneration, characterized by EC and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE)-mediated angiogenesis, these data implicate substrate stiffness as a novel causative mechanism and Akt/mTOR inhibition as a novel therapeutic pathway.
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Jiang W, Chen H, Tai Z, Li T, Luo L, Tong Z, Zhu W. Apigenin and Ethaverine Hydrochloride Enhance Retinal Vascular Barrier In Vitro and In Vivo. Transl Vis Sci Technol 2020; 9:8. [PMID: 32821505 PMCID: PMC7409011 DOI: 10.1167/tvst.9.6.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aims to develop an impedance-based drug screening platform that will help identify drugs that can enhance the vascular barrier function by stabilizing vascular endothelial cell junctions. Methods Changes in permeability of cultured human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) monolayer were monitored in real-time with the xCELLigence RTCA system. Using this platform, we performed a primary screen of 2100 known drugs and confirmed hits using two additional secondary permeability assays: the transwell permeability assay and the XPerT assay. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of action and in vivo therapeutic efficacy were also assessed. Results Eleven compounds blocked interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) induced hyperpermeability in the primary screen. Two of 11 compounds, apigenin and ethaverine hydrochloride, reproducibly blocked multiple cytokines induced hyperpermeability. In addition to HRMEC monolayers, the two compounds stabilized three other types of primary vascular endothelial cell monolayers. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the two compounds stabilize the endothelium by blocking ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (ARF6) activation, which results in enhanced VE-cadherin membrane localization. The two compounds showed in vivo efficacy in an animal model of retinal permeability. Conclusions We developed an impedance-based cellular phenotypic drug screening platform that can identify drugs that enhance vascular barrier function. We found apigenin and ethaverine hydrochloride stabilize endothelial cell junctions and enhance the vascular barrier by blocking ARF6 activation and increasing VE-cadherin membrane localization. Translational Relevance The drugs identified from the phenotypic screen would have potential therapeutic efficacy in retinal vascular diseases regardless of the underlying mechanisms that promote vascular leak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Jiang
- Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Huan Chen
- Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhengfu Tai
- Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Tian Li
- Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Ling Luo
- Department of Ophthalmology, the 306th Hospital of PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Zongzhong Tong
- Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.,Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Navigen Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Weiquan Zhu
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.,Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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