1
|
Guan X, Hu Y, Hao J, Lu M, Zhang Z, Hu W, Li D, Li C. Stress, Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype and Atherosclerosis: Novel Insight into Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Transition in Atherosclerosis. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2024; 26:411-425. [PMID: 38814419 DOI: 10.1007/s11883-024-01220-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Our work is to establish more distinct association between specific stress and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) phenotypes to alleviate atherosclerotic plaque burden and delay atherosclerosis (AS) progression. RECENT FINDING In recent years, VSMCs phenotypic transition has received significant interests. Different stresses were found to be associated with VSMCs phenotypic transition. However, the explicit correlation between VSMCs phenotype and specific stress has not been elucidated clearly yet. We discover that VSMCs phenotypic transition, which is widely involved in the progression of AS, is associated with specific stress. We discuss approaches targeting stresses to intervene VSMCs phenotypic transition, which may contribute to develop innovative therapies for AS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuya Guan
- Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China
| | - Yuanlong Hu
- First Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China
| | - Jiaqi Hao
- Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China
| | - Mengkai Lu
- Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China
| | - Zhiyuan Zhang
- Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China
| | - Wenxian Hu
- Qingdao Hiser Hospital Affiliated of Qingdao University (Qingdao Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital), Qingdao, 266000, China.
| | - Dongxiao Li
- Experimental Center, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China.
| | - Chao Li
- Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China.
- Qingdao Hiser Hospital Affiliated of Qingdao University (Qingdao Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital), Qingdao, 266000, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lee PC, Jung IH, Thussu S, Patel V, Wagoner R, Burks KH, Amrute J, Elenbaas JS, Kang CJ, Young EP, Scherer PE, Stitziel NO. Instrumental variable and colocalization analyses identify endotrophin and HTRA1 as potential therapeutic targets for coronary artery disease. iScience 2024; 27:110104. [PMID: 38989470 PMCID: PMC11233907 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110104] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a leading cause of disease burden globally, and there is a persistent need for new therapeutic targets. Instrumental variable (IV) and genetic colocalization analyses can help identify novel therapeutic targets for human disease by nominating causal genes in genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci. We conducted cis-IV analyses for 20,125 genes and 1,746 plasma proteins with CAD using molecular trait quantitative trait loci variant (QTLs) data from three different studies. 19 proteins and 119 genes were significantly associated with CAD risk by IV analyses and demonstrated evidence of genetic colocalization. Notably, our analyses validated well-established targets such as PCSK9 and ANGPTL4 while also identifying HTRA1 and endotrophin (a cleavage product of COL6A3) as proteins whose levels are causally associated with CAD risk. Further experimental studies are needed to confirm the causal role of the genes and proteins identified through our multiomic cis-IV analyses on human disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul C. Lee
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - In-Hyuk Jung
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Shreeya Thussu
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ved Patel
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ryan Wagoner
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Kendall H. Burks
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Junedh Amrute
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jared S. Elenbaas
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chul Joo Kang
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Erica P. Young
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Philipp E. Scherer
- Touchstone Diabetes Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Nathan O. Stitziel
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63108, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Totoń-Żurańska J, Mikolajczyk TP, Saju B, Guzik TJ. Vascular remodelling in cardiovascular diseases: hypertension, oxidation, and inflammation. Clin Sci (Lond) 2024; 138:817-850. [PMID: 38920058 DOI: 10.1042/cs20220797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Optimal vascular structure and function are essential for maintaining the physiological functions of the cardiovascular system. Vascular remodelling involves changes in vessel structure, including its size, shape, cellular and molecular composition. These changes result from multiple risk factors and may be compensatory adaptations to sustain blood vessel function. They occur in diverse cardiovascular pathologies, from hypertension to heart failure and atherosclerosis. Dynamic changes in the endothelium, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells, pericytes or other vascular wall cells underlie remodelling. In addition, immune cells, including macrophages and lymphocytes, may infiltrate vessels and initiate inflammatory signalling. They contribute to a dynamic interplay between cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, inflammation, and extracellular matrix reorganisation, all critical mechanisms of vascular remodelling. Molecular pathways underlying these processes include growth factors (e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor), inflammatory cytokines (e.g., interleukin-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α), reactive oxygen species, and signalling pathways, such as Rho/ROCK, MAPK, and TGF-β/Smad, related to nitric oxide and superoxide biology. MicroRNAs and long noncoding RNAs are crucial epigenetic regulators of gene expression in vascular remodelling. We evaluate these pathways for potential therapeutic targeting from a clinical translational perspective. In summary, vascular remodelling, a coordinated modification of vascular structure and function, is crucial in cardiovascular disease pathology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justyna Totoń-Żurańska
- Center for Medical Genomics OMICRON, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Tomasz P Mikolajczyk
- Center for Medical Genomics OMICRON, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Blessy Saju
- BHF Centre for Research Excellence, Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, U.K
| | - Tomasz J Guzik
- Center for Medical Genomics OMICRON, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
- BHF Centre for Research Excellence, Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, U.K
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ravindran A, Holappa L, Niskanen H, Skovorodkin I, Kaisto S, Beter M, Kiema M, Selvarajan I, Nurminen V, Aavik E, Aherrahrou R, Pasonen-Seppänen S, Fortino V, Laakkonen JP, Ylä-Herttuala S, Vainio S, Örd T, Kaikkonen MU. Translatome profiling reveals Itih4 as a novel smooth muscle cell-specific gene in atherosclerosis. Cardiovasc Res 2024; 120:869-882. [PMID: 38289873 PMCID: PMC11218691 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvae028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
AIMS Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and their derivatives are key contributors to the development of atherosclerosis. However, studying changes in SMC gene expression in heterogeneous vascular tissues is challenging due to the technical limitations and high cost associated with current approaches. In this paper, we apply translating ribosome affinity purification sequencing to profile SMC-specific gene expression directly from tissue. METHODS AND RESULTS To facilitate SMC-specific translatome analysis, we generated SMCTRAP mice, a transgenic mouse line expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged ribosomal protein L10a (EGFP-L10a) under the control of the SMC-specific αSMA promoter. These mice were further crossed with the atherosclerosis model Ldlr-/-, ApoB100/100 to generate SMCTRAP-AS mice and used to profile atherosclerosis-associated SMCs in thoracic aorta samples of 15-month-old SMCTRAP and SMCTRAP-AS mice. Our analysis of SMCTRAP-AS mice showed that EGFP-L10a expression was localized to SMCs in various tissues, including the aortic wall and plaque. The TRAP fraction demonstrated high enrichment of known SMC-specific genes, confirming the specificity of our approach. We identified several genes, including Cemip, Lum, Mfge8, Spp1, and Serpina3, which are known to be involved in atherosclerosis-induced gene expression. Moreover, we identified several novel genes not previously linked to SMCs in atherosclerosis, such as Anxa4, Cd276, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor-4 (Itih4), Myof, Pcdh11x, Rab31, Serpinb6b, Slc35e4, Slc8a3, and Spink5. Among them, we confirmed the SMC-specific expression of Itih4 in atherosclerotic lesions using immunofluorescence staining of mouse aortic roots and spatial transcriptomics of human carotid arteries. Furthermore, our more detailed analysis of Itih4 showed its link to coronary artery disease through the colocalization of genome-wide association studies, splice quantitative trait loci (QTL), and protein QTL signals. CONCLUSION We generated a SMC-specific TRAP mouse line to study atherosclerosis and identified Itih4 as a novel SMC-expressed gene in atherosclerotic plaques, warranting further investigation of its putative function in extracellular matrix stability and genetic evidence of causality.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Animals
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/pathology
- Atherosclerosis/genetics
- Atherosclerosis/metabolism
- Atherosclerosis/pathology
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/metabolism
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/pathology
- Disease Models, Animal
- Aortic Diseases/genetics
- Aortic Diseases/pathology
- Aortic Diseases/metabolism
- Ribosomal Proteins/genetics
- Ribosomal Proteins/metabolism
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Male
- Gene Expression Regulation
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Phenotype
- Transcriptome
- Receptors, LDL/genetics
- Receptors, LDL/metabolism
- Apolipoprotein B-100/genetics
- Apolipoprotein B-100/metabolism
- Mice, Knockout
- Humans
- Green Fluorescent Proteins/genetics
- Green Fluorescent Proteins/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Aorta/metabolism
- Aorta/pathology
- Female
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aarthi Ravindran
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Lari Holappa
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Henri Niskanen
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Ilya Skovorodkin
- Disease networks research unit, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Kvantum Institute, Infotech Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Susanna Kaisto
- Disease networks research unit, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Kvantum Institute, Infotech Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Mustafa Beter
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Miika Kiema
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Ilakya Selvarajan
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Valtteri Nurminen
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Einari Aavik
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Rédouane Aherrahrou
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
- Institute for Cardiogenetics, Universität zu Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, University Heart Centre Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Sanna Pasonen-Seppänen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Vittorio Fortino
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Johanna P Laakkonen
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Seppo Ylä-Herttuala
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Seppo Vainio
- Disease networks research unit, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Kvantum Institute, Infotech Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Tiit Örd
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Minna U Kaikkonen
- A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Neulaniementie 2, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jiang J, Hiron TK, Agbaedeng TA, Malhotra Y, Drydale E, Bancroft J, Ng E, Reschen ME, Davison LJ, O’Callaghan CA. A Novel Macrophage Subpopulation Conveys Increased Genetic Risk of Coronary Artery Disease. Circ Res 2024; 135:6-25. [PMID: 38747151 PMCID: PMC11191562 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.123.324172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronary artery disease (CAD), the leading cause of death worldwide, is influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. Although over 250 genetic risk loci have been identified through genome-wide association studies, the specific causal variants and their regulatory mechanisms are still largely unknown, particularly in disease-relevant cell types such as macrophages. METHODS We utilized single-cell RNA-seq and single-cell multiomics approaches in primary human monocyte-derived macrophages to explore the transcriptional regulatory network involved in a critical pathogenic event of coronary atherosclerosis-the formation of lipid-laden foam cells. The relative genetic contribution to CAD was assessed by partitioning disease heritability across different macrophage subpopulations. Meta-analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data sets from 38 human atherosclerotic samples was conducted to provide high-resolution cross-referencing to macrophage subpopulations in vivo. RESULTS We identified 18 782 cis-regulatory elements by jointly profiling the gene expression and chromatin accessibility of >5000 macrophages. Integration with CAD genome-wide association study data prioritized 121 CAD-related genetic variants and 56 candidate causal genes. We showed that CAD heritability was not uniformly distributed and was particularly enriched in the gene programs of a novel CD52-hi lipid-handling macrophage subpopulation. These CD52-hi macrophages displayed significantly less lipoprotein accumulation and were also found in human atherosclerotic plaques. We investigated the cis-regulatory effect of a risk variant rs10488763 on FDX1, implicating the recruitment of AP-1 and C/EBP-β in the causal mechanisms at this locus. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide genetic evidence of the divergent roles of macrophage subsets in atherogenesis and highlight lipid-handling macrophages as a key subpopulation through which genetic variants operate to influence disease. These findings provide an unbiased framework for functional fine-mapping of genome-wide association study results using single-cell multiomics and offer new insights into the genotype-environment interactions underlying atherosclerotic disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Jiang
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (J.J., T.K.H., T.A.A., Y.M., E.D., J.B., L.J.D., C.A.O.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas K. Hiron
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (J.J., T.K.H., T.A.A., Y.M., E.D., J.B., L.J.D., C.A.O.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas A. Agbaedeng
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (J.J., T.K.H., T.A.A., Y.M., E.D., J.B., L.J.D., C.A.O.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Yashaswat Malhotra
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (J.J., T.K.H., T.A.A., Y.M., E.D., J.B., L.J.D., C.A.O.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Edward Drydale
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (J.J., T.K.H., T.A.A., Y.M., E.D., J.B., L.J.D., C.A.O.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - James Bancroft
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (J.J., T.K.H., T.A.A., Y.M., E.D., J.B., L.J.D., C.A.O.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Esther Ng
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (E.N.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Michael E. Reschen
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, United Kingdom (M.E.R.)
| | - Lucy J. Davison
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (J.J., T.K.H., T.A.A., Y.M., E.D., J.B., L.J.D., C.A.O.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Clinical Science and Services, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United Kingdom (L.J.D.)
