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Kong T, Yu T, Zhao J, Hu Z, Xiong N, Wan J, Dong X, Pan Y, Zheng H, Zhang L. scGAA: a general gated axial-attention model for accurate cell-type annotation of single-cell RNA-seq data. Sci Rep 2024; 14:22308. [PMID: 39333739 PMCID: PMC11436728 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-73356-1] [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: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 09/17/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a key technology for investigating cell development and analysing cell diversity across various diseases. However, the high dimensionality and extreme sparsity of scRNA-seq data pose great challenges for accurate cell type annotation. To address this, we developed a new cell-type annotation model called scGAA (general gated axial-attention model for accurate cell-type annotation of scRNA-seq). Based on the transformer framework, the model decomposes the traditional self-attention mechanism into horizontal and vertical attention, considerably improving computational efficiency. This axial attention mechanism can process high-dimensional data more efficiently while maintaining reasonable model complexity. Additionally, the gated unit was integrated into the model to enhance the capture of relationships between genes, which is crucial for achieving an accurate cell type annotation. The results revealed that our improved transformer model is a promising tool for practical applications. This theoretical innovation increased the model performance and provided new insights into analytical tools for scRNA-seq data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianci Kong
- College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China
| | - Tiancheng Yu
- School of Sciences, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China
| | - Jiaxin Zhao
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Fourth Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, 322000, China
| | - Zhenhua Hu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Fourth Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Yiwu, 322000, China
| | - Neal Xiong
- Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, Sul Ross State University, Alpine, USA
| | - Jian Wan
- College of Information and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China
| | - Xiaoliang Dong
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China
| | - Yi Pan
- Faculty of Computer Science and Control Engineering Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Huilin Zheng
- College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China.
| | - Lei Zhang
- College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China.
- College of Information and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China.
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2
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Huang A, Rao J, Feng X, Li X, Xu T, Yao L. Breaking New Ground: Unraveling the USP1/ID3/E12/P21 Axis in Vascular Calcification. Transl Res 2024:S1931-5244(24)00170-1. [PMID: 39326697 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2024.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2024] [Revised: 09/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
Vascular calcification (VC) poses significant challenges in cardiovascular health. This study employs single-cell transcriptome sequencing to dissect cellular dynamics in this process. We identify distinct cell subgroups, notably in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and observe differences between calcified atherosclerotic cores and adjacent regions. Further exploration reveals ID3 as a key gene regulating VSMC function. In vitro experiments demonstrate ID3's interaction with USP1 and E12, modulating cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. Animal models confirm the critical role of the USP1/ID3/E12/P21 axis in VC. This study sheds light on a novel regulatory mechanism, offering potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aoran Huang
- Department of Nephrology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110000, China
| | - Jianyun Rao
- Outpatient Management Office, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang 441000, China
| | - Xin Feng
- Department of Nephrology, Liaoning electric power central hospital, Shenyang 110000, China
| | - Xingru Li
- Department of Nephrology, Liaoning electric power central hospital, Shenyang 110000, China
| | - Tianhua Xu
- Department of Nephrology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110000, China.
| | - Li Yao
- Department of Nephrology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110000, China.
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3
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Shen Z, Zhao M, Lu J, Chen H, Zhang Y, Chen S, Wang Z, Wang M, Liu X, Fu G, Huang H. Integrated multi-omic high-throughput strategies across-species identified potential key diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis under high glucose conditions. Mol Cell Biochem 2024:10.1007/s11010-024-05097-8. [PMID: 39223351 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-024-05097-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for atherosclerosis (AS), but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. The dysregulated immune response is an important reason. High glucose is proven to induce foam cell formation under lipidemia situations in clinical patients. Exploring the potential regulatory programs of accelerated foam cell formation stimulated by high glucose is meaningful. Macrophage-derived foam cells were induced in vitro, and high-throughput sequencing was performed. Coexpression gene modules were constructed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Highly related modules were identified. Hub genes were identified by multiple integrative strategies. The potential roles of selected genes were further validated in bulk-RNA and scRNA datasets of human plaques. By transfection of the siRNA, the role of the screened gene during foam cell formation was further explored. Two modules were found to be both positively related to high glucose and ox-LDL. Further enrichment analyses confirmed the association between the brown module and AS. The high correlation between the brown module and macrophages was identified and 4 hub genes (Aldoa, Creg1, Lgmn, and Pkm) were screened. Further validation in external bulk-RNA and scRNA revealed the potential diagnostic and therapeutic value of selected genes. In addition, the survival analysis confirmed the prognostic value of Aldoa while knocking down Aldoa expression alleviated the foam cell formation in vitro. We systematically investigated the synergetic effects of high glucose and ox-LDL during macrophage-derived foam cell formation and identified that ALDOA might be an important diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic target in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhida Shen
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
- Engineering Research Center for Cardiovascular Innovative Devices of Zhejiang Province, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meng Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiangting Lu
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
| | - Huanhuan Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yicheng Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
| | - Songzan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhaojing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
| | - Meihui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xianglan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China
| | - Guosheng Fu
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China.
