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Bakhshian Nik A, Ng HH, Ashbrook SK, Sun P, Iacoviello F, Shearing PR, Bertazzo S, Mero D, Khomtchouk BB, Hutcheson JD. Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition prevents vascular calcifying extracellular vesicle biogenesis. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2023; 324:H553-H570. [PMID: 36827229 PMCID: PMC10042607 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00280.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, including vascular calcification, leading to higher mortality. The release of calcifying extracellular vesicles (EVs) by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) promotes ectopic mineralization of vessel walls. Caveolin-1 (CAV1), a structural protein in the plasma membrane, plays a major role in calcifying EV biogenesis in VSMCs. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) colocalizes with and influences the intracellular trafficking of CAV1. Using a diet-induced mouse model of CKD followed by a high-phosphate diet to promote vascular calcification, we assessed the potential of EGFR inhibition to prevent vascular calcification. Furthermore, we computationally analyzed 7,651 individuals in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and Framingham cohorts to assess potential correlations between coronary artery calcium and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with elevated serum levels of EGFR. Mice with CKD developed widespread vascular calcification, associated with increased serum levels of EGFR. In both the CKD mice and human VSMC culture, EGFR inhibition significantly reduced vascular calcification by mitigating the release of CAV1-positive calcifying EVs. EGFR inhibition also increased bone mineral density in CKD mice. Individuals in the MESA and Framingham cohorts with SNPs associated with increased serum EGFR exhibit elevated coronary artery calcium. Given that EGFR inhibitors exhibit clinical safety and efficacy in other pathologies, the current data suggest that EGFR may represent an ideal target to prevent pathological vascular calcification in CKD.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here, we investigate the potential of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibition to prevent vascular calcification, a leading indicator of and contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. EGFR interacts and affects the trafficking of the plasma membrane scaffolding protein caveolin-1. Previous studies reported a key role for caveolin-1 in the development of specialized extracellular vesicles that mediate vascular calcification; however, no role of EGFR has been reported. We demonstrated that EGFR inhibition modulates caveolin-1 trafficking and hinders calcifying extracellular vesicle formation, which prevents vascular calcification. Given that EGFR inhibitors are clinically approved for other indications, this may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for vascular calcification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirala Bakhshian Nik
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Hooi Hooi Ng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Sophie K Ashbrook
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
| | - Patrick Sun
- Department of BioHealth Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
| | - Francesco Iacoviello
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul R Shearing
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sergio Bertazzo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Deniel Mero
- Dock Therapeutics, Inc., Middletown, Delaware, United States
| | - Bohdan B Khomtchouk
- Department of BioHealth Informatics, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
- Krannert Cardiovascular Research Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
| | - Joshua D Hutcheson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
- Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
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Molendijk J, Seldin MM, Parker BL. CoffeeProt: an online tool for correlation and functional enrichment of systems genetics data. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:W104-W113. [PMID: 33978718 PMCID: PMC8262721 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The integration of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and phenotypic traits across genetically diverse populations is a powerful approach to discover novel biological regulators. The increasing volume of complex data require new and easy-to-use tools accessible to a variety of scientists for the discovery and visualization of functionally relevant associations. To meet this requirement, we developed CoffeeProt, an open-source tool that analyses genetic variants associated to protein networks, other omics datatypes and phenotypic traits. CoffeeProt uses transcriptomics or proteomics data to perform correlation network analyses and annotates results with protein-protein interactions, subcellular localisations and drug associations. It then integrates genetic variants associated with gene expression (eQTLs) or protein abundance (pQTLs) and includes predictions of the potential consequences of variants on gene function. Finally, genetic variants are co-mapped to molecular or phenotypic traits either provided by the user or retrieved directly from publicly available GWAS results. We demonstrate its utility with the analysis of mouse and human population data enabling the rapid identification of genetic variants associated with druggable proteins and clinical traits. We expect that CoffeeProt will serve the systems genetics and basic science research communities, leading to the discovery of novel biologically relevant associations. CoffeeProt is available at www.coffeeprot.com.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Molendijk
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Marcus M Seldin
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Benjamin L Parker
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
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