| | - Chris A. O’Callaghan
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics (J.J., T.K.H., T.A.A., Y.M., E.D., J.B., L.J.D., C.A.O.), University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Elishaev M, Li B, Zhou A, Salim K, Leeper NJ, Francis GA, Lai C, Wang Y. Multiplex Imaging for Cell Phenotyping of Early Human Atherosclerosis. J Am Heart Assoc 2024; 13:e034990. [PMID: 38842292 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.123.034990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies using animal models and cultured cells suggest that vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and inflammatory cytokines are important players in atherogenesis. Validating these findings in human disease is critical to designing therapeutics that target these components. Multiplex imaging is a powerful tool for characterizing cell phenotypes and microenvironments using biobanked human tissue sections. However, this technology has not been applied to human atherosclerotic lesions and needs to first be customized and validated. METHODS AND RESULTS For validation, we created an 8-plex imaging panel to distinguish foam cells from SMC and leukocyte origins on tissue sections of early human atherosclerotic lesions (n=9). The spatial distribution and characteristics of these foam cells were further analyzed to test the association between SMC phenotypes and inflammation. Consistent with previous reports using human lesions, multiplex imaging showed that foam cells of SMC origin outnumbered those of leukocyte origin and were enriched in the deep intima, where the lipids accumulate in early atherogenesis. This new technology also found that apoptosis or the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines were not more associated with foam cells than with nonfoam cells in early human lesions. More CD68+ SMCs were present among SMCs that highly expressed interleukin-1β. Highly inflamed SMCs showed a trend of increased apoptosis, whereas leukocytes expressing similar levels of cytokines were enriched in regions of extracellular matrix remodeling. CONCLUSIONS The multiplex imaging method can be applied to biobanked human tissue sections to enable proof-of-concept studies and validate theories based on animal models and cultured cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Elishaev
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Boaz Li
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Annie Zhou
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Kevin Salim
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Nicholas J Leeper
- Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford CA USA
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute Stanford University Stanford CA USA
| | - Gordon A Francis
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- Department of Medicine University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Chi Lai
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- Division of Anatomical Pathology Providence Health Care, St. Paul's Hospital Vancouver BC Canada
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
La Chica Lhoëst MT, Martinez A, Claudi L, Garcia E, Benitez-Amaro A, Polishchuk A, Piñero J, Vilades D, Guerra JM, Sanz F, Rotllan N, Escolà-Gil JC, Llorente-Cortés V. Mechanisms modulating foam cell formation in the arterial intima: exploring new therapeutic opportunities in atherosclerosis. Front Cardiovasc Med 2024; 11:1381520. [PMID: 38952543 PMCID: PMC11215187 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1381520] [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: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the role of macrophages as the primary cell type contributing to foam cell formation and atheroma plaque development has been widely acknowledged. However, it has been long recognized that diffuse intimal thickening (DIM), which precedes the formation of early fatty streaks in humans, primarily consists of lipid-loaded smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and their secreted proteoglycans. Recent studies have further supported the notion that SMCs constitute the majority of foam cells in advanced atherosclerotic plaques. Given that SMCs are a major component of the vascular wall, they serve as a significant source of microvesicles and exosomes, which have the potential to regulate the physiology of other vascular cells. Notably, more than half of the foam cells present in atherosclerotic lesions are of SMC origin. In this review, we describe several mechanisms underlying the formation of intimal foam-like cells in atherosclerotic plaques. Based on these mechanisms, we discuss novel therapeutic approaches that have been developed to regulate the generation of intimal foam-like cells. These innovative strategies hold promise for improving the management of atherosclerosis in the near future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M. T. La Chica Lhoëst
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
| | - A. Martinez
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
| | - L. Claudi
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
| | - E. Garcia
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
| | - A. Benitez-Amaro
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
| | - A. Polishchuk
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
| | - J. Piñero
- Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (DCEXS), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - D. Vilades
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital de la Santa Creu I Sant Pau, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-SANTPAU), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, CIBERCV, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - J. M. Guerra
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital de la Santa Creu I Sant Pau, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-SANTPAU), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, CIBERCV, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - F. Sanz
- Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (DCEXS), Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - N. Rotllan
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, CIBERDEM, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - J. C. Escolà-Gil
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, CIBERDEM, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - V. Llorente-Cortés
- Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Cardiovascular, CIBERCV, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Pan H, Ho SE, Xue C, Cui J, Johanson QS, Sachs N, Ross LS, Li F, Solomon RA, Connolly ES, Patel VI, Maegdefessel L, Zhang H, Reilly MP. Atherosclerosis Is a Smooth Muscle Cell-Driven Tumor-Like Disease. Circulation 2024; 149:1885-1898. [PMID: 38686559 PMCID: PMC11164647 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.123.067587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis, a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, involves the pathological activation of various cell types, including immunocytes (eg, macrophages and T cells), smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and endothelial cells. Accumulating evidence suggests that transition of SMCs to other cell types, known as phenotypic switching, plays a central role in atherosclerosis development and complications. However, the characteristics of SMC-derived cells and the underlying mechanisms of SMC transition in disease pathogenesis remain poorly understood. Our objective is to characterize tumor cell-like behaviors of SMC-derived cells in atherosclerosis, with the ultimate goal of developing interventions targeting SMC transition for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. METHODS We used SMC lineage tracing mice and human tissues and applied a range of methods, including molecular, cellular, histological, computational, human genetics, and pharmacological approaches, to investigate the features of SMC-derived cells in atherosclerosis. RESULTS SMC-derived cells in mouse and human atherosclerosis exhibit multiple tumor cell-like characteristics, including genomic instability, evasion of senescence, hyperproliferation, resistance to cell death, invasiveness, and activation of comprehensive cancer-associated gene regulatory networks. Specific expression of the oncogenic mutant KrasG12D in SMCs accelerates phenotypic switching and exacerbates atherosclerosis. Furthermore, we provide proof of concept that niraparib, an anticancer drug targeting DNA damage repair, attenuates atherosclerosis progression and induces regression of lesions in advanced disease in mouse models. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that atherosclerosis is an SMC-driven tumor-like disease, advancing our understanding of its pathogenesis and opening prospects for innovative precision molecular strategies aimed at preventing and treating atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huize Pan
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Sebastian E. Ho
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Chenyi Xue
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Jian Cui
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Quinian S. Johanson
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Nadja Sachs
- Department for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, partner site: Munich Heart Alliance, 10785 Berlin, Germany
| | - Leila S. Ross
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Fang Li
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Robert A. Solomon
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - E. Sander Connolly
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Virendra I. Patel
- Section of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Interventions, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Lars Maegdefessel
- Department for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, partner site: Munich Heart Alliance, 10785 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hanrui Zhang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Muredach P. Reilly
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Lambert J, Oc S, Worssam MD, Häußler D, Solomon CU, Figg NL, Baxter R, Imaz M, Taylor JCK, Foote K, Finigan A, Mahbubani KT, Webb TR, Ye S, Bennett MR, Krüger A, Spivakov M, Jørgensen HF. Network-based prioritization and validation of regulators of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in disease. NATURE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH 2024; 3:714-733. [PMID: 38898928 PMCID: PMC11182749 DOI: 10.1038/s44161-024-00474-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Aberrant vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) homeostasis and proliferation characterize vascular diseases causing heart attack and stroke. Here we elucidate molecular determinants governing VSMC proliferation by reconstructing gene regulatory networks from single-cell transcriptomics and epigenetic profiling. We detect widespread activation of enhancers at disease-relevant loci in proliferation-predisposed VSMCs. We compared gene regulatory network rewiring between injury-responsive and nonresponsive VSMCs, which suggested shared transcription factors but differing target loci between VSMC states. Through in silico perturbation analysis, we identified and prioritized previously unrecognized regulators of proliferation, including RUNX1 and TIMP1. Moreover, we showed that the pioneer transcription factor RUNX1 increased VSMC responsiveness and that TIMP1 feeds back to promote VSMC proliferation through CD74-mediated STAT3 signaling. Both RUNX1 and the TIMP1-CD74 axis were expressed in human VSMCs, showing low levels in normal arteries and increased expression in disease, suggesting clinical relevance and potential as vascular disease targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Lambert
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sebnem Oc
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Functional Gene Control Group, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Matthew D. Worssam
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Present Address: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Daniel Häußler
- TUM School of Medicine and Health, Institute of Experimental Oncology and Therapy Research, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Charles U. Solomon
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, and National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester, UK
| | - Nichola L. Figg
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ruby Baxter
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maria Imaz
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - James C. K. Taylor
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kirsty Foote
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alison Finigan
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Krishnaa T. Mahbubani
- Collaborative Biorepository for Translational Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tom R. Webb
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, and National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester, UK
| | - Shu Ye
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, and National Institute for Health Research Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester, UK
- Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Translational Research Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Martin R. Bennett
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Achim Krüger
- TUM School of Medicine and Health, Institute of Experimental Oncology and Therapy Research, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mikhail Spivakov
- Functional Gene Control Group, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Helle F. Jørgensen
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart and Lung Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Damerau A, Rosenow E, Alkhoury D, Buttgereit F, Gaber T. Fibrotic pathways and fibroblast-like synoviocyte phenotypes in osteoarthritis. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1385006. [PMID: 38895122 PMCID: PMC11183113 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1385006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, characterized by osteophyte formation, cartilage degradation, and structural and cellular alterations of the synovial membrane. Activated fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) of the synovial membrane have been identified as key drivers, secreting humoral mediators that maintain inflammatory processes, proteases that cause cartilage and bone destruction, and factors that drive fibrotic processes. In normal tissue repair, fibrotic processes are terminated after the damage has been repaired. In fibrosis, tissue remodeling and wound healing are exaggerated and prolonged. Various stressors, including aging, joint instability, and inflammation, lead to structural damage of the joint and micro lesions within the synovial tissue. One result is the reduced production of synovial fluid (lubricants), which reduces the lubricity of the cartilage areas, leading to cartilage damage. In the synovial tissue, a wound-healing cascade is initiated by activating macrophages, Th2 cells, and FLS. The latter can be divided into two major populations. The destructive thymocyte differentiation antigen (THY)1─ phenotype is restricted to the synovial lining layer. In contrast, the THY1+ phenotype of the sublining layer is classified as an invasive one with immune effector function driving synovitis. The exact mechanisms involved in the transition of fibroblasts into a myofibroblast-like phenotype that drives fibrosis remain unclear. The review provides an overview of the phenotypes and spatial distribution of FLS in the synovial membrane of OA, describes the mechanisms of fibroblast into myofibroblast activation, and the metabolic alterations of myofibroblast-like cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Damerau
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Rheumatism Research Center Berlin, a Leibniz Institute, Glucocorticoids - Bioenergetics - 3R Research Lab, Berlin, Germany
| | - Emely Rosenow
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dana Alkhoury
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Buttgereit
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Rheumatism Research Center Berlin, a Leibniz Institute, Glucocorticoids - Bioenergetics - 3R Research Lab, Berlin, Germany
| | - Timo Gaber
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- German Rheumatism Research Center Berlin, a Leibniz Institute, Glucocorticoids - Bioenergetics - 3R Research Lab, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Johnson RT, Solanki R, Wostear F, Ahmed S, Taylor JCK, Rees J, Abel G, McColl J, Jørgensen HF, Morris CJ, Bidula S, Warren DT. Piezo1-mediated regulation of smooth muscle cell volume in response to enhanced extracellular matrix rigidity. Br J Pharmacol 2024; 181:1576-1595. [PMID: 38044463 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Decreased aortic compliance is a precursor to numerous cardiovascular diseases. Compliance is regulated by the rigidity of the aortic wall and the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Extracellular matrix stiffening, observed during ageing, reduces compliance. In response to increased rigidity, VSMCs generate enhanced contractile forces that result in VSMC stiffening and a further reduction in compliance. Mechanisms driving VSMC response to matrix rigidity remain poorly defined. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Human aortic-VSMCs were seeded onto polyacrylamide hydrogels whose rigidity mimicked either healthy (12 kPa) or aged/diseased (72 kPa) aortae. VSMCs were treated with pharmacological agents prior to agonist stimulation to identify regulators of VSMC volume regulation. KEY RESULTS On pliable matrices, VSMCs contracted and decreased in cell area. Meanwhile, on rigid matrices VSMCs displayed a hypertrophic-like response, increasing in area and volume. Piezo1 activation stimulated increased VSMC volume by promoting calcium ion influx and subsequent activation of PKC and aquaporin-1. Pharmacological blockade of this pathway prevented the enhanced VSMC volume response on rigid matrices whilst maintaining contractility on pliable matrices. Importantly, both piezo1 and aquaporin-1 gene expression were up-regulated during VSMC phenotypic modulation in atherosclerosis and after carotid ligation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS In response to extracellular matrix rigidity, VSMC volume is increased by a piezo1/PKC/aquaporin-1 mediated pathway. Pharmacological targeting of this pathway specifically blocks the matrix rigidity enhanced VSMC volume response, leaving VSMC contractility on healthy mimicking matrices intact. Importantly, upregulation of both piezo1 and aquaporin-1 gene expression is observed in disease relevant VSMC phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Reesha Solanki
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Finn Wostear
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Sultan Ahmed
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - James C K Taylor
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, University of Cambridge, VPD Heart and Lung Research Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jasmine Rees
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Geraad Abel
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - James McColl
- Henry Wellcome Laboratory for Cell Imaging, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
| | - Helle F Jørgensen
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, University of Cambridge, VPD Heart and Lung Research Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chris J Morris
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stefan Bidula
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Derek T Warren
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Pan H, Wu T, Huang K, Guo Z, Liang H, Lyu P, Huang H, Feng X, Wang Q, Hu J, He Y, Guo Z, Yin M, Zhang Y. Reducing SULT2B1 promotes the interaction of LncRNAgga3-204 with SMAD4 to inhibit the macrophage inflammatory response and delay atherosclerosis progression. Transl Res 2024; 268:13-27. [PMID: 38286358 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2024.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Inflammation is a crucial pathophysiological mechanism in atherosclerosis (AS). This study aims to investigate the impact of sulfotransferase family 2b member 1 (SULT2B1) on the inflammatory response of macrophages and the progression of AS. Here, we reported that SULT2B1 expression increased with the progression of AS. In AS model mice, knockdown of Sult2b1 led to remission of AS and reduced inflammation levels. Further exploration of the downstream molecular mechanisms of SULT2B1 revealed that suppressing Sult2b1 in macrophages resulted in decreased levels of 25HC3S in the nucleus, elevated expression of Lxr, and increased the transcription of Lncgga3-204. In vivo, knockdown of Lncgga3-204 aggravated the inflammatory response and AS progression, while the simultaneous knockdown of both Sult2b1 and Lncgga3-204 exacerbated AS and the inflammatory response compared with knockdown of Sult2b1 alone. Increased binding of Lncgga3-204 to SMAD4 in response to oxidized-low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) stimulation facilitated SMAD4 entry into the nucleus and regulated Smad7 transcription, which elevated SMAD7 expression, suppressed NF-κB entry into the nucleus, and ultimately attenuated the macrophage inflammatory response. Finally, we identified the presence of a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs2665580, in the SULT2B1 promoter region in monocytes from coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. The predominant GG/AG/AA genotypes were observed in the Asian population. Elevated SULT2B1 expression in monocytes with GG corresponded to elevated inflammatory factor levels and more unstable coronary plaques. To summarize, our study demonstrated that the critical role of SULT2B1/Lncgga3-204/SMAD4/NF-κB in AS progression. SULT2B1 serves as a novel biomarker indicating inflammatory status, thereby offering insights into potential therapeutic strategies for AS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hangyu Pan
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Tongwei Wu
- Department of Ultrasound, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Kang Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Haikou Affiliated Hospital of Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine, Haikou 570100, PR China
| | - Zhongzhou Guo
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Hongbin Liang
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Ping Lyu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Hui Huang
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Xinyi Feng
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Qianqian Wang
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Jing Hu
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang 330006, PR China
| | - Yihua He
- Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China
| | - Zhigang Guo
- Department of Cardiology, Huiqiao Medical Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China.
| | - Mengzhuo Yin
- Department of Geriatrics, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510515, PR China.