- Engineering Research Center for Cardiovascular Innovative Devices of Zhejiang Province, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
| | - He Huang
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Intervention and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, Zhejiang, China.
- Engineering Research Center for Cardiovascular Innovative Devices of Zhejiang Province, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
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4
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Gude MF, Hjortebjerg R, Bjerre M, Pedersen AKN, Oxvig C, Rasmussen LM, Frystyk J, Steffensen L. The pro-atherogenic enzyme PAPP-A is active in eluates from human carotid and femoral atherosclerotic plaques. ATHEROSCLEROSIS PLUS 2024; 57:30-36. [PMID: 39308741 PMCID: PMC11415872 DOI: 10.1016/j.athplu.2024.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Background Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) regulates bioavailability of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in various tissues by proteolytic cleavage of a subset of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). Pre-clinical studies have established a role of PAPP-A in atherosclerosis and proposed that targeting the proteolytic activity of PAPP-A has therapeutic value.This study aimed to investigate whether human atherosclerotic plaques contain proteolytically active PAPP-A, a prerequisite for further considering PAPP-A as a therapeutic target in patients. Methods We obtained carotid (n = 9) and femoral (n = 11) atherosclerotic plaques from patients undergoing vascular surgery and incubated freshly harvested plaque tissue in culture media for 24 h. Subsequently, conditioned media were assayed for PAPP-A, STC2, IGFBP4, and IGF1 using immunoassays. Enzymatic activity of PAPP-A was assessed by its ability to process recombinant IGFBP4-IGF1 complexes - a specific substrate of PAPP-A - by Western blotting. Results PAPP-A and STC2 were detectable in conditioned media from both carotid and femoral plaques, with higher STC2 concentrations in eluates from carotid plaque incubations (p = 0.02). IGFBP4 and IGF1 were undetectable. Conditioned media from all 20 plaques exhibited PAPP-A proteolytic activity. However, no correlation between PAPP-A concentration and its proteolytic activity was observed, whereas the PAPP-A: STC2 molar ratio correlated with PAPP-A activity (R2 = 0.25, p = 0.03). Conclusion This study provides evidence for the presence of enzymatically active PAPP-A in atherosclerotic plaques and underscores the need for further investigating potential beneficial effects associated with targeting PAPP-A in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Faurholdt Gude
- Medical/Steno Aarhus Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rikke Hjortebjerg
- Endocrine Research Unit, Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Mette Bjerre
- Medical/Steno Aarhus Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Claus Oxvig
- Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lars Melholt Rasmussen
- Centre for Individualized Medicine in Arterial Diseases (CIMA), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jan Frystyk
- Endocrine Research Unit, Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Lasse Steffensen
- Dept. of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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5
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Cao X, Huang YA, You ZH, Shang X, Hu L, Hu PW, Huang ZA. scPriorGraph: constructing biosemantic cell-cell graphs with prior gene set selection for cell type identification from scRNA-seq data. Genome Biol 2024; 25:207. [PMID: 39103856 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03357-w] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell type identification is an indispensable analytical step in single-cell data analyses. To address the high noise stemming from gene expression data, existing computational methods often overlook the biologically meaningful relationships between genes, opting to reduce all genes to a unified data space. We assume that such relationships can aid in characterizing cell type features and improving cell type recognition accuracy. To this end, we introduce scPriorGraph, a dual-channel graph neural network that integrates multi-level gene biosemantics. Experimental results demonstrate that scPriorGraph effectively aggregates feature values of similar cells using high-quality graphs, achieving state-of-the-art performance in cell type identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyue Cao
- School of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yu-An Huang
- School of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Zhu-Hong You
- School of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Xuequn Shang
- School of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lun Hu
- Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ürümqi, China
| | - Peng-Wei Hu
- Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ürümqi, China
| | - Zhi-An Huang
- Research Office, City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan), Dongguan, 523000, China
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6
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Rademakers T, Manca M, Jin H, Orban T, Perisic LM, Frissen HJM, Rühle F, Hautvast P, van Rijssel J, van Kuijk K, Mees BME, Peutz-Kootstra CJ, Heeneman S, Daemen MJAP, Pasterkamp G, Stoll M, van Zandvoort MAMJ, Hedin U, Dequiedt F, van Buul JD, Sluimer JC, Biessen EAL. Human atherosclerotic plaque transcriptomics reveals endothelial beta-2 spectrin as a potential regulator a leaky plaque microvasculature phenotype. Angiogenesis 2024; 27:461-474. [PMID: 38780883 PMCID: PMC11303431 DOI: 10.1007/s10456-024-09921-z] [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: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The presence of atherosclerotic plaque vessels is a critical factor in plaque destabilization. This may be attributable to the leaky phenotype of these microvessels, although direct proof for this notion is lacking. In this study, we investigated molecular and cellular patterns of stable and hemorrhaged human plaque to identify novel drivers of intraplaque vessel dysfunction. From transcriptome data of a human atherosclerotic lesion cohort, we reconstructed a co-expression network, identifying a gene module strongly and selectively correlated with both plaque microvascular density and inflammation. Spectrin Beta Non-Erythrocytic 1 (sptbn1) was identified as one of the central hubs of this module (along with zeb1 and dock1) and was selected for further study based on its predominant endothelial expression. Silencing of sptbn1 enhanced leukocyte transmigration and vascular permeability in vitro, characterized by an increased number of focal adhesions and reduced junctional VE-cadherin. In vivo, sptbn1 knockdown in zebrafish impaired the development of the caudal vein plexus. Mechanistically, increased substrate stiffness was associated with sptbn1 downregulation in endothelial cells in vitro and in human vessels. Plaque SPTBN1 mRNA and protein expression were found to correlate with an enhanced presence of intraplaque hemorrhage and future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events during follow-up. In conclusion, we identify SPTBN1 as a central hub gene in a gene program correlating with plaque vascularisation. SPTBN1 was regulated by substrate stiffness in vitro while silencing blocked vascular development in vivo, and compromised barrier function in vitro. Together, SPTBN1 is identified as a new potential regulator of the leaky phenotype of atherosclerotic plaque microvessels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Rademakers
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Plasma Proteins, Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marco Manca
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Han Jin
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Tanguy Orban
- Laboratory of Protein Signaling and Interactions, GIGA, Liège Université, Liège, Belgium
| | - Ljubica Matic Perisic
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hubertus J M Frissen
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Rühle
- Genetic Epidemiology, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Petra Hautvast
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jos van Rijssel
- Department of Plasma Proteins, Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kim van Kuijk
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Barend M E Mees
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Carine J Peutz-Kootstra
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sylvia Heeneman
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Mat J A P Daemen
- Department of Pathology, Academic Medical Center (AMC), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard Pasterkamp
- Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Monika Stoll
- Genetic Epidemiology, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Maastricht Center for Systems Biology (MaCSBio, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Biochemistry, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc A M J van Zandvoort
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ulf Hedin
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Franck Dequiedt
- Laboratory of Protein Signaling and Interactions, GIGA, Liège Université, Liège, Belgium
| | - Jaap D van Buul
- Department of Plasma Proteins, Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Judith C Sluimer
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Department for Renal and Hypertensive, Rheumatological and Immunological Diseases (Medical Clinic II), RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Erik A L Biessen
- Department of Pathology, Experimental Vascular Pathology Group, Maastricht University, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- Institute for Molecular Cardiovascular Research, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
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Weldy CS, Li Q, Monteiro JP, Guo H, Galls D, Gu W, Cheng PP, Ramste M, Li D, Palmisano BT, Sharma D, Worssam MD, Zhao Q, Bhate A, Kundu RK, Nguyen T, Li JB, Quertermous T. Smooth muscle expression of RNA editing enzyme ADAR1 controls vascular integrity and progression of atherosclerosis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.08.602569. [PMID: 39026721 PMCID: PMC11257488 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.08.602569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Mapping the genomic architecture of complex disease has been predicated on the understanding that genetic variants influence disease risk through modifying gene expression. However, recent discoveries have revealed that a significant burden of disease heritability in common autoinflammatory disorders and coronary artery disease is mediated through genetic variation modifying post-transcriptional modification of RNA through adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing. This common RNA modification is catalyzed by ADAR enzymes, where ADAR1 edits specific immunogenic double stranded RNA (dsRNA) to prevent activation of the double strand RNA (dsRNA) sensor MDA5 ( IFIH1 ) and stimulation of an interferon stimulated gene (ISG) response. Multiple lines of human genetic data indicate impaired RNA editing and increased dsRNA sensing to be an important mechanism of coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. Here, we provide a crucial link between observations in human genetics and mechanistic cell biology leading to progression of CAD. Through analysis of human atherosclerotic plaque, we implicate the vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) to have a unique requirement for RNA editing, and that ISG induction occurs in SMC phenotypic modulation, implicating MDA5 activation. Through culture of human coronary artery SMCs, generation of a conditional SMC specific Adar1 deletion mouse model on a pro-atherosclerosis background, and with incorporation of single cell RNA sequencing cellular profiling, we further show that Adar1 controls SMC phenotypic state, is required to maintain vascular integrity, and controls progression of atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. Through this work, we describe a fundamental mechanism of CAD, where cell type and context specific RNA editing and sensing of dsRNA mediates disease progression, bridging our understanding of human genetics and disease causality.