| | - Yanan Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Selvarajan I, Kiema M, Huang RT, Li J, Zhu J, Pölönen P, Örd T, Õunap K, Godiwala M, Golebiewski AK, Ravindran A, Mäklin K, Toropainen A, Stolze LK, Arce M, Magnusson PU, White S, Romanoski CE, Heinäniemi M, Laakkonen JP, Fang Y, Kaikkonen MU. Coronary Artery Disease Risk Variant Dampens the Expression of CALCRL by Reducing HSF Binding to Shear Stress Responsive Enhancer in Endothelial Cells In Vitro. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2024; 44:1330-1345. [PMID: 38602103 PMCID: PMC11111333 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.123.318964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CALCRL (calcitonin receptor-like) protein is an important mediator of the endothelial fluid shear stress response, which is associated with the genetic risk of coronary artery disease. In this study, we functionally characterized the noncoding regulatory elements carrying coronary artery disease that risks single-nucleotide polymorphisms and studied their role in the regulation of CALCRL expression in endothelial cells. METHODS To functionally characterize the coronary artery disease single-nucleotide polymorphisms harbored around the gene CALCRL, we applied an integrative approach encompassing statistical, transcriptional (RNA-seq), and epigenetic (ATAC-seq [transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing], chromatin immunoprecipitation assay-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and electromobility shift assay) analyses, alongside luciferase reporter assays, and targeted gene and enhancer perturbations (siRNA and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated 9) in human aortic endothelial cells. RESULTS We demonstrate that the regulatory element harboring rs880890 exhibits high enhancer activity and shows significant allelic bias. The A allele was favored over the G allele, particularly under shear stress conditions, mediated through alterations in the HSF1 (heat shock factor 1) motif and binding. CRISPR deletion of rs880890 enhancer resulted in downregulation of CALCRL expression, whereas HSF1 knockdown resulted in a significant decrease in rs880890-enhancer activity and CALCRL expression. A significant decrease in HSF1 binding to the enhancer region in endothelial cells was observed under disturbed flow compared with unidirectional flow. CALCRL knockdown and variant perturbation experiments indicated the role of CALCRL in mediating eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase), APLN (apelin), angiopoietin, prostaglandins, and EDN1 (endothelin-1) signaling pathways leading to a decrease in cell proliferation, tube formation, and NO production. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results demonstrate the existence of an endothelial-specific HSF (heat shock factor)-regulated transcriptional enhancer that mediates CALCRL expression. A better understanding of CALCRL gene regulation and the role of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the modulation of CALCRL expression could provide important steps toward understanding the genetic regulation of shear stress signaling responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ilakya Selvarajan
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Miika Kiema
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Ru-Ting Huang
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jiayu Zhu
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Petri Pölönen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FIN-70211, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Tiit Örd
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kadri Õunap
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mehvash Godiwala
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Anna Kathryn Golebiewski
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The College of Medicine, The University of Arizona; Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Aarthi Ravindran
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kiira Mäklin
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Anu Toropainen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Lindsey K. Stolze
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The College of Medicine, The University of Arizona; Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Maximiliano Arce
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peetra U. Magnusson
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Stephen White
- Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Casey E. Romanoski
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The College of Medicine, The University of Arizona; Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, FIN-70211, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Johanna P. Laakkonen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Yun Fang
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Minna U Kaikkonen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Salido E, de Medeiros Vieira C, Verdezoto-Mosquera J, Zade R, Miller CL, Sardo VL. The 9p21.3 coronary artery disease risk locus drives vascular smooth muscle cells to osteochondrogenic state. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.25.595888. [PMID: 38853913 PMCID: PMC11160673 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.25.595888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies have identified common genetic variants at approximately 300 human genomic loci linked to CAD susceptibility. Among these genomic regions, the most impactful is the 9p21.3 CAD risk locus, which spans a 60 kb gene desert, encompasses about ~80 SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium, and has no defined function. We used induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from risk and non-risk donors at 9p21.3, as well as isogenic lines with a full haplotype deletion. iPSC-derived vascular smooth muscle cells (iPSC-VSMCs) were used for single-cell transcriptomics. iPSC-VSMCs resemble the heterogeneity observed in human coronary arteries, establishing the robustness of this model. Our analysis revealed that the 9p21.3 risk haplotype prompts VSMCs to acquire a novel cellular state showing osteochondrogenic features, and we identified a set of signature genes crucial for defining this transcriptional program. Our study provides new insights into the 9p21.3 risk locus and its role in driving disease-prone states in VSMCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Salido
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | | | | | - Rohan Zade
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Clint L Miller
- Department of Public Health Science; University of Virginia; Charlottesville, VA 22904 USA
| | - Valentina Lo Sardo
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison, WI 53705 USA
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Zheng J, He J, Li H. FAM19A5 in vascular aging and osteoporosis: Mechanisms and the "calcification paradox". Ageing Res Rev 2024; 99:102361. [PMID: 38821416 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 05/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Aging induces a progressive decline in the vasculature's structure and function. Vascular aging is a determinant factor for vascular ailments in the elderly. FAM19A5, a recently identified adipokine, has demonstrated involvement in multiple vascular aging-related pathologies, including atherosclerosis, cardio-cerebral vascular diseases and cognitive deficits. This review summarizes the current understanding of FAM19A5' role and explores its putative regulatory mechanisms in various aging-related disorders, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and malignancies. Importantly, we provide novel insights into the underlying therapeutic value of FAM19A5 in osteoporosis. Finally, we outline future perspectives on the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of FAM19A5 in vascular aging-related diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zheng
- Department of Geriatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jieyu He
- Department of Geriatrics, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Huahua Li
- Department of Geriatrics, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Mocci G, Sukhavasi K, Örd T, Bankier S, Singha P, Arasu UT, Agbabiaje OO, Mäkinen P, Ma L, Hodonsky CJ, Aherrahrou R, Muhl L, Liu J, Gustafsson S, Byandelger B, Wang Y, Koplev S, Lendahl U, Owens GK, Leeper NJ, Pasterkamp G, Vanlandewijck M, Michoel T, Ruusalepp A, Hao K, Ylä-Herttuala S, Väli M, Järve H, Mokry M, Civelek M, Miller CJ, Kovacic JC, Kaikkonen MU, Betsholtz C, Björkegren JL. Single-Cell Gene-Regulatory Networks of Advanced Symptomatic Atherosclerosis. Circ Res 2024; 134:1405-1423. [PMID: 38639096 PMCID: PMC11122742 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.123.323184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While our understanding of the single-cell gene expression patterns underlying the transformation of vascular cell types during the progression of atherosclerosis is rapidly improving, the clinical and pathophysiological relevance of these changes remains poorly understood. METHODS Single-cell RNA sequencing data generated with SmartSeq2 (≈8000 genes/cell) in 16 588 single cells isolated during atherosclerosis progression in Ldlr-/-Apob100/100 mice with human-like plasma lipoproteins and from humans with asymptomatic and symptomatic carotid plaques was clustered into multiple subtypes. For clinical and pathophysiological context, the advanced-stage and symptomatic subtype clusters were integrated with 135 tissue-specific (atherosclerotic aortic wall, mammary artery, liver, skeletal muscle, and visceral and subcutaneous, fat) gene-regulatory networks (GRNs) inferred from 600 coronary artery disease patients in the STARNET (Stockholm-Tartu Atherosclerosis Reverse Network Engineering Task) study. RESULTS Advanced stages of atherosclerosis progression and symptomatic carotid plaques were largely characterized by 3 smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and 3 macrophage subtype clusters with extracellular matrix organization/osteogenic (SMC), and M1-type proinflammatory/Trem2-high lipid-associated (macrophage) phenotypes. Integrative analysis of these 6 clusters with STARNET revealed significant enrichments of 3 arterial wall GRNs: GRN33 (macrophage), GRN39 (SMC), and GRN122 (macrophage) with major contributions to coronary artery disease heritability and strong associations with clinical scores of coronary atherosclerosis severity. The presence and pathophysiological relevance of GRN39 were verified in 5 independent RNAseq data sets obtained from the human coronary and aortic artery, and primary SMCs and by targeting its top-key drivers, FRZB and ALCAM in cultured human coronary artery SMCs. CONCLUSIONS By identifying and integrating the most gene-rich single-cell subclusters of atherosclerosis to date with a coronary artery disease framework of GRNs, GRN39 was identified and independently validated as being critical for the transformation of contractile SMCs into an osteogenic phenotype promoting advanced, symptomatic atherosclerosis.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Humans
- Single-Cell Analysis
- Animals
- Gene Regulatory Networks
- Atherosclerosis/genetics
- Atherosclerosis/metabolism
- Atherosclerosis/pathology
- Mice
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/pathology
- Male
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic
- Disease Progression
- Female
- Macrophages/metabolism
- Macrophages/pathology
- Mice, Knockout
- Receptors, LDL/genetics
- Receptors, LDL/metabolism
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/metabolism
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/pathology
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Mocci
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Katyayani Sukhavasi
- Department of Cardiac Surgery and The Heart Clinic, Tartu University Hospital and Department of Cardiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tartu University, Estonia (K.S., A.R., H.J.)
| | - Tiit Örd
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (T.O., P.S., U.T.A., O.O.A., P.M., S.Y.-H., M.U.K.)
| | - Sean Bankier
- Computational Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, Norway (S.B., T.M.)
| | - Prosanta Singha
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (T.O., P.S., U.T.A., O.O.A., P.M., S.Y.-H., M.U.K.)
| | - Uma Thanigai Arasu
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (T.O., P.S., U.T.A., O.O.A., P.M., S.Y.-H., M.U.K.)
| | - Olayinka Oluwasegun Agbabiaje
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (T.O., P.S., U.T.A., O.O.A., P.M., S.Y.-H., M.U.K.)
| | - Petri Mäkinen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (T.O., P.S., U.T.A., O.O.A., P.M., S.Y.-H., M.U.K.)
| | - Lijiang Ma
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (L. Ma, S.K., K.H., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Chani J. Hodonsky
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center (C.J.H., G.K.O., C.J.M.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
- Center for Public Health Genomics (C.J.H., R.A., M.C.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Redouane Aherrahrou
- Center for Public Health Genomics (C.J.H., R.A., M.C.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
- Department of Biomedical Engineering (R.A., M.C.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Lars Muhl
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Jianping Liu
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Sonja Gustafsson
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Byambajav Byandelger
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Ying Wang
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA (Y.W., N.J.L.)
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, CA (Y.W., N.J.L.)
| | - Simon Koplev
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (L. Ma, S.K., K.H., J.L.M.B.)
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Li Ka Shing Centre, United Kingdom (S.K.)
| | - Urban Lendahl
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Gary K. Owens
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center (C.J.H., G.K.O., C.J.M.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Nicholas J. Leeper
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA (Y.W., N.J.L.)
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, CA (Y.W., N.J.L.)
| | - Gerard Pasterkamp
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology (G.P., M.M.), University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory (G.P., M.M.), University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Michael Vanlandewijck
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Tom Michoel
- Computational Biology Unit, Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, Norway (S.B., T.M.)
| | - Arno Ruusalepp
- Department of Cardiac Surgery and The Heart Clinic, Tartu University Hospital and Department of Cardiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tartu University, Estonia (K.S., A.R., H.J.)
| | - Ke Hao
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (L. Ma, S.K., K.H., J.L.M.B.)
| | - Seppo Ylä-Herttuala
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (T.O., P.S., U.T.A., O.O.A., P.M., S.Y.-H., M.U.K.)
| | - Marika Väli
- Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden (M.V., C.B.)
- Department of Pathological anatomy and Forensic medicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Estonia (M.V.)
| | - Heli Järve
- Department of Cardiac Surgery and The Heart Clinic, Tartu University Hospital and Department of Cardiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tartu University, Estonia (K.S., A.R., H.J.)
| | - Michal Mokry
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (T.O., P.S., U.T.A., O.O.A., P.M., S.Y.-H., M.U.K.)
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology (G.P., M.M.), University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mete Civelek
- Center for Public Health Genomics (C.J.H., R.A., M.C.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
- Department of Biomedical Engineering (R.A., M.C.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Clint J. Miller
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center (C.J.H., G.K.O., C.J.M.), University of Virginia, Charlottesville
| | - Jason C. Kovacic
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (J.C.K.)
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, Australia (J.C.K.)
- St. Vincent’s Clinical School, University of NSW, Sydney, Australia (J.C.K.)
| | - Minna U. Kaikkonen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (T.O., P.S., U.T.A., O.O.A., P.M., S.Y.-H., M.U.K.)
| | - Christer Betsholtz
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
- Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden (M.V., C.B.)
| | - Johan L.M. Björkegren
- Department of Medicine (Huddinge), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (G.M., L. Muhl, J.L., S.G., B.B., U.L., M.V., C.B., J.L.M.B.)
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (L. Ma, S.K., K.H., J.L.M.B.)