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8
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Jin H, Zhang C, Nagenborg J, Juhasz P, Ruder AV, Sikkink CJJM, Mees BME, Waring O, Sluimer JC, Neumann D, Goossens P, Donners MMPC, Mardinoglu A, Biessen EAL. Genome-scale metabolic network of human carotid plaque reveals the pivotal role of glutamine/glutamate metabolism in macrophage modulating plaque inflammation and vulnerability. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2024; 23:240. [PMID: 38978031 PMCID: PMC11232311 DOI: 10.1186/s12933-024-02339-3] [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: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metabolism is increasingly recognized as a key regulator of the function and phenotype of the primary cellular constituents of the atherosclerotic vascular wall, including endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and inflammatory cells. However, a comprehensive analysis of metabolic changes associated with the transition of plaque from a stable to a hemorrhaged phenotype is lacking. METHODS In this study, we integrated two large mRNA expression and protein abundance datasets (BIKE, n = 126; MaasHPS, n = 43) from human atherosclerotic carotid artery plaque to reconstruct a genome-scale metabolic network (GEM). Next, the GEM findings were linked to metabolomics data from MaasHPS, providing a comprehensive overview of metabolic changes in human plaque. RESULTS Our study identified significant changes in lipid, cholesterol, and inositol metabolism, along with altered lysosomal lytic activity and increased inflammatory activity, in unstable plaques with intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH+) compared to non-hemorrhaged (IPH-) plaques. Moreover, topological analysis of this network model revealed that the conversion of glutamine to glutamate and their flux between the cytoplasm and mitochondria were notably compromised in hemorrhaged plaques, with a significant reduction in overall glutamate levels in IPH+ plaques. Additionally, reduced glutamate availability was associated with an increased presence of macrophages and a pro-inflammatory phenotype in IPH+ plaques, suggesting an inflammation-prone microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to establish a robust and comprehensive GEM for atherosclerotic plaque, providing a valuable resource for understanding plaque metabolism. The utility of this GEM was illustrated by its ability to reliably predict dysregulation in the cholesterol hydroxylation, inositol metabolism, and the glutamine/glutamate pathway in rupture-prone hemorrhaged plaques, a finding that may pave the way to new diagnostic or therapeutic measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Jin
- Central Laboratory, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden
| | - Jan Nagenborg
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | | | - Adele V Ruder
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | | | - Barend M E Mees
- Department of Surgery, Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Olivia Waring
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Judith C Sluimer
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Dietbert Neumann
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Pieter Goossens
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Marjo M P C Donners
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Adil Mardinoglu
- Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab), KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden.
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Erik A L Biessen
- Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
- Institute for Molecular Cardiovascular Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
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9
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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.
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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
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10
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Zhao Y, Huang Z, Gao L, Ma H, Chang R. Osteopontin/SPP1: a potential mediator between immune cells and vascular calcification. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1395596. [PMID: 38919629 PMCID: PMC11196619 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1395596] [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: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Vascular calcification (VC) is considered a common pathological process in various vascular diseases. Accumulating studies have confirmed that VC is involved in the inflammatory response in heart disease, and SPP1+ macrophages play an important role in this process. In VC, studies have focused on the physiological and pathological functions of macrophages, such as pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokines and pro-fibrotic vesicles. Additionally, macrophages and activated lymphocytes highly express SPP1 in atherosclerotic plaques, which promote the formation of fatty streaks and plaque development, and SPP1 is also involved in the calcification process of atherosclerotic plaques that results in heart failure, but the crosstalk between SPP1-mediated immune cells and VC has not been adequately addressed. In this review, we summarize the regulatory effect of SPP1 on VC in T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells in different organs' VC, which could be a potential therapeutic target for VC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanli Zhao
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zujuan Huang
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Limei Gao
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hongbo Ma
- School of Clinical Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Rong Chang
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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11
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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.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Humans
- Male
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Gene Regulatory Networks
- Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 4/metabolism
- Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 4/genetics
- Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/genetics
- Multiomics
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/metabolism
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/pathology
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/cytology
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/genetics
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/pathology
- Single-Cell Analysis
- Transcriptome
- Rats
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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.
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12
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Tao W, Yu Z, Han JDJ. Single-cell senescence identification reveals senescence heterogeneity, trajectory, and modulators. Cell Metab 2024; 36:1126-1143.e5. [PMID: 38604170 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2024.03.009] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Cellular senescence underlies many aging-related pathologies, but its heterogeneity poses challenges for studying and targeting senescent cells. We present here a machine learning program senescent cell identification (SenCID), which accurately identifies senescent cells in both bulk and single-cell transcriptome. Trained on 602 samples from 52 senescence transcriptome datasets spanning 30 cell types, SenCID identifies six major senescence identities (SIDs). Different SIDs exhibit different senescence baselines, stemness, gene functions, and responses to senolytics. SenCID enables the reconstruction of senescent trajectories under normal aging, chronic diseases, and COVID-19. Additionally, when applied to single-cell Perturb-seq data, SenCID helps reveal a hierarchy of senescence modulators. Overall, SenCID is an essential tool for precise single-cell analysis of cellular senescence, enabling targeted interventions against senescent cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanyu Tao
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengqing Yu
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing-Dong J Han
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, China; Peking University Chengdu Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Biotechnologies, Chengdu, China.
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13
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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.
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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
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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
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14
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Xu X, Qiu F, Yang M, Liu X, Tao S, Zheng B. Unveiling Atherosclerotic Plaque Heterogeneity and SPP1 +/VCAN + Macrophage Subtype Prognostic Significance Through Integrative Single-Cell and Bulk-Seq Analysis. J Inflamm Res 2024; 17:2399-2426. [PMID: 38681071 PMCID: PMC11055562 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s454505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Dysregulated macrophages are important causes of Atherosclerosis (AS) formation and increased plaque instability, but the heterogeneity of these plaques and the role of macrophage subtypes in plaque instability have yet to be clarified. Methods This study integrates single-cell and bulk-seq data to analyze atherosclerotic plaques. Unsupervised clustering was used to reveal distinct plaque subtypes, while survival analysis and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) methods helped in understanding their clinical outcomes. Enrichment of differential expression of macrophage genes (DEMGs) score and pseudo-trajectory analysis were utilized to explore the biological functions and differentiation stages of macrophage subtypes in AS progression. Additionally, CellChat and the BayesPrism deconvolution method were used to elucidate macrophage subtype interaction and their prognostic significance at single-cell resolution. Finally, the expression of biomarkers was validated in mouse experiments. Results Three distinct AS plaque subtypes were identified, with cluster 3 plaque subtype being particularly associated with higher immune infiltration and poorer prognosis. The DEMGs score exhibited a significant elevation in three macrophage subtypes (SPP1+/VCAN+ macrophages, IL1B+ macrophages, and FLT3LG+ macrophages), associated with cluster 3 plaque subtype and highlighted the prognostic significance of these subtypes. Activation trajectory of the macrophage subtypes is divided into three states (Pre-branch, Cell fate 1, and Cell fate 2), and Cell fate 2 (SPP1+/VCAN+ macrophages, IL1B+ macrophages, and FLT3LG+ macrophages dominant) exhibiting the highest DEMGs score, distinct interactions with other cell components, and relating to poorer prognosis of ischemic events. This study also uncovered a unique SPP1+/VCAN+ macrophage subtype, rare in quantity but significant in influencing AS progression. Machine learning algorithms identified 10 biomarkers crucial for AS diagnosis. The validation of these biomarkers was performed using Mendelian Randomization analysis and in vitro methods, supporting their relevance in AS pathology. Conclusion Our study provides a comprehensive view of AS plaque heterogeneity and the prognostic significance of macrophage subtypes in plaque instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Xu
- School of Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fuling Qiu
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Man Yang
- School of Medicine, Dali University, Dali City, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyong Liu
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Siming Tao
- Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Bingrong Zheng
- School of Medicine, Yunnan University, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of China
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15
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Hayderi A, Kumawat AK, Shavva VS, Dreifaldt M, Sigvant B, Petri MH, Kragsterman B, Olofsson PS, Sirsjö A, Ljungberg LU. RSAD2 is abundant in atherosclerotic plaques and promotes interferon-induced CXCR3-chemokines in human smooth muscle cells. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8196. [PMID: 38589444 PMCID: PMC11001978 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58592-9] [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: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
In atherosclerotic lesions, monocyte-derived macrophages are major source of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), a pleotropic cytokine known to regulate the expression of numerous genes, including the antiviral gene RSAD2. While RSAD2 was reported to be expressed in endothelial cells of human carotid lesions, its significance for the development of atherosclerosis remains utterly unknown. Here, we harnessed publicly available human carotid atherosclerotic data to explore RSAD2 in lesions and employed siRNA-mediated gene-knockdown to investigate its function in IFN-γ-stimulated human aortic smooth muscle cells (hAoSMCs). Silencing RSAD2 in IFN-γ-stimulated hAoSMCs resulted in reduced expression and secretion of key CXCR3-chemokines, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11. Conditioned medium from RSAD2-deficient hAoSMCs exhibited diminished monocyte attraction in vitro compared to conditioned medium from control cells. Furthermore, RSAD2 transcript was elevated in carotid lesions where it was expressed by several different cell types, including endothelial cells, macrophages and smooth muscle cells. Interestingly, RSAD2 displayed significant correlations with CXCL10 (r = 0.45, p = 0.010) and CXCL11 (r = 0.53, p = 0.002) in human carotid lesions. Combining our findings, we uncover a novel role for RSAD2 in hAoSMCs, which could potentially contribute to monocyte recruitment in the context of atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assim Hayderi
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
| | - Ashok K Kumawat
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Vladimir S Shavva
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mats Dreifaldt
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Birgitta Sigvant
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Centre for Clinical Research and Education, Region Värmland, Karlstad, Sweden
| | - Marcelo H Petri
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vascular Surgery, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Björn Kragsterman
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Surgery, Västmanlands Hospital Västerås, Västerås, Sweden
| | - Peder S Olofsson
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Allan Sirsjö
- School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
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16
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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.