- Clinical Gene Networks AB, Stockholm, Sweden (J.L.M.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Linna-Kuosmanen S, Schmauch E, Galani K, Ojanen J, Boix CA, Örd T, Toropainen A, Singha PK, Moreau PR, Harju K, Blazeski A, Segerstolpe Å, Lahtinen V, Hou L, Kang K, Meibalan E, Agudelo LZ, Kokki H, Halonen J, Jalkanen J, Gunn J, MacRae CA, Hollmén M, Hartikainen JEK, Kaikkonen MU, García-Cardeña G, Tavi P, Kiviniemi T, Kellis M. Transcriptomic and spatial dissection of human ex vivo right atrial tissue reveals proinflammatory microvascular changes in ischemic heart disease. Cell Rep Med 2024; 5:101556. [PMID: 38776872 PMCID: PMC11148807 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease plays a central role in the electrical and structural remodeling of the right atrium, predisposing to arrhythmias, heart failure, and sudden death. Here, we dissect with single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics the gene expression changes in the human ex vivo right atrial tissue and pericardial fluid in ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure using asymptomatic patients with valvular disease who undergo preventive surgery as the control group. We reveal substantial differences in disease-associated gene expression in all cell types, collectively suggesting inflammatory microvascular dysfunction and changes in the right atrial tissue composition as the valvular and vascular diseases progress into heart failure. The data collectively suggest that investigation of human cardiovascular disease should expand to all functionally important parts of the heart, which may help us to identify mechanisms promoting more severe types of the disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suvi Linna-Kuosmanen
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Eloi Schmauch
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kyriakitsa Galani
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Johannes Ojanen
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Carles A Boix
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Tiit Örd
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Anu Toropainen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Prosanta K Singha
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Pierre R Moreau
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kristiina Harju
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Adriana Blazeski
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Center for Excellence in Vascular Biology, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Åsa Segerstolpe
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Veikko Lahtinen
- Heart Center, Turku University Hospital, 20521 Turku, Finland; MediCity Research Laboratories and InFLAMES Flagship, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Lei Hou
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Kai Kang
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Elamaran Meibalan
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Center for Excellence in Vascular Biology, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Leandro Z Agudelo
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Hannu Kokki
- School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jari Halonen
- School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland; Heart Center, Kuopio University Hospital, 70200 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Juho Jalkanen
- MediCity Research Laboratories and InFLAMES Flagship, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Jarmo Gunn
- Heart Center, Turku University Hospital, 20521 Turku, Finland; Department of Medicine, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Calum A MacRae
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Cardiovascular Medicine and Network Medicine Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Maija Hollmén
- MediCity Research Laboratories and InFLAMES Flagship, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland
| | - Juha E K Hartikainen
- School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland; Heart Center, Kuopio University Hospital, 70200 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Minna U Kaikkonen
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Guillermo García-Cardeña
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Center for Excellence in Vascular Biology, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Pasi Tavi
- A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Tuomas Kiviniemi
- Heart Center, Turku University Hospital, 20521 Turku, Finland; Department of Medicine, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland; Cardiovascular Medicine and Network Medicine Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Manolis Kellis
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Peng Z, Kan Q, Wang K, Deng T, Wang S, Wu R, Yao C. Deciphering smooth muscle cell heterogeneity in atherosclerotic plaques and constructing model: a multi-omics approach with focus on KLF15/IGFBP4 axis. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:490. [PMID: 38760675 PMCID: PMC11102212 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10379-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ruptured atherosclerotic plaques often precipitate severe ischemic events, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Unraveling the intricate molecular mechanisms governing vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) behavior in plaque stabilization remains a formidable challenge. METHODS In this study, we leveraged single-cell and transcriptomic datasets from atherosclerotic plaques retrieved from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. Employing a combination of single-cell population differential analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), and transcriptome differential analysis techniques, we identified specific genes steering the transformation of VSMCs in atherosclerotic plaques. Diagnostic models were developed and validated through gene intersection, utilizing the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and random forest (RF) methods. Nomograms for plaque assessment were constructed. Tissue localization and expression validation were performed on specimens from animal models, utilizing immunofluorescence co-localization, western blot, and reverse-transcription quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Various online databases were harnessed to predict transcription factors (TFs) and their interacting compounds, with determination of the cell-specific localization of TF expression using single-cell data. RESULTS Following rigorous quality control procedures, we obtained a total of 40,953 cells, with 6,261 representing VSMCs. The VSMC population was subsequently clustered into 5 distinct subpopulations. Analyzing inter-subpopulation cellular communication, we focused on the SMC2 and SMC5 subpopulations. Single-cell subpopulation and WGCNA analyses revealed significant module enrichments, notably in collagen-containing extracellular matrix and cell-substrate junctions. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (IGFBP4), apolipoprotein E (APOE), and cathepsin C (CTSC) were identified as potential diagnostic markers for early and advanced plaques. Notably, gene expression pattern analysis suggested that IGFBP4 might serve as a protective gene, a hypothesis validated through tissue localization and expression analysis. Finally, we predicted TFs capable of binding to IGFBP4, with Krüppel-like family 15 (KLF15) emerging as a prominent candidate showing relative specificity within smooth muscle cells. Predictions about compounds associated with affecting KLF15 expression were also made. CONCLUSION Our study established a plaque diagnostic and assessment model and analyzed the molecular interaction mechanisms of smooth muscle cells within plaques. Further analysis revealed that the transcription factor KLF15 may regulate the biological behaviors of smooth muscle cells through the KLF15/IGFBP4 axis, thereby influencing the stability of advanced plaques via modulation of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. This could potentially serve as a target for plaque stability assessment and therapy, thus driving advancements in the management and treatment of atherosclerotic plaques.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/genetics
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/pathology
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism
- Animals
- Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/genetics
- Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 4/metabolism
- Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 4/genetics
- Humans
- Mice
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/metabolism
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/pathology
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/cytology
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Single-Cell Analysis
- Transcriptome
- Gene Regulatory Networks
- Male
- Multiomics
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhanli Peng
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Qinghui Kan
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Kangjie Wang
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Tang Deng
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Shenming Wang
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Ridong Wu
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China.
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China.
| | - Chen Yao
- Division of Vascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, No. 58 Zhongshan Er Road, Guangzhou, 510080, P.R. China.
- National-Guangdong Joint Engineering Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Vascular Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P.R. China.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Malhi NK, Luo Y, Tang X, Chadha RS, Tapia A, Liu X, Chen M, Yuan D, Qi M, Wei L, Cooke JP, Natarajan R, Southerland KW, Chen ZB. Mapping Endothelial-Macrophage Interactions in Diabetic Vasculature: Role of TREM2 in Vascular Inflammation and Ischemic Response. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.14.594235. [PMID: 38798611 PMCID: PMC11118321 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.14.594235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Vasculopathies occur 15 years earlier in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) as compared to those without, but the underlying mechanisms driving diabetic vasculopathy remain incompletely understood. Endothelial cells (ECs) and macrophages (MΦ) are critical players in vascular wall and their crosstalk is crucial in diabetic vasculopathy. In diabetes, EC activation enables monocyte recruitment, which transmigrate into the intima and differentiate into macrophages (MΦ). Beyond this established model of diapedesis, EC-MΦ interplay is highly intricate and heterogenous. To capture these highly context dependent EC-MΦ interactions, we leveraged single-cell (sc)RNA-seq in conjunction with spatial transcriptome (ST)-seq profiling to analyze human mesenteric arteries from non-diabetic (ND) and type 2 diabetic (T2D) donors. We provide in this study a transcriptomic map encompassing major arterial vascular cells, e.g., EC, mononuclear phagocyte (MP), and T cells, and their interactions associated with human T2D. Furthermore, we identified Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 ( TREM2) as a top T2D-induced gene in MP, with concomitant increase of TREM2 ligands in ECs. TREM2 induction was confirmed in mouse models of T2D and monocyte/MΦ subjected to DM-mimicking stimuli. Perturbing TREM2 with either an antibody or silencing RNA in MPs led to decreased pro-inflammatory responses in MPs and ECs and increased EC migration in vitro . In a mouse model of diabetes, TREM2 expression and its interaction with ECs are increased in the ischemic, as compared to non-ischemic muscles. Importantly, neutralization of TREM2 using a neutralizing antibody enhanced ischemic recovery and flow reperfusion in the diabetic mice, suggesting a role of TREM2 in promoting diabetic PAD. Finally, we verified that both TREM2 expression and the TREM2-EC-interaction are increased in human patients with DM-PAD. Collectively, our study presents the first atlas of human diabetic vessels with a focus on EC-MP interactions. Exemplified by TREM2, our study provides valuable insights into EC-MΦ interactions, key processes contributing to diabetic vasculopathies and the potential of targeting these interactions for therapeutic development.
Collapse
|
20
|
Rojas MG, Pereira-Simon S, Zigmond ZM, Varona Santos J, Perla M, Santos Falcon N, Stoyell-Conti FF, Salama A, Yang X, Long X, Duque JC, Salman LH, Tabbara M, Martinez L, Vazquez-Padron RI. Single-Cell Analyses Offer Insights into the Different Remodeling Programs of Arteries and Veins. Cells 2024; 13:793. [PMID: 38786017 PMCID: PMC11119253 DOI: 10.3390/cells13100793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Arteries and veins develop different types of occlusive diseases and respond differently to injury. The biological reasons for this discrepancy are not well understood, which is a limiting factor for the development of vein-targeted therapies. This study contrasts human peripheral arteries and veins at the single-cell level, with a focus on cell populations with remodeling potential. Upper arm arteries (brachial) and veins (basilic/cephalic) from 30 organ donors were compared using a combination of bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, proteomics, flow cytometry, and histology. The cellular atlases of six arteries and veins demonstrated a 7.8× higher proportion of contractile smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in arteries and a trend toward more modulated SMCs. In contrast, veins showed a higher abundance of endothelial cells, pericytes, and macrophages, as well as an increasing trend in fibroblasts. Activated fibroblasts had similar proportions in both types of vessels but with significant differences in gene expression. Modulated SMCs and activated fibroblasts were characterized by the upregulation of MYH10, FN1, COL8A1, and ITGA10. Activated fibroblasts also expressed F2R, POSTN, and COMP and were confirmed by F2R/CD90 flow cytometry. Activated fibroblasts from veins were the top producers of collagens among all fibroblast populations from both types of vessels. Venous fibroblasts were also highly angiogenic, proinflammatory, and hyper-responders to reactive oxygen species. Differences in wall structure further explain the significant contribution of fibroblast populations to remodeling in veins. Fibroblasts are almost exclusively located outside the external elastic lamina in arteries, while widely distributed throughout the venous wall. In line with the above, ECM-targeted proteomics confirmed a higher abundance of fibrillar collagens in veins vs. more basement ECM components in arteries. The distinct cellular compositions and transcriptional programs of reparative populations in arteries and veins may explain differences in acute and chronic wall remodeling between vessels. This information may be relevant for the development of antistenotic therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Miguel G. Rojas
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Simone Pereira-Simon
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | | | - Javier Varona Santos
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Mikael Perla
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Nieves Santos Falcon
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Filipe F. Stoyell-Conti
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Alghidak Salama
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Xiaofeng Yang
- Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
| | - Xiaochun Long
- Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Juan C. Duque
- Department of Medicine, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Loay H. Salman
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY 12208, USA
| | - Marwan Tabbara
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Laisel Martinez
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Roberto I. Vazquez-Padron
- Department of Surgery, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.G.R.); (S.P.-S.); (J.V.S.); (A.S.)
- Bruce W. Carter Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL 33125, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Yuan X, Jiang C, Xue Y, Guo F, Luo M, Guo L, Gao Y, Yuan T, Xu H, Chen H. KLF13 promotes VSMCs phenotypic dedifferentiation by directly binding to the SM22α promoter. J Cell Physiol 2024; 239:e31251. [PMID: 38634445 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.31251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Krüppel-like factor 13 (KLF13), a zinc finger transcription factor, is considered as a potential regulator of cardiomyocyte differentiation and proliferation during heart morphogenesis. However, its precise role in the dedifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) during atherosclerosis and neointimal formation after injury remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the relationship between KLF13 and SM22α expression in normal and atherosclerotic plaques by bioanalysis, and observed a significant increase in KLF13 levels in the atherosclerotic plaques of both human patients and ApoE-/- mice. Knockdown of KLF13 was found to ameliorate intimal hyperplasia following carotid artery injury. Furthermore, we discovered that KLF13 directly binds to the SM22α promoter, leading to the phenotypic dedifferentiation of VSMCs. Remarkably, we observed a significant inhibition of platelet-derived growth factor BB-induced VSMCs dedifferentiation, proliferation, and migration when knocked down KLF13 in VSMCs. This inhibitory effect of KLF13 knockdown on VCMC function was, at least in part, mediated by the inactivation of p-AKT signaling in VSMCs. Overall, our findings shed light on a potential therapeutic target for treating atherosclerotic lesions and restenosis after vascular injury.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Animals
- Humans
- Male
- Mice
- Atherosclerosis/genetics
- Atherosclerosis/pathology
- Atherosclerosis/metabolism
- Carotid Artery Injuries/pathology
- Carotid Artery Injuries/genetics
- Carotid Artery Injuries/metabolism
- Cell Dedifferentiation
- Cell Movement/genetics
- Cell Proliferation/genetics
- Cells, Cultured
- Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/genetics
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Muscle Proteins/genetics
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/metabolism
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/pathology
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/pathology
- Neointima/metabolism
- Neointima/pathology
- Neointima/genetics
- Phenotype
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/pathology
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/genetics
- Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism
- Repressor Proteins/genetics
- Repressor Proteins/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Cell Cycle Proteins
- Microfilament Proteins/genetics
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofan Yuan
- Department of General Practice, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Chuan Jiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuzhou Xue
- Department of Cardiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Fuqiang Guo
- Department of Neurology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Minghao Luo
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lei Guo
- Department of Neurology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yang Gao
- Department of General Practice, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Tongling Yuan
- Department of General Practice, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Hui Xu
- Department of General Practice, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Hong Chen
- Department of General Practice, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Karabayas M, Ibrahim HE, Roelofs AJ, Reynolds G, Kidder D, De Bari C. Vascular disease persistence in giant cell arteritis: are stromal cells neglected? Ann Rheum Dis 2024:ard-2023-225270. [PMID: 38684323 DOI: 10.1136/ard-2023-225270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Giant cell arteritis (GCA), the most common systemic vasculitis, is characterised by aberrant interactions between infiltrating and resident cells of the vessel wall. Ageing and breach of tolerance are prerequisites for GCA development, resulting in dendritic and T-cell dysfunction. Inflammatory cytokines polarise T-cells, activate resident macrophages and synergistically enhance vascular inflammation, providing a loop of autoreactivity. These events originate in the adventitia, commonly regarded as the biological epicentre of the vessel wall, with additional recruitment of cells that infiltrate and migrate towards the intima. Thus, GCA-vessels exhibit infiltrates across the vascular layers, with various cytokines and growth factors amplifying the pathogenic process. These events activate ineffective repair mechanisms, where dysfunctional vascular smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts phenotypically shift along their lineage and colonise the intima. While high-dose glucocorticoids broadly suppress these inflammatory events, they cause well known deleterious effects. Despite the emerging targeted therapeutics, disease relapse remains common, affecting >50% of patients. This may reflect a discrepancy between systemic and local mediators of inflammation. Indeed, temporal arteries and aortas of GCA-patients can show immune-mediated abnormalities, despite the treatment induced clinical remission. The mechanisms of persistence of vascular disease in GCA remain elusive. Studies in other chronic inflammatory diseases point to the fibroblasts (and their lineage cells including myofibroblasts) as possible orchestrators or even effectors of disease chronicity through interactions with immune cells. Here, we critically review the contribution of immune and stromal cells to GCA pathogenesis and analyse the molecular mechanisms by which these would underpin the persistence of vascular disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maira Karabayas
- Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Hafeez E Ibrahim
- Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Anke J Roelofs
- Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Gary Reynolds
- Centre for Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dana Kidder
- Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Cosimo De Bari
- Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Su Q, Huang W, Huang Y, Dai R, Chang C, Li QY, Liu H, Li Z, Zhao Y, Wu Q, Pan DG. Single-cell insights: pioneering an integrated atlas of chromatin accessibility and transcriptomic landscapes in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2024; 23:139. [PMID: 38664790 PMCID: PMC11046823 DOI: 10.1186/s12933-024-02233-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) poses a growing health threat, elevating heart failure risk in diabetic individuals. Understanding DCM is crucial, with fibroblasts and endothelial cells playing pivotal roles in driving myocardial fibrosis and contributing to cardiac dysfunction. Advances in Multimodal single-cell profiling, such as scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq, provide deeper insights into DCM's unique cell states and molecular landscape for targeted therapeutic interventions. METHODS Single-cell RNA and ATAC data from 10x Multiome libraries were processed using Cell Ranger ARC v2.0.1. Gene expression and ATAC data underwent Seurat and Signac filtration. Differential gene expression and accessible chromatin regions were identified. Transcription factor activity was estimated with chromVAR, and Cis-coaccessibility networks were calculated using Cicero. Coaccessibility connections were compared to the GeneHancer database. Gene Ontology analysis, biological process scoring, cell-cell communication analysis, and gene-motif correlation was performed to reveal intricate molecular changes. Immunofluorescent staining utilized various antibodies on paraffin-embedded tissues to verify the findings. RESULTS This study integrated scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq data obtained from hearts of WT and DCM mice, elucidating molecular changes at the single-cell level throughout the diabetic cardiomyopathy progression. Robust and accurate clustering analysis of the integrated data revealed altered cell proportions, showcasing decreased endothelial cells and macrophages, coupled with increased fibroblasts and myocardial cells in the DCM group, indicating enhanced fibrosis and endothelial damage. Chromatin accessibility analysis unveiled unique patterns in cell types, with heightened transcriptional activity in myocardial cells. Subpopulation analysis highlighted distinct changes in cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts, emphasizing pathways related to fatty acid metabolism and cardiac contraction. Fibroblast-centered communication analysis identified interactions with endothelial cells, implicating VEGF receptors. Endothelial cell subpopulations exhibited altered gene expressions, emphasizing contraction and growth-related pathways. Candidate regulators, including Tcf21, Arnt, Stat5a, and Stat5b, were identified, suggesting their pivotal roles in DCM development. Immunofluorescence staining validated marker genes of cell subpopulations, confirming PDK4, PPARγ and Tpm1 as markers for metabolic pattern-altered cardiomyocytes, activated fibroblasts and endothelial cells with compromised proliferation. CONCLUSION Our integrated scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq analysis unveils intricate cell states and molecular alterations in diabetic cardiomyopathy. Identified cell type-specific changes, transcription factors, and marker genes offer valuable insights. The study sheds light on potential therapeutic targets for DCM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Su
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Guilin, Guilin, China
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Wanzhong Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Yuan Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Rixin Dai
- Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
| | - Chen Chang
- Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
| | - Qiu-Yan Li
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Guilin, Guilin, China
| | - Hao Liu
- Institute of Bioengineering, Biotrans Technology Co., LTD, Shanghai, China
- United New Drug Research and Development Center, Biotrans Technology Co., LTD, Changsha, China
| | - Zhenhao Li
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- BoYu Intelligent Health Innovation Laboratory, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuxiang Zhao
- Institute of Bioengineering, Biotrans Technology Co., LTD, Shanghai, China.
- United New Drug Research and Development Center, Biotrans Technology Co., LTD, Changsha, China.
| | - Qiang Wu
- Senior Department of Cardiology, the Sixth Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| | - Di-Guang Pan
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Guilin, Guilin, China.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Gallucci G, Turazza FM, Inno A, Canale ML, Silvestris N, Farì R, Navazio A, Pinto C, Tarantini L. Atherosclerosis and the Bidirectional Relationship between Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease: From Bench to Bedside-Part 1. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4232. [PMID: 38673815 PMCID: PMC11049833 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Atherosclerosis, a complex metabolic-immune disease characterized by chronic inflammation driven by the buildup of lipid-rich plaques within arterial walls, has emerged as a pivotal factor in the intricate interplay between cancer and cardiovascular disease. This bidirectional relationship, marked by shared risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms, underscores the need for a comprehensive understanding of how these two formidable health challenges intersect and influence each other. Cancer and its treatments can contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis, while atherosclerosis, with its inflammatory microenvironment, can exert profound effects on cancer development and outcomes. Both cancer and cardiovascular disease involve intricate interactions between general and personal exposomes. In this review, we aim to summarize the state of the art of translational data and try to show how oncologic studies on cardiotoxicity can broaden our knowledge of crucial pathways in cardiovascular biology and exert a positive impact on precision cardiology and cardio-oncology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabio Maria Turazza
- Struttura Complessa di Cardiologia, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, 20133 Milano, Italy;
| | - Alessandro Inno
- Oncologia Medica, IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria, 37024 Negrar di Valpolicella, Italy;
| | - Maria Laura Canale
- Division of Cardiology, Azienda USL Toscana Nord-Ovest, Versilia Hospital, 55041 Lido di Camaiore, Italy;
| | - Nicola Silvestris
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Human Pathology “G.Barresi”, University of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy;
| | - Roberto Farì
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41100 Modena, Italy
| | - Alessandro Navazio
- Cardiologia Ospedaliera, Department of Specialized Medicine, AUSL—IRCCS in Tecnologie Avanzate e Modelli Assistenziali in Oncologia, 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy;
| | - Carmine Pinto
- Provincial Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology and Advanced Technologies, AUSL—IRCCS in Tecnologie Avanzate e Modelli Assistenziali in Oncologia, 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy;
| | - Luigi Tarantini
- Cardiologia Ospedaliera, Department of Specialized Medicine, AUSL—IRCCS in Tecnologie Avanzate e Modelli Assistenziali in Oncologia, 42100 Reggio Emilia, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Mahajan A, Hong J, Krukovets I, Shin J, Tkachenko S, Espinosa-Diez C, Owens GK, Cherepanova OA. Integrative analysis of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions in smooth muscle cell phenotypic transitions. Front Genet 2024; 15:1356558. [PMID: 38660676 PMCID: PMC11039880 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1356558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives: We previously found that the pluripotency factor OCT4 is reactivated in smooth muscle cells (SMC) in human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques and plays an atheroprotective role. Loss of OCT4 in SMC in vitro was associated with decreases in SMC migration. However, molecular mechanisms responsible for atheroprotective SMC-OCT4-dependent effects remain unknown. Methods: Since studies in embryonic stem cells demonstrated that OCT4 regulates long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), making them candidates for OCT4 effect mediators, we applied an in vitro approach to investigate the interactions between OCT4-regulated lncRNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs in SMC. We used OCT4 deficient mouse aortic SMC (MASMC) treated with the pro-atherogenic oxidized phospholipid POVPC, which, as we previously demonstrated, suppresses SMC contractile markers and induces SMC migration. Differential expression of lncRNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs was obtained by lncRNA/mRNA expression array and small-RNA microarray. Long non-coding RNA to mRNA associations were predicted based on their genomic proximity and association with vascular diseases. Given a recently discovered crosstalk between miRNA and lncRNA, we also investigated the association of miRNAs with upregulated/downregulated lncRNA-mRNA pairs. Results: POVPC treatment in SMC resulted in upregulating genes related to the axon guidance and focal adhesion pathways. Knockdown of Oct4 resulted in differential regulation of pathways associated with phagocytosis. Importantly, these results were consistent with our data showing that OCT4 deficiency attenuated POVPC-induced SMC migration and led to increased phagocytosis. Next, we identified several up- or downregulated lncRNA associated with upregulation of the specific mRNA unique for the OCT4 deficient SMC, including upregulation of ENSMUST00000140952-Hoxb5/6 and ENSMUST00000155531-Zfp652 along with downregulation of ENSMUST00000173605-Parp9 and, ENSMUST00000137236-Zmym1. Finally, we found that many of the downregulated miRNAs were associated with cell migration, including miR-196a-1 and miR-10a, targets of upregulated ENSMUST00000140952, and miR-155 and miR-122, targets of upregulated ENSMUST00000155531. Oppositely, the upregulated miRNAs were anti-migratory and pro-phagocytic, such as miR-10a/b and miR-15a/b, targets of downregulated ENSMUST00000173605, and miR-146a/b and miR-15b targets of ENSMUST00000137236. Conclusion: Our integrative analyses of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions in SMC indicated novel potential OCT4-dependent mechanisms that may play a role in SMC phenotypic transitions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aatish Mahajan
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Junyoung Hong
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Irene Krukovets
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Junchul Shin
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Svyatoslav Tkachenko
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Cristina Espinosa-Diez
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Gary K. Owens
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Olga A. Cherepanova
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Younesi FS, Miller AE, Barker TH, Rossi FMV, Hinz B. Fibroblast and myofibroblast activation in normal tissue repair and fibrosis. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2024:10.1038/s41580-024-00716-0. [PMID: 38589640 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-024-00716-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
The term 'fibroblast' often serves as a catch-all for a diverse array of mesenchymal cells, including perivascular cells, stromal progenitor cells and bona fide fibroblasts. Although phenotypically similar, these subpopulations are functionally distinct, maintaining tissue integrity and serving as local progenitor reservoirs. In response to tissue injury, these cells undergo a dynamic fibroblast-myofibroblast transition, marked by extracellular matrix secretion and contraction of actomyosin-based stress fibres. Importantly, whereas transient activation into myofibroblasts aids in tissue repair, persistent activation triggers pathological fibrosis. In this Review, we discuss the roles of mechanical cues, such as tissue stiffness and strain, alongside cell signalling pathways and extracellular matrix ligands in modulating myofibroblast activation and survival. We also highlight the role of epigenetic modifications and myofibroblast memory in physiological and pathological processes. Finally, we discuss potential strategies for therapeutically interfering with these factors and the associated signal transduction pathways to improve the outcome of dysregulated healing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fereshteh Sadat Younesi
- Keenan Research Institute for Biomedical Science of the St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrew E Miller
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Thomas H Barker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Fabio M V Rossi
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Boris Hinz
- Keenan Research Institute for Biomedical Science of the St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Adelus ML, Ding J, Tran BT, Conklin AC, Golebiewski AK, Stolze LK, Whalen MB, Cusanovich DA, Romanoski CE. Single-cell 'omic profiles of human aortic endothelial cells in vitro and human atherosclerotic lesions ex vivo reveal heterogeneity of endothelial subtype and response to activating perturbations. eLife 2024; 12:RP91729. [PMID: 38578680 PMCID: PMC10997331 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneity in endothelial cell (EC) sub-phenotypes is becoming increasingly appreciated in atherosclerosis progression. Still, studies quantifying EC heterogeneity across whole transcriptomes and epigenomes in both in vitro and in vivo models are lacking. Multiomic profiling concurrently measuring transcriptomes and accessible chromatin in the same single cells was performed on six distinct primary cultures of human aortic ECs (HAECs) exposed to activating environments characteristic of the atherosclerotic microenvironment in vitro. Meta-analysis of single-cell transcriptomes across 17 human ex vivo arterial specimens was performed and two computational approaches quantitatively evaluated the similarity in molecular profiles between heterogeneous in vitro and ex vivo cell profiles. HAEC cultures were reproducibly populated by four major clusters with distinct pathway enrichment profiles and modest heterogeneous responses: EC1-angiogenic, EC2-proliferative, EC3-activated/mesenchymal-like, and EC4-mesenchymal. Quantitative comparisons between in vitro and ex vivo transcriptomes confirmed EC1 and EC2 as most canonically EC-like, and EC4 as most mesenchymal with minimal effects elicited by siERG and IL1B. Lastly, accessible chromatin regions unique to EC2 and EC4 were most enriched for coronary artery disease (CAD)-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms from Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS), suggesting that these cell phenotypes harbor CAD-modulating mechanisms. Primary EC cultures contain markedly heterogeneous cell subtypes defined by their molecular profiles. Surprisingly, the perturbations used here only modestly shifted cells between subpopulations, suggesting relatively stable molecular phenotypes in culture. Identifying consistently heterogeneous EC subpopulations between in vitro and ex vivo models should pave the way for improving in vitro systems while enabling the mechanisms governing heterogeneous cell state decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria L Adelus
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
- The Clinical Translational Sciences Graduate Program, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| | - Jiacheng Ding
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| | - Binh T Tran
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| | - Austin C Conklin
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| | - Anna K Golebiewski
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| | - Lindsey K Stolze
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| | - Michael B Whalen
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| | - Darren A Cusanovich
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| | - Casey E Romanoski
- The Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
- The Clinical Translational Sciences Graduate Program, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, The University of ArizonaTucsonUnited States
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Pertiwi KR, Teunissen MBM, Krebbers G, Willems MC, Huisman L, Poelen C, van der Wal AC, de Boer OJ. Enrichment of type 1 innate lymphoid cells in the course of human atherosclerotic plaque development suggests contribution to atherogenesis. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1354617. [PMID: 38638438 PMCID: PMC11024276 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1354617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have been implicated in multiple pathologic conditions, including atherogenesis, as documented in experimental mice studies, however, their role in atherosclerosis in humans remains unexplored. Methods Here, we identify ILCs and their dynamics in early, advanced, and complicated human carotid- and aortic atherosclerotic plaques, using a multiplex immunohistochemical quadruple-staining technique with prototypic transcription factors T-bet, GATA3, or RORgt for identification of the ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3 subsets, respectively, in combination with lineage markers CD3, CD20/ CD79a and CD56 to exclude other lymphoid cell types. ILC subsets were quantified, and to put this in perspective, their numbers were expressed as percentage of the total number of infiltrated lymphoid cells and related to the frequency of conventional T cells, B cells, NK cells, and NKT cells. Results All ILC subsets were present in every different stage of atherogenesis. ILC1s were the most abundant ILC subset, and their numbers significantly increased in the course of plaque development, but paradoxically, their relative frequency was reduced because of a higher increment of T cells and B cells. The numbers of ILC2s and ILC3s also gradually increased, but this trend did not achieve significance. T cell subsets always significantly outnumbered their ILC counterparts, except for the early lesions where the proportion of ILC1s was markedly higher, albeit not significant. Discussion The high abundance of ILC1s in the early stages and further significant enrichment in later stages, suggest they may participate in the initiation and development of atherogenesis, and thus, may represent a novel target to prevent or treat atherosclerosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kartika R. Pertiwi
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Faculty of Medicine and Department of Biology Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Marcel B. M. Teunissen
- Department of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gabrielle Krebbers
- Department of Dermatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Martine C.M. Willems
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Flevoziekenhuis, Almere, Netherlands
| | - Laurens Huisman
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Flevoziekenhuis, Almere, Netherlands
| | - Cindy Poelen
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Allard C. van der Wal
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Onno J. de Boer
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, location Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Bashore AC, Yan H, Xue C, Zhu LY, Kim E, Mawson T, Coronel J, Chung A, Sachs N, Ho S, Ross LS, Kissner M, Passegué E, Bauer RC, Maegdefessel L, Li M, Reilly MP. High-Dimensional Single-Cell Multimodal Landscape of Human Carotid Atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2024; 44:930-945. [PMID: 38385291 PMCID: PMC10978277 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.123.320524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atherosclerotic plaques are complex tissues composed of a heterogeneous mixture of cells. However, our understanding of the comprehensive transcriptional and phenotypic landscape of the cells within these lesions is limited. METHODS To characterize the landscape of human carotid atherosclerosis in greater detail, we combined cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing to classify all cell types within lesions (n=21; 13 symptomatic) to achieve a comprehensive multimodal understanding of the cellular identities of atherosclerosis and their association with clinical pathophysiology. RESULTS We identified 25 cell populations, each with a unique multiomic signature, including macrophages, T cells, NK (natural killer) cells, mast cells, B cells, plasma cells, neutrophils, dendritic cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Among the macrophages, we identified 2 proinflammatory subsets enriched in IL-1B (interleukin-1B) or C1Q expression, 2 TREM2-positive foam cells (1 expressing inflammatory genes), and subpopulations with a proliferative gene signature and SMC-specific gene signature with fibrotic pathways upregulated. Further characterization revealed various subsets of SMCs and fibroblasts, including SMC-derived foam cells. These foamy SMCs were localized in the deep intima of coronary atherosclerotic lesions. Utilizing cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing data, we developed a flow cytometry panel, using cell surface proteins CD29, CD142, and CD90, to isolate SMC-derived cells from lesions. Lastly, we observed reduced proportions of efferocytotic macrophages, classically activated endothelial cells, and contractile and modulated SMC-derived cells, while inflammatory SMCs were enriched in plaques of clinically symptomatic versus asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS Our multimodal atlas of cell populations within atherosclerosis provides novel insights into the diversity, phenotype, location, isolation, and clinical relevance of the unique cellular composition of human carotid atherosclerosis. These findings facilitate both the mapping of cardiovascular disease susceptibility loci to specific cell types and the identification of novel molecular and cellular therapeutic targets for the treatment of the disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander C Bashore
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Hanying Yan
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia (H.Y., M.L.)