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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
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17
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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.
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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
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18
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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.
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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.
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19
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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.
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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
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20
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Zeng L, Liu Y, Li X, Gong X, Tian M, Yang P, Cai Q, Wu G, Zeng C. Comprehensive scRNA-seq Model Reveals Artery Endothelial Cell Heterogeneity and Metabolic Preference in Human Vascular Disease. Interdiscip Sci 2024; 16:104-122. [PMID: 37976024 DOI: 10.1007/s12539-023-00591-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: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Vascular disease is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Endothelial cells are important components of the vascular structure. A better understanding of the endothelial cell changes in the development of vascular disease may provide new targets for clinical treatment strategies. Single-cell RNA sequencing can serve as a powerful tool to explore transcription patterns, as well as cell type identity. Our current study is based on comprehensive scRNA-seq data of several types of human vascular disease datasets with deep-learning-based algorithm. A gene set scoring system, created based on cell clustering, may help to identify the relative stage of the development of vascular disease. Metabolic preference patterns were estimated using a graphic neural network model. Overall, our study may provide potential treatment targets for retaining normal endothelial function under pathological situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Zeng
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunchang Liu
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoping Li
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xue Gong
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Department of Cardiology, The Sixth Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Miao Tian
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Peili Yang
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Cai
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
- Department of Cardiology, Fujian Heart Center, Provincial Institute of Coronary Disease, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, People's Republic of China
| | - Gengze Wu
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
| | - Chunyu Zeng
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (Army Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
- Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
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21
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Gianopoulos I, Daskalopoulou SS. Macrophage profiling in atherosclerosis: understanding the unstable plaque. Basic Res Cardiol 2024; 119:35-56. [PMID: 38244055 DOI: 10.1007/s00395-023-01023-z] [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: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
The development and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques is a major contributor to myocardial infarctions and ischemic strokes. The dynamic evolution of the plaque is largely attributed to monocyte/macrophage functions, which respond to various stimuli in the plaque microenvironment. To this end, macrophages play a central role in atherosclerotic lesions through the uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein that gets trapped in the artery wall, and the induction of an inflammatory response that can differentially affect the stability of the plaque in men and women. In this environment, macrophages can polarize towards pro-inflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes, which represent the extremes of the polarization spectrum that include Mhem, M(Hb), Mox, and M4 populations. However, this traditional macrophage model paradigm has been redefined to include numerous immune and nonimmune cell clusters based on in-depth unbiased single-cell approaches. The goal of this review is to highlight (1) the phenotypic and functional properties of monocyte subsets in the circulation, and macrophage populations in atherosclerotic plaques, as well as their contribution towards stable or unstable phenotypes in men and women, and (2) single-cell RNA sequencing studies that have advanced our knowledge of immune, particularly macrophage signatures present in the atherosclerotic niche. We discuss the importance of performing high-dimensional approaches to facilitate the development of novel sex-specific immunotherapies that aim to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Gianopoulos
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Stella S Daskalopoulou
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
- Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Glen Site, 1001 Decarie Boulevard, EM1.2210, Montreal, Quebec, H4A 3J1, Canada.
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22
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Gong X, Liu Y, Liu H, Cao N, Zeng L, Tian M, Zeng C, Hu Y, Zhang R, Chen Y, Wu G. Re-analysis of single-cell transcriptomics reveals a critical role of macrophage-like smooth muscle cells in advanced atherosclerotic plaque. Theranostics 2024; 14:1450-1463. [PMID: 38389849 PMCID: PMC10879858 DOI: 10.7150/thno.87201] [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: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Aims: Smooth muscle cell (SMC) remodeling poses a critical feature in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Although fate mapping and in silicon approaches have expanded SMC phenotypes in atherosclerosis, it still remains elusive about the contributions of individual SMC phenotypes and molecular dynamics to advanced atherosclerotic plaque. Methods: Using single-cell transcriptome, we investigated cellular compositions of human carotid plaque laden with atherosclerotic core, followed by in vivo experiments utilizing SMC-lineage tracing technology, bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and both in vivo and in vitro validation of the underlying molecular mechanism. Results: 5 functionally distinct SMC subtypes were uncovered based on transcriptional features (described as contractile, fibroblast-like, osteogenic, synthetic and macrophage-like) within the niche. A proinflammatory, macrophage-like SMC subtype displaying an intermediary phenotype between SMC and macrophage, exhibits prominent potential in destabilizing plaque. At the molecular level, we explored cluster-specific master regulons by algorithm, and identified interferon regulatory factor-8 (IRF8) as a potential stimulator of SMC-to-macrophage transdifferentiation via activating nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling. Conclusions: Our study illustrates a comprehensive cell atlas and molecular landscape of advanced atherosclerotic lesion, which might renovate current understanding of SMC biology in atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Gong