| | - Chenyi Xue
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Lucie Y Zhu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Eunyoung Kim
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Thomas Mawson
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Johana Coronel
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Allen Chung
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Nadja Sachs
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Technical University Munich, Germany (N.S., L.M.)
| | - Sebastian Ho
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Leila S Ross
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Michael Kissner
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Department of Genetics and Development (M.K., E.P.), Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Emmanuelle Passegué
- Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Department of Genetics and Development (M.K., E.P.), Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Robert C Bauer
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
| | - Lars Maegdefessel
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Technical University Munich, Germany (N.S., L.M.)
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance (L.M.)
- Department of Medicine, Karolinksa Institute, Stockholm, Sweden (L.M.)
| | - Mingyao Li
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia (H.Y., M.L.)
| | - Muredach P Reilly
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY (A.C.B., C.X., L.Y.Z., E.K., T.M., J.C., A.C., S.H., L.S.R., R.C.B., M.P.R.)
- Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (M.P.R.), Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Stroope C, Nettersheim FS, Coon B, Finney AC, Schwartz MA, Ley K, Rom O, Yurdagul A. Dysregulated cellular metabolism in atherosclerosis: mediators and therapeutic opportunities. Nat Metab 2024; 6:617-638. [PMID: 38532071 PMCID: PMC11055680 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-024-01015-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence over the past decades has revealed an intricate relationship between dysregulation of cellular metabolism and the progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, an integrated understanding of dysregulated cellular metabolism in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and its potential value as a therapeutic target is missing. In this Review, we (1) summarize recent advances concerning the role of metabolic dysregulation during atherosclerosis progression in lesional cells, including endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, macrophages and T cells; (2) explore the complexity of metabolic cross-talk between these lesional cells; (3) highlight emerging technologies that promise to illuminate unknown aspects of metabolism in atherosclerosis; and (4) suggest strategies for targeting these underexplored metabolic alterations to mitigate atherosclerosis progression and stabilize rupture-prone atheromas with a potential new generation of cardiovascular therapeutics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chad Stroope
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA
| | - Felix Sebastian Nettersheim
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Brian Coon
- Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Cardiovascular Biology Research Program, OMRF, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Alexandra C Finney
- Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA
| | - Martin A Schwartz
- Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Departments of Cell Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Klaus Ley
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- Immunology Center of Georgia (IMMCG), Augusta University Immunology Center of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Oren Rom
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA
| | - Arif Yurdagul
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Ahmed IA, Liu M, Gomez D. Nuclear Control of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Plasticity during Vascular Remodeling. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2024; 194:525-538. [PMID: 37820925 PMCID: PMC10988766 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2023.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Control of vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) gene expression is an essential process for establishing and maintaining lineage identity, contractility, and plasticity. Most mechanisms (epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional) implicated in gene regulation occur in the nucleus. Still, intranuclear pathways are directly impacted by modifications in the extracellular environment in conditions of adaptive or maladaptive remodeling. Integration of extracellular, cellular, and genomic information into the nucleus through epigenetic and transcriptional control of genome organization plays a major role in regulating SMC functions and phenotypic transitions during vascular remodeling and diseases. This review aims to provide a comprehensive update on nuclear mechanisms, their interactions, and their integration in controlling SMC homeostasis and dysfunction. It summarizes and discusses the main nuclear mechanisms preponderant in SMCs in the context of vascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, with an emphasis on studies employing in vivo cell-specific loss-of-function and single-cell omics approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim A Ahmed
- Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Mingjun Liu
- Department of Pathology, New York University, New York, New York
| | - Delphine Gomez
- Pittsburgh Heart, Lung, and Blood Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Wu X, Zhang H. Omics Approaches Unveiling the Biology of Human Atherosclerotic Plaques. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2024; 194:482-498. [PMID: 38280419 PMCID: PMC10988765 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2023.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall, characterized by the buildup of plaques with the accumulation and transformation of lipids, immune cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and necrotic cell debris. Plaques with collagen-poor thin fibrous caps infiltrated by macrophages and lymphocytes are considered unstable because they are at the greatest risk of rupture and clinical events. However, the current histologic definition of plaque types may not fully capture the complex molecular nature of atherosclerotic plaque biology and the underlying mechanisms contributing to plaque progression, rupture, and erosion. The advances in omics technologies have changed the understanding of atherosclerosis plaque biology, offering new possibilities to improve risk prediction and discover novel therapeutic targets. Genomic studies have shed light on the genetic predisposition to atherosclerosis, and integrative genomic analyses expedite the translation of genomic discoveries. Transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic studies have refined the understanding of the molecular signature of atherosclerotic plaques, aiding in data-driven hypothesis generation for mechanistic studies and offering new prospects for biomarker discovery. Furthermore, advancements in single-cell technologies and emerging spatial analysis techniques have unveiled the heterogeneity and plasticity of plaque cells. This review discusses key omics-based discoveries that have advanced the understanding of human atherosclerotic plaque biology, focusing on insights derived from omics profiling of human atherosclerotic vascular specimens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xun Wu
- Cardiometabolic Genomics Program, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Hanrui Zhang
- Cardiometabolic Genomics Program, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Lei J, Pu H, Zhang L, Zeng C, Peng Z, Wu Z, Jiang Y, Wang R, Lu X. Drug-coated balloon therapy for in-stent restenosis in patients with iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis: A single-arm observational study. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2024; 103:752-757. [PMID: 38385905 DOI: 10.1002/ccd.30975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (IFDVT) causes severe symptoms and affect the quality of life to a great extent. Endovascular thrombectomy and stent implantation have been a feasible strategie to alleviate the signs and symptoms of IFDVT. However, venous in-stent restenosis (ISR) has become an emerging non-negligible problem. METHODS To evaluate the histological characteristics of venous ISR, neointima of arterial and venous ISR patients were collected and examed. To explore the effect of drug-coated balloon (DCB) on venous ISR lesions, we conducted a single-center retrospective case series study involving IFDVT patients with ISR after venous stenting who were treated with paclitaxel-coated balloon dilatation. RESULTS We found a collagen-rich matrix but not elastin, as well as fewer cells and less neovascularization in venous intimal hyperplasia compared with neointima in arteries. Thirteen IFDVT patients were involved in the study, with average preoperative stenosis degree of 87.69% ± 13.48%. After intervention, the stenosis degree was significantly reduced to 14.6% ± 14.36% immediately (p < 0.0001) and to 16.54% ± 15.73% during follow-up (p < 0.0001). During follow-up, the VEINES-QOL scores (p < 0.0001), VEINES-Sym scores (p < 0.0001), and Villalta scores (p = 0.04) of patients was improved significantly compared with those before intervention. No major adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS The use of DCB may have a positive effect in the treatment of venous ISR by targeting intimal hyperplasia. Moreover, the application of DCB dilatation in IFDVT stenting patients with ISR is deemed safe and effective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiahao Lei
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongji Pu
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Linjie Zhang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chenlin Zeng
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaoxi Peng
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaoyu Wu
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Yihong Jiang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ruihua Wang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinwu Lu
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Slabowska AO, Pyke C, Hvid H, Jessen LE, Baumgart S, Das V. A systematic evaluation of state-of-the-art deconvolution methods in spatial transcriptomics: insights from cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. FRONTIERS IN BIOINFORMATICS 2024; 4:1352594. [PMID: 38601476 PMCID: PMC11004278 DOI: 10.3389/fbinf.2024.1352594] [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: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
A major challenge in sequencing-based spatial transcriptomics (ST) is resolution limitations. Tissue sections are divided into hundreds of thousands of spots, where each spot invariably contains a mixture of cell types. Methods have been developed to deconvolute the mixed transcriptional signal into its constituents. Although ST is becoming essential for drug discovery, especially in cardiometabolic diseases, to date, no deconvolution benchmark has been performed on these types of tissues and diseases. However, the three methods, Cell2location, RCTD, and spatialDWLS, have previously been shown to perform well in brain tissue and simulated data. Here, we compare these methods to assess the best performance when using human data from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) from patients in different pathological states, evaluated using expert annotation. In this study, we found that all three methods performed comparably well in deconvoluting verifiable cell types, including smooth muscle cells and macrophages in vascular samples and podocytes in kidney samples. RCTD shows the best performance accuracy scores in CVD samples, while Cell2location, on average, achieved the highest performance across all test experiments. Although all three methods had similar accuracies, Cell2location needed less reference data to converge at the expense of higher computational intensity. Finally, we also report that RCTD has the fastest computational time and the simplest workflow, requiring fewer computational dependencies. In conclusion, we find that each method has particular advantages, and the optimal choice depends on the use case.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alban Obel Slabowska
- Digital Science and Innovation, Computational Biology—AI and Digital Research, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
- Department of Health Technology, Section for Bioinformatics, Technical University of Denmark, DTU, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Charles Pyke
- Pathology and Imaging, Global Drug Development, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Henning Hvid
- Pathology and Imaging, Global Drug Development, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Leon Eyrich Jessen
- Department of Health Technology, Section for Bioinformatics, Technical University of Denmark, DTU, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Simon Baumgart
- Digital Science and Innovation, Computational Biology—AI and Digital Research, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
| | - Vivek Das
- Digital Science and Innovation, Computational Biology—AI and Digital Research, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Guo X, Ning J, Chen Y, Liu G, Zhao L, Fan Y, Sun S. Recent advances in differential expression analysis for single-cell RNA-seq and spatially resolved transcriptomic studies. Brief Funct Genomics 2024; 23:95-109. [PMID: 37022699 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elad011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Differential expression (DE) analysis is a necessary step in the analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) data. Unlike traditional bulk RNA-seq, DE analysis for scRNA-seq or SRT data has unique characteristics that may contribute to the difficulty of detecting DE genes. However, the plethora of DE tools that work with various assumptions makes it difficult to choose an appropriate one. Furthermore, a comprehensive review on detecting DE genes for scRNA-seq data or SRT data from multi-condition, multi-sample experimental designs is lacking. To bridge such a gap, here, we first focus on the challenges of DE detection, then highlight potential opportunities that facilitate further progress in scRNA-seq or SRT analysis, and finally provide insights and guidance in selecting appropriate DE tools or developing new computational DE methods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiya Guo
- School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases, Center for Single Cell Omics and Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Jin Ning
- School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases, Center for Single Cell Omics and Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Yuanze Chen
- School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases, Center for Single Cell Omics and Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Guoliang Liu
- School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases, Center for Single Cell Omics and Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Liyan Zhao
- School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases, Center for Single Cell Omics and Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Yue Fan
- School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases, Center for Single Cell Omics and Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Shiquan Sun
- School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases, Center for Single Cell Omics and Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Luo Y, He F, Zhang Y, Li S, Lu R, Wei X, Huang J. Transcription Factor 21: A Transcription Factor That Plays an Important Role in Cardiovascular Disease. Pharmacology 2024; 109:183-193. [PMID: 38493769 DOI: 10.1159/000536585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND According to the World Health Organisation's Health Report 2019, approximately 17.18 million people die from cardiovascular disease each year, accounting for more than 30% of all global deaths. Therefore, the occurrence of cardiovascular disease is still a global concern. The transcription factor 21 (TCF21) plays an important role in cardiovascular diseases. This article reviews the regulation mechanism of TCF21 expression and activity and focuses on its important role in atherosclerosis in order to contribute to the development of diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. SUMMARY TCF21 is involved in the phenotypic regulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), promotes the proliferation and migration of VSMCs, and participates in the activation of inflammatory sequences. Increased proliferation and migration of VSMCs can lead to neointimal hyperplasia after vascular injury. Abnormal hyperplasia of neointima and inflammation are one of the main features of atherosclerosis. Therefore, targeting TCF21 may become a potential treatment for relieving atherosclerosis. KEY MESSAGES TCF21 as a member of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors regulates cell growth and differentiation by modulating gene expression during the development of different organs and plays an important role in cardiovascular development and disease. VSMCs and cells derived from VSMCs constitute the majority of plaques in atherosclerosis. TCF21 plays a key role in regulation of VSMCs' phenotype, thus accelerating atherogenesis in the early stage. However, TCF21 enhances plaque stability in late-stage atherosclerosis. The dual role of TCF21 should be considered in the translational medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yaqian Luo
- Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Key Lab for Arteriosclerology of Hunan Province, International Joint Laboratory for Arteriosclerotic Disease Research of Hunan Province, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China,
| | - Fangzhou He
- Department of Anaesthesia, Chuanshan College, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Yifang Zhang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Key Lab for Arteriosclerology of Hunan Province, International Joint Laboratory for Arteriosclerotic Disease Research of Hunan Province, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Shufan Li
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Ruirui Lu
- Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Xing Wei
- Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Key Lab for Arteriosclerology of Hunan Province, International Joint Laboratory for Arteriosclerotic Disease Research of Hunan Province, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Ji Huang
- Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Key Lab for Arteriosclerology of Hunan Province, International Joint Laboratory for Arteriosclerotic Disease Research of Hunan Province, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Ji T, Yan D, Huang Y, Luo M, Zhang Y, Xu T, Gao S, Zhang L, Ruan L, Zhang C. Fibulin 1, targeted by microRNA-24-3p, promotes cell proliferation and migration in vascular smooth muscle cells, contributing to the development of atherosclerosis in APOE -/- mice. Gene 2024; 898:148129. [PMID: 38184021 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Extracellular matrix (ECM) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are the main components of atherosclerosis (AS) plaque. VSMCs participate in plaque formation through phenotypic transformation. The complex interplay between ECM and VSMCs plays vital roles in the progression of AS throughout the disease. An in-depth investigation into the functions of ECM-related molecules in VSMC development might contribute to deciphering the complexity of AS pathogenesis. In this study, the roles and molecular mechanisms of the ECM-related molecule Fibulin-1 (FBLN1) in the development of AS and VSMCs were explored using RNA sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, and cell experiments. Furthermore, the expression of FBLN1, as determined by western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, and real-time quantitative PCR, was significantly increased in AS vascular samples compared to normal vascular samples. Silencing the FBLN1 through AAV viral injection in mice revealed an improvement in AS. Functional analyses revealed that FBLN1 promoted VSMC proliferation, migration, and wound healing. Combined with RNA sequencing and TargetScan7.2 prediction data, 22 microRNAs (miRNAs) were found to have the potential for direct interaction with the FBLN1 3'UTR in VSMCs. Among these 22 miRNAs, it was demonstrated that microRNA-24-3p (miR-24-3p) could negatively regulate FBLN1 expression by directly binding to the FBLN1 3'UTR. Moreover, miR-24-3p inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and wound healing, and suppressed the expression of Ki67, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP2/9) by targeting FBLN1 in VSMCs. Meanwhile, inhibition of FBLN1 expression could restrain VSMC phenotypic transformation. In conclusion, miR-24-3p inhibited VSMC proliferation and migration by targeting FBLN1. Additionally, multiple miRNAs with the potential to interact with the FBLN1 3'UTR were identified. These findings might deepen our understanding of ECM gene regulatory networks and the complex etiology of AS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tianyi Ji
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Dan Yan
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Yi Huang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Mandi Luo
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Yucong Zhang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Ting Xu
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Shangbang Gao
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China; Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Le Zhang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Lei Ruan
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
| | - Cuntai Zhang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Ma S, Xie X, Yuan R, Xin Q, Miao Y, Leng SX, Chen K, Cong W. Vascular Aging and Atherosclerosis: A Perspective on Aging. Aging Dis 2024:AD.2024.0201-1. [PMID: 38502584 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2024.0201-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Vascular aging (VA) is recognized as a pivotal factor in the development and progression of atherosclerosis (AS). Although various epidemiological and clinical research has demonstrated an intimate connection between aging and AS, the candidate mechanisms still require thorough examination. This review adopts an aging-centric perspective to deepen the comprehension of the intricate relationship between biological aging, vascular cell senescence, and AS. Various aging-related physiological factors influence the physical system's reactions, including oxygen radicals, inflammation, lipids, angiotensin II, mechanical forces, glucose levels, and insulin resistance. These factors cause endothelial dysfunction, barrier damage, sclerosis, and inflammation for VA and promote AS via distinct or shared pathways. Furthermore, the increase of senescent cells inside the vascular tissues, caused by genetic damage, dysregulation, secretome changes, and epigenetic modifications, might be the primary cause of VA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shudong Ma
- Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuena Xie
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Pharmacy, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
| | - Rong Yuan
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Cardiology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiqi Xin
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Cardiology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Miao
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Cardiology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Sean Xiao Leng
- Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Keji Chen
- Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Cardiology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weihong Cong
- Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Cardiology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
- School of Pharmacy, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Wesseling M, Diez-Benavente E, Mokry M, den Ruijter HM, Pasterkamp G. A critical appreciation of pathway analysis in atherosclerotic disease. Cellular phenotypic plasticity as an illustrative example. Vascul Pharmacol 2024; 154:107286. [PMID: 38408531 DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2024.107286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
The rapid advancements in genome-scale (omics) techniques has created significant opportunities to investigate complex disease mechanisms in tissues and cells. Nevertheless, interpreting -omics data can be challenging, and pathway enrichment analysis is a frequently used method to identify candidate molecular pathways that drive gene expression changes. With a growing number of -omics studies dedicated to atherosclerosis, there has been a significant increase in studies and hypotheses relying on enrichment analysis. This brief review discusses the benefits and limitations of pathway enrichment analysis within atherosclerosis research. We highlight the challenges of identifying complex biological processes, such as cell phenotypic switching, within -omics data. Additionally, we emphasize the need for more comprehensive and curated gene sets that reflect the biological complexity of atherosclerosis. Pathway enrichment analysis is a valuable tool for gaining insights into the molecular mechanisms of atherosclerosis. Nevertheless, it is crucial to remain aware of the intrinsic limitations of this approach. By addressing these weaknesses, enrichment analysis in atherosclerosis can lead to breakthroughs in identifying the mechanisms of disease progresses, the identification of key driver genes, and consequently, advance personalized patient care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Wesseling
- Central Diagnostics Laboratories, Department of Laboratory, pharmacy and biomedical genetics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - E Diez-Benavente
- Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, Division of Heart and Lungs, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - M Mokry
- Central Diagnostics Laboratories, Department of Laboratory, pharmacy and biomedical genetics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, Division of Heart and Lungs, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - H M den Ruijter
- Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, Division of Heart and Lungs, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - G Pasterkamp
- Central Diagnostics Laboratories, Department of Laboratory, pharmacy and biomedical genetics, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Lin A, Ramaswamy Y, Misra A. Developmental heterogeneity of vascular cells: Insights into cellular plasticity in atherosclerosis? Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 155:3-15. [PMID: 37316416 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and macrophages display remarkable heterogeneity within the healthy vasculature and under pathological conditions. During development, these cells arise from numerous embryological origins, which confound with different microenvironments to generate postnatal vascular cell diversity. In the atherosclerotic plaque milieu, all these cell types exhibit astonishing plasticity, generating a variety of plaque burdening or plaque stabilizing phenotypes. And yet how developmental origin influences intraplaque cell plasticity remains largely unexplored despite evidence suggesting this may be the case. Uncovering the diversity and plasticity of vascular cells is being revolutionized by unbiased single cell whole transcriptome analysis techniques that will likely continue to pave the way for therapeutic research. Cellular plasticity is only just emerging as a target for future therapeutics, and uncovering how intraplaque plasticity differs across vascular beds may provide key insights into why different plaques behave differently and may confer different risks of subsequent cardiovascular events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Lin
- Atherosclerosis and Vascular Remodeling Group, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia; School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yogambha Ramaswamy
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ashish Misra
- Atherosclerosis and Vascular Remodeling Group, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Heart Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Liu P, Wang Y, Tian K, Bai X, Wang Y, Wang Y. Artesunate inhibits macrophage-like phenotype switching of vascular smooth muscle cells and attenuates vascular inflammatory injury in atherosclerosis via NLRP3. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 172:116255. [PMID: 38325261 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Inflammation is one of the main pathogenic factors of atherosclerosis (AS), and the phenotypic transformation of macrophages in human vascular smooth muscle cells (HVSMCs) contributes to the inflammatory injury of blood vessels and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Artesunate reportedly exerts anti-inflammatory activity against AS. Herein, we aimed to explore the artesunate-mediated anti-inflammatory and HVSMC phenotypic switch effects against AS and elucidate potential underlying mechanisms. In vitro, artesunate decreased expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, and interleukin (IL)- 1β. Artesunate significantly inhibited low-density lipoprotein (LDL) expression in HVSMCs and macrophages. In vivo, artesunate reduced atherosclerotic plaque formation in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed ApoE-/- mice, as well as decreased NLRP3 and CD68 expression in atherosclerotic plaques. Artesunate decreased serum levels of triglycerides and increased high-density lipoprotein levels in HFD-med mice; however, serum levels of total cholesterol and LDL were unaltered. Treatment with artesunate substantially increased α-smooth muscle actin expression in aortic tissues while inhibiting expression levels of NLRP3, IL-1β, heparinase, matrix metalloproteinase 9, and Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4). Collectively, our findings suggest that artesunate-mediated effects may involve inhibition of the ERK1/2/NF-κB/IL-1β pathway in HVSMCs via the downregulation of NLRP3 expression. Thus, artesunate could serve as a novel strategy to treat AS by inhibiting AS plaque formation and suppressing macrophage-like phenotype switching of HVSMCs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ping Liu
- Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China
| | - Yuqi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China
| | - Keke Tian
- Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China
| | - Xinyu Bai
- Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China
| | - Yaowen Wang
- Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Cardiac Arrhythmias Therapeutic Service Center, Chongqing 400010, China.
| | - Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Basic Pharmacology of Ministry of Education and Joint International Research Laboratory of Ethnomedicine of Ministry of Education, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Yap C, Wanga S, Wüst RCI, van Os BW, Pijls MME, Keijzer S, van Zanten E, Koolbergen DR, Driessen AHG, Balm R, Yeung KK, de Vries CJM, Houtkooper RH, Lindeman JHN, de Waard V. Doxycycline induces mitochondrial dysfunction in aortic smooth muscle cells. Vascul Pharmacol 2024; 154:107279. [PMID: 38272196 DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2024.107279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The antibiotic doxycycline is known to inhibit inflammation and was therefore considered as a therapeutic to prevent abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) growth. Yet mitochondrial dysfunction is a key-characteristic of clinical AAA disease. We hypothesize that doxycycline impairs mitochondrial function in the aorta and aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Doxycycline induced mitonuclear imbalance, reduced proliferation and diminished expression of typical contractile smooth muscle cell (SMC) proteins. To understand the underlying mechanism, we studied krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4). The expression of this transcription factor was enhanced in SMCs after doxycycline treatment. Knockdown of KLF4, however, did not affect the doxycycline-induced SMC phenotypic changes. Then we used the bioenergetics drug elamipretide (SS-31). Doxycycline-induced loss of SMC contractility markers was not rescued, but mitochondrial genes and mitochondrial connectivity improved upon elamipretide. Thus while doxycycline is anti-inflammatory, it also induces mitochondrial dysfunction in aortic SMCs and causes SMC phenotypic switching, potentially contributing to aortic aneurysm pathology. The drug elamipretide helps mitigate the harmful effects of doxycycline on mitochondrial function in aortic SMC, and may be of interest for treatment of aneurysm diseases with pre-existing mitochondrial dysfunction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Yap
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Medical Biochemistry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Shaynah Wanga
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Medical Biochemistry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Cardiology, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Rob C I Wüst
- Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Myology, Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bram W van Os
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Medical Biochemistry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Maud M E Pijls
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Medical Biochemistry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sofie Keijzer
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Medical Biochemistry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Eva van Zanten
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Medical Biochemistry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - David R Koolbergen
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Antoine H G Driessen
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ron Balm
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Vascular Surgery, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Kak Khee Yeung
- Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Vascular Surgery, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Physiology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Carlie J M de Vries
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Medical Biochemistry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Riekelt H Houtkooper
- Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jan H N Lindeman
- Leiden University Medical Center, Vascular Surgery, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Vivian de Waard
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Medical Biochemistry, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Piollet M, Porsch F, Rizzo G, Kapser F, Schulz DJ, Kiss MG, Schlepckow K, Morenas-Rodriguez E, Sen MO, Gropper J, Bandi SR, Schäfer S, Krammer T, Leipold AM, Hoke M, Ozsvár-Kozma M, Beneš H, Schillinger M, Minar E, Roesch M, Göderle L, Hladik A, Knapp S, Colonna M, Martini R, Saliba AE, Haass C, Zernecke A, Binder CJ, Cochain C. TREM2 protects from atherosclerosis by limiting necrotic core formation. NATURE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH 2024; 3:269-282. [PMID: 38974464 PMCID: PMC7616136 DOI: 10.1038/s44161-024-00429-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease of the vascular wall driven by lipid accumulation and inflammation in the intimal layer of arteries, and its main complications, myocardial infarction and stroke, are the leading cause of mortality worldwide [1], [2]. Recent studies have identified Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), a lipid-sensing receptor regulating myeloid cell functions [3], to be highly expressed in macrophage foam cells in experimental and human atherosclerosis [4]. However, the role of TREM2 in atherosclerosis is not fully known. Here, we show that hematopoietic or global TREM2 deficiency increased, whereas TREM2 agonism decreased necrotic core formation in early atherosclerosis. We demonstrate that TREM2 is essential for the efferocytosis capacities of macrophages, and to the survival of lipid-laden macrophages, indicating a crucial role of TREM2 in maintaining the balance between foam cell death and clearance of dead cells in atherosclerotic lesions, thereby controlling plaque necrosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marie Piollet
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Florentina Porsch
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Giuseppe Rizzo
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Frederieke Kapser
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Dirk J.J. Schulz
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Máté G. Kiss
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kai Schlepckow
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, 81377Munich, Germany
| | | | - Mustafa Orkun Sen
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Julius Gropper
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sourish Reddy Bandi
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Schäfer
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Krammer
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Center for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alexander M. Leipold
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Center for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Hoke
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mária Ozsvár-Kozma
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hannah Beneš
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Schillinger
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Erich Minar
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Melanie Roesch
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Laura Göderle
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anastasiya Hladik
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sylvia Knapp
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marco Colonna
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rudolf Martini
- Department of Neurology, Section of Developmental Neurobiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Antoine-Emmanuel Saliba
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Center for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB), University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christian Haass
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) Munich, 81377Munich, Germany
- Division of Metabolic Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Biomedical Center (BMC), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 81377Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377Munich, Germany
| | - Alma Zernecke
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph J. Binder
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clément Cochain
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Tian Q, Chen JH, Ding Y, Wang XY, Qiu JY, Cao Q, Zhuang LL, Jin R, Zhou GP. EGR1 transcriptionally regulates SVEP1 to promote proliferation and migration in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:365. [PMID: 38409611 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09322-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
A low-frequency variant of sushi, von Willebrand factor type A, EGF, and pentraxin domain-containing protein 1 (SVEP1) is associated with the risk of coronary artery disease, as determined by a genome-wide association study. SVEP1 induces vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and an inflammatory phenotype to promote atherosclerosis. In the present study, qRT‒PCR demonstrated that the mRNA expression of SVEP1 was significantly increased in atherosclerotic plaques compared to normal tissues. Bioinformatics revealed that EGR1 was a transcription factor for SVEP1. The results of the luciferase reporter assay, siRNA interference or overexpression assay, mutational analysis and ChIP confirmed that EGR1 positively regulated the transcriptional activity of SVEP1 by directly binding to its promoter. EGR1 promoted human coronary artery smooth muscle cell (HCASMC) proliferation and migration via SVEP1 in response to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) treatment. Moreover, the expression level of EGR1 was increased in atherosclerotic plaques and showed a strong linear correlation with the expression of SVEP1. Our findings indicated that EGR1 binding to the promoter region drive SVEP1 transcription to promote HCASMC proliferation and migration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Tian
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jia-He Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yi Ding
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xin-Yu Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jia-Yun Qiu
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qian Cao
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Li-Li Zhuang
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Rui Jin
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guo-Ping Zhou
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Huang K, Chen S, Yu LJ, Wu ZM, Chen QJ, Wang XQ, Li FF, Liu JM, Wang YX, Mao LS, Shen WF, Zhang RY, Shen Y, Lu L, Dai Y, Ding FH. Serum secreted phosphoprotein 1 level is associated with plaque vulnerability in patients with coronary artery disease. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1285813. [PMID: 38426091 PMCID: PMC10902157 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1285813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Vulnerable plaque was associated with recurrent cardiovascular events. This study was designed to explore predictive biomarkers of vulnerable plaque in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods To reveal the phenotype-associated cell type in the development of vulnerable plaque and to identify hub gene for pathological process, we combined single-cell RNA and bulk RNA sequencing datasets of human atherosclerotic plaques using Single-Cell Identification of Subpopulations with Bulk Sample Phenotype Correlation (Scissor) and Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). We also validated our results in an independent cohort of patients by using intravascular ultrasound during coronary angiography. Results Macrophages were found to be strongly correlated with plaque vulnerability while vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC), fibrochondrocyte (FC) and intermediate cell state (ICS) clusters were negatively associated with unstable plaque. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed that Secreted Phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) in the turquoise module was highly correlated with both the gene module and the clinical traits. In a total of 593 patients, serum levels of SPP1 were significantly higher in patients with vulnerable plaques than those with stable plaque (113.21 [73.65 - 147.70] ng/ml versus 71.08 [20.64 - 135.68] ng/ml; P < 0.001). Adjusted multivariate regression analysis revealed that serum SPP1 was an independent determinant of the presence of vulnerable plaque. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve was 0.737 (95% CI 0.697 - 0.773; P < 0.001) for adding serum SPP1 in predicting of vulnerable plaques. Conclusion Elevated serum SPP1 levels confer an increased risk for plaque vulnerability in patients with coronary artery disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ke Huang
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuai Chen
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lin-Jun Yu
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi-Ming Wu
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiu-Jing Chen
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Qun Wang
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei-Fei Li
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing-Meng Liu
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi-Xuan Wang
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lin-Shuang Mao
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei-Feng Shen
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Rui-Yan Zhang
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Shen
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lin Lu
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yang Dai
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng-Hua Ding
- Department of Vascular and Cardiology, Rui Jin Hospital Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Wang HL, Narisawa M, Wu P, Meng X, Cheng XW. The many roles of cathepsins in restenosis. Heliyon 2024; 10:e24720. [PMID: 38333869 PMCID: PMC10850908 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Drug-eluting stents (DES) and dual antiplatelet regimens have significantly improved the clinical management of ischemic heart disease; however, the drugs loaded with DES in clinical practice are mostly paclitaxel or rapamycin derivatives, which target symptoms of post implantation proliferation and inflammation, leading to delayed re-endothelialization and neo-atherosclerosis. Along with the treatments already in place, there is a need for novel strategies to lessen the negative clinical outcomes of DES delays as well as a need for greater understanding of their pathobiological mechanisms. This review concentrates on the function of cathepsins (Cats) in the inflammatory response and granulation tissue formation that follow Cat-induced damage to the vasculature scaffold, as well as the functions of Cats in intimal hyperplasia, which is characterized by the migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells, and endothelial denudation, re-endothelialization, and/or neo-endothelialization. Additionally, Cats can alter essential neointima formation and immune response inside scaffolds, and if Cats are properly controlled in vivo, they may improve scaffold biocompatibility. This unique profile of functions could lead to an original concept for a cathepsin-based coronary intervention treatment as an adjunct to stent placement.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hai Long Wang
- Department of Adult Intensive Care Unit, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
- Department of Cardiology and Hypertension, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Stress and Cardiovascular Disease, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, Jilin, PR China
| | - Megumi Narisawa
- Department of Cardiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichiken, 4668550, Japan
| | - Pan Wu
- Department of Adult Intensive Care Unit, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China
| | - Xiangkun Meng
- Department of Vascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, PR China
| | - Xian Wu Cheng
- Department of Cardiology and Hypertension, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Stress and Cardiovascular Disease, Yanbian University Hospital, Yanji, Jilin, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines of the Changbai Mountain, Ministry of Education, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin, 133002, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Khan SU, Huang Y, Ali H, Ali I, Ahmad S, Khan SU, Hussain T, Ullah M, Lu K. Single-cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-seq): Advances and Challenges for Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs). Curr Probl Cardiol 2024; 49:102202. [PMID: 37967800 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2023.102202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Implementing Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has significantly enhanced our comprehension of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), providing new opportunities to strengthen the prevention of CVDs progression. Cardiovascular diseases continue to be the primary cause of death worldwide. Improving treatment strategies and patient risk assessment requires a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying these disorders. The advanced and widespread use of Single-cell RNA sequencing enables a comprehensive investigation of the complex cellular makeup of the heart, surpassing essential descriptive aspects. This enhances our understanding of disease causes and directs functional research. The significant advancement in understanding cellular phenotypes has enhanced the study of fundamental cardiovascular science. scRNA-seq enables the identification of discrete cellular subgroups, unveiling previously unknown cell types in the heart and vascular systems that may have relevance to different disease pathologies. Moreover, scRNA-seq has revealed significant heterogeneity in phenotypes among distinct cell subtypes. Finally, we will examine current and upcoming scRNA-seq studies about various aspects of the cardiovascular system, assessing their potential impact on our understanding of the cardiovascular system and offering insight into how these technologies may revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shahid Ullah Khan
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715, China; Women Medical and Dental College, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, KPK, 22020, Pakistan
| | - Yuqing Huang
- Metabolic Vascular Disease Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Luzhou, China; Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Hamid Ali
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Park Road Tarlai Kalan, Islamabad-44000
| | - Ijaz Ali
- Centre for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Hawally 32093, Kuwait
| | - Saleem Ahmad
- Cardiovascular Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans 70112 LA, USA
| | - Safir Ullah Khan
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, People's Republic of China
| | - Talib Hussain
- Women Dental College Abbottabad, KPK, 22020, Pakistan
| | - Muneeb Ullah
- Department of Pharmacy, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, KPK, Pakistan
| | - Kun Lu
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (CHONGQING) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Sharma D, Worssam MD, Pedroza AJ, Dalal AR, Alemany H, Kim HJ, Kundu R, Fischbein MP, Cheng P, Wirka R, Quertermous T. Comprehensive Integration of Multiple Single-Cell Transcriptomic Data Sets Defines Distinct Cell Populations and Their Phenotypic Changes in Murine Atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2024; 44:391-408. [PMID: 38152886 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.123.320030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The application of single-cell transcriptomic (single-cell RNA sequencing) analysis to the study of atherosclerosis has provided unique insights into the molecular and genetic mechanisms that mediate disease risk and pathophysiology. However, nonstandardized methodologies and relatively high costs associated with the technique have limited the size and replication of existing data sets and created disparate or contradictory findings that have fostered misunderstanding and controversy. METHODS To address these uncertainties, we have performed a conservative integration of multiple published single-cell RNA sequencing data sets into a single meta-analysis, performed extended analysis of native resident vascular cells, and used in situ hybridization to map the disease anatomic location of the identified cluster cells. To investigate the transdifferentiation of smooth muscle cells to macrophage phenotype, we have developed a classifying algorithm based on the quantification of reporter transgene expression. RESULTS The reporter gene expression tool indicates that within the experimental limits of the examined studies, transdifferentiation of smooth muscle cell to the macrophage lineage is extremely rare. Validated transition smooth muscle cell phenotypes were defined by clustering, and the location of these cells was mapped to lesion anatomy with in situ hybridization. We have also characterized 5 endothelial cell phenotypes and linked these cellular species to different vascular structures and functions. Finally, we have identified a transcriptomically unique cellular phenotype that constitutes the aortic valve. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these analyses resolve a number of outstanding issues related to differing results reported with vascular disease single-cell RNA sequencing studies, and significantly extend our understanding of the role of resident vascular cells in anatomy and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Disha Sharma
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (D.S., M.D.W., H.A., H.-J.K., R.K., P.C., T.Q.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Matthew D Worssam
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (D.S., M.D.W., H.A., H.-J.K., R.K., P.C., T.Q.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Albert J Pedroza
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery (A.J.P., A.R.D., M.P.F.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Alex R Dalal
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery (A.J.P., A.R.D., M.P.F.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Haizea Alemany
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (D.S., M.D.W., H.A., H.-J.K., R.K., P.C., T.Q.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Hyun-Jung Kim
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (D.S., M.D.W., H.A., H.-J.K., R.K., P.C., T.Q.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Ramendra Kundu
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (D.S., M.D.W., H.A., H.-J.K., R.K., P.C., T.Q.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Michael P Fischbein
- Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery (A.J.P., A.R.D., M.P.F.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Paul Cheng
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (D.S., M.D.W., H.A., H.-J.K., R.K., P.C., T.Q.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Robert Wirka
- Division of Cardiology, McAllister Heart Institute, UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC (R.W.)
| | - Thomas Quertermous
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (D.S., M.D.W., H.A., H.-J.K., R.K., P.C., T.Q.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Pan Q, Chen C, Yang YJ. Top Five Stories of the Cellular Landscape and Therapies of Atherosclerosis: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives. Curr Med Sci 2024; 44:1-27. [PMID: 38057537 DOI: 10.1007/s11596-023-2818-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis (AS) is characterized by impairment and apoptosis of endothelial cells, continuous systemic and focal inflammation and dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle cells, which is documented as the traditional cellular paradigm. However, the mechanisms appear much more complicated than we thought since a bulk of studies on efferocytosis, transdifferentiation and novel cell death forms such as ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and extracellular trap were reported. Discovery of novel pathological cellular landscapes provides a large number of therapeutic targets. On the other side, the unsatisfactory therapeutic effects of current treatment with lipid-lowering drugs as the cornerstone also restricts the efforts to reduce global AS burden. Stem cell- or nanoparticle-based strategies spurred a lot of attention due to the attractive therapeutic effects and minimized adverse effects. Given the complexity of pathological changes of AS, attempts to develop an almighty medicine based on single mechanisms could be theoretically challenging. In this review, the top stories in the cellular landscapes during the initiation and progression of AS and the therapies were summarized in an integrated perspective to facilitate efforts to develop a multi-targets strategy and fill the gap between mechanism research and clinical translation. The future challenges and improvements were also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qi Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Cheng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Yue-Jin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiology, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100037, China.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Schnitzler GR, Kang H, Fang S, Angom RS, Lee-Kim VS, Ma XR, Zhou R, Zeng T, Guo K, Taylor MS, Vellarikkal SK, Barry AE, Sias-Garcia O, Bloemendal A, Munson G, Guckelberger P, Nguyen TH, Bergman DT, Hinshaw S, Cheng N, Cleary B, Aragam K, Lander ES, Finucane HK, Mukhopadhyay D, Gupta RM, Engreitz JM. Convergence of coronary artery disease genes onto endothelial cell programs. Nature 2024; 626:799-807. [PMID: 38326615 PMCID: PMC10921916 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07022-x] [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: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Linking variants from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to underlying mechanisms of disease remains a challenge1-3. For some diseases, a successful strategy has been to look for cases in which multiple GWAS loci contain genes that act in the same biological pathway1-6. However, our knowledge of which genes act in which pathways is incomplete, particularly for cell-type-specific pathways or understudied genes. Here we introduce a method to connect GWAS variants to functions. This method links variants to genes using epigenomics data, links genes to pathways de novo using Perturb-seq and integrates these data to identify convergence of GWAS loci onto pathways. We apply this approach to study the role of endothelial cells in genetic risk for coronary artery disease (CAD), and discover 43 CAD GWAS signals that converge on the cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) signalling pathway. Two regulators of this pathway, CCM2 and TLNRD1, are each linked to a CAD risk variant, regulate other CAD risk genes and affect atheroprotective processes in endothelial cells. These results suggest a model whereby CAD risk is driven in part by the convergence of causal genes onto a particular transcriptional pathway in endothelial cells. They highlight shared genes between common and rare vascular diseases (CAD and CCM), and identify TLNRD1 as a new, previously uncharacterized member of the CCM signalling pathway. This approach will be widely useful for linking variants to functions for other common polygenic diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gavin R Schnitzler
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Divisions of Genetics and Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Helen Kang
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Basic Science and Engineering Initiative, Stanford Children's Health, Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Shi Fang
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Divisions of Genetics and Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ramcharan S Angom
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Vivian S Lee-Kim
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Divisions of Genetics and Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - X Rosa Ma
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Basic Science and Engineering Initiative, Stanford Children's Health, Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ronghao Zhou
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Basic Science and Engineering Initiative, Stanford Children's Health, Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Tony Zeng
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Basic Science and Engineering Initiative, Stanford Children's Health, Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Katherine Guo
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Basic Science and Engineering Initiative, Stanford Children's Health, Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Martin S Taylor
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shamsudheen K Vellarikkal
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Divisions of Genetics and Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aurelie E Barry
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Divisions of Genetics and Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oscar Sias-Garcia
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Divisions of Genetics and Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alex Bloemendal
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Glen Munson
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Tung H Nguyen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Drew T Bergman
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Stephen Hinshaw
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, ChEM-H, and Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nathan Cheng
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Brian Cleary
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences, Departments of Biology and Biomedical Engineering, Biological Design Center, and Program in Bioinformatics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Krishna Aragam
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eric S Lander
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hilary K Finucane
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Debabrata Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Rajat M Gupta
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Divisions of Genetics and Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Jesse M Engreitz
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Basic Science and Engineering Initiative, Stanford Children's Health, Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|