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), P.R. China
- Department of Cardiology, the Sixth Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Research, Ministry of Education of China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, P. R. China
- Department of Cardiology, No. 926 Hospital, Joint Logistics Support Force of PLA, P.R. China
| | - Yunchang Liu
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Research, Ministry of Education of China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, P. R. China
| | - Huiying Liu
- College of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The 8th Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Nian Cao
- Department of Cardiology, the Sixth Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Liping Zeng
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Research, Ministry of Education of China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, P. R. China
| | - Miao Tian
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Research, Ministry of Education of China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, P. R. China
| | - Chunyu Zeng
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Research, Ministry of Education of China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, P. R. China
| | - Yijie Hu
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), P.R. China
| | - Runjun Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, No. 926 Hospital, Joint Logistics Support Force of PLA, P.R. China
| | - Yundai Chen
- Department of Cardiology, the Sixth Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Gengze Wu
- Department of Cardiology, Daping Hospital, The Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), P.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease Research, Ministry of Education of China; Chongqing Key Laboratory for Hypertension Research, Chongqing Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Chongqing Institute of Cardiology, Chongqing, P. R. China
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23
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Kiessling P, Kuppe C. Spatial multi-omics: novel tools to study the complexity of cardiovascular diseases. Genome Med 2024; 16:14. [PMID: 38238823 PMCID: PMC10795303 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-024-01282-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatial multi-omic studies have emerged as a promising approach to comprehensively analyze cells in tissues, enabling the joint analysis of multiple data modalities like transcriptome, epigenome, proteome, and metabolome in parallel or even the same tissue section. This review focuses on the recent advancements in spatial multi-omics technologies, including novel data modalities and computational approaches. We discuss the advancements in low-resolution and high-resolution spatial multi-omics methods which can resolve up to 10,000 of individual molecules at subcellular level. By applying and integrating these techniques, researchers have recently gained valuable insights into the molecular circuits and mechanisms which govern cell biology along the cardiovascular disease spectrum. We provide an overview of current data analysis approaches, with a focus on data integration of multi-omic datasets, highlighting strengths and weaknesses of various computational pipelines. These tools play a crucial role in analyzing and interpreting spatial multi-omics datasets, facilitating the discovery of new findings, and enhancing translational cardiovascular research. Despite nontrivial challenges, such as the need for standardization of experimental setups, data analysis, and improved computational tools, the application of spatial multi-omics holds tremendous potential in revolutionizing our understanding of human disease processes and the identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Exciting opportunities lie ahead for the spatial multi-omics field and will likely contribute to the advancement of personalized medicine for cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Kiessling
- Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christoph Kuppe
- Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
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24
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Du Y, Shi J, Wang J, Xun Z, Yu Z, Sun H, Bao R, Zheng J, Li Z, Ye Y. Integration of Pan-Cancer Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals Stromal Cell Features and Therapeutic Targets in Tumor Microenvironment. Cancer Res 2024; 84:192-210. [PMID: 38225927 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1418] [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: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Stromal cells are physiologically essential components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that mediates tumor development and therapeutic resistance. Development of a logical and unified system for stromal cell type identification and characterization of corresponding functional properties could help design antitumor strategies that target stromal cells. Here, we performed a pan-cancer analysis of 214,972 nonimmune stromal cells using single-cell RNA sequencing from 258 patients across 16 cancer types and analyzed spatial transcriptomics from 16 patients across seven cancer types, including six patients receiving anti-PD-1 treatment. This analysis uncovered distinct features of 39 stromal subsets across cancer types, including various functional modules, spatial locations, and clinical and therapeutic relevance. Tumor-associated PGF+ endothelial tip cells with elevated epithelial-mesenchymal transition features were enriched in immune-depleted TME and associated with poor prognosis. Fibrogenic and vascular pericytes (PC) derived from FABP4+ progenitors were two distinct tumor-associated PC subpopulations that strongly interacted with PGF+ tips, resulting in excess extracellular matrix (ECM) abundance and dysfunctional vasculature. Importantly, ECM-related cancer-associated fibroblasts enriched at the tumor boundary acted as a barrier to exclude immune cells, interacted with malignant cells to promote tumor progression, and regulated exhausted CD8+ T cells via immune checkpoint ligand-receptors (e.g., LGALS9/TIM-3) to promote immune escape. In addition, an interactive web-based tool (http://www.scpanstroma.yelab.site/) was developed for accessing, visualizing, and analyzing stromal data. Taken together, this study provides a systematic view of the highly heterogeneous stromal populations across cancer types and suggests future avenues for designing therapies to overcome the tumor-promoting functions of stromal cells. SIGNIFICANCE Comprehensive characterization of tumor-associated nonimmune stromal cells provides a robust resource for dissecting tumor microenvironment complexity and guiding stroma-targeted therapy development across multiple human cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhua Du
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jintong Shi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenzhen Xun
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuo Yu
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Faculty of Basic Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongxiang Sun
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Rujuan Bao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Junke Zheng
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Faculty of Basic Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhigang Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Youqiong Ye
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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25
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Zhao W, Xu Y, Zhu J, Zhang C, Zhou W, Wang S. M6A plays a potential role in carotid atherosclerosis by modulating immune cell modification and regulating aging-related genes. Sci Rep 2024; 14:60. [PMID: 38168909 PMCID: PMC10761844 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50557-8] [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] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators play essential roles in diverse biological processes, including immune responses. Mounting evidence suggests that their dysregulation is intricately linked to numerous diseases. However, the role of m6A-associated genes in carotid atherosclerosis and their relationship with aging and immune cells remain unclear. Analyze the expression profiles of m6A-related genes in carotid atherosclerosis-related datasets. Based on the expression patterns of m6A-related genes, perform consistent clustering analysis of carotid atherosclerosis samples and investigate associated immune cell infiltration patterns and aging characteristics. Develop an m6A prediction model specific to carotid atherosclerosis and analyze the relationships between immune cells infiltration and aging features. The m6A methylation modification level exhibited a substantial decrease in early-stage carotid atherosclerosis samples compared to late-stage carotid atherosclerosis samples. Subsequently, two distinct m6A subtypes were defined through consensus clustering analysis, with the lower m6A modification level group showing associations with heightened immune cell infiltration and increased expression of aging-related genes. A model composed of five m6A-related genes was formulated, and the results indicated that this model possesses effective predictive and therapeutic capabilities for carotid atherosclerosis. Furthermore, the downregulation of YTHDC1 expression resulted in elevated expression of inflammatory factors and a decrease in the expression of the aging-related gene RGN. Single-cell data analysis suggests that the reduced expression of YTHDC1 may decrease the degradation of inflammation-related factors in macrophages, leading to a highly inflammatory state in the carotid artery wall. Furthermore, the sustained release of inflammatory factors may increase the expression of the aging-related gene RGN in vascular smooth muscle cells, further exacerbating the progression of atherosclerosis. A reduced level of m6A methylation modification could enhance inflammation and expedite cellular aging, thereby contributing to the development of carotid atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenpeng Zhao
- Department of Vascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Yingqi Xu
- Department of Vascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Jiabao Zhu
- Department of Vascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Chaoxuan Zhang
- Queen Mary College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, Jiangxi, China
| | - Weimin Zhou
- Department of Vascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China.
| | - Shizhi Wang
- Department of Vascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China.
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26
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Pinheiro‐de‐Sousa I, Fonseca‐Alaniz MH, Giudice G, Valadão IC, Modestia SM, Mattioli SV, Junior RR, Zalmas L, Fang Y, Petsalaki E, Krieger JE. Integrated systems biology approach identifies gene targets for endothelial dysfunction. Mol Syst Biol 2023; 19:e11462. [PMID: 38031960 PMCID: PMC10698507 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202211462] [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: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is critical in the development and progression of cardiovascular (CV) disorders, yet effective therapeutic targets for ED remain elusive due to limited understanding of its underlying molecular mechanisms. To address this gap, we employed a systems biology approach to identify potential targets for ED. Our study combined multi omics data integration, with siRNA screening, high content imaging and network analysis to prioritise key ED genes and identify a pro- and anti-ED network. We found 26 genes that, upon silencing, exacerbated the ED phenotypes tested, and network propagation identified a pro-ED network enriched in functions associated with inflammatory responses. Conversely, 31 genes ameliorated ED phenotypes, pointing to potential ED targets, and the respective anti-ED network was enriched in hypoxia, angiogenesis and cancer-related processes. An independent screen with 17 drugs found general agreement with the trends from our siRNA screen and further highlighted DUSP1, IL6 and CCL2 as potential candidates for targeting ED. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of integrated system biology approaches in discovering disease-specific candidate drug targets for endothelial dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iguaracy Pinheiro‐de‐Sousa
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular CardiologyHeart Institute (InCor)/University of São Paulo Medical SchoolSão PauloBrazil
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryEuropean Bioinformatics InstituteHinxtonUK
| | - Miriam Helena Fonseca‐Alaniz
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular CardiologyHeart Institute (InCor)/University of São Paulo Medical SchoolSão PauloBrazil
| | - Girolamo Giudice
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryEuropean Bioinformatics InstituteHinxtonUK
| | - Iuri Cordeiro Valadão
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular CardiologyHeart Institute (InCor)/University of São Paulo Medical SchoolSão PauloBrazil
| | - Silvestre Massimo Modestia
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular CardiologyHeart Institute (InCor)/University of São Paulo Medical SchoolSão PauloBrazil
| | - Sarah Viana Mattioli
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular CardiologyHeart Institute (InCor)/University of São Paulo Medical SchoolSão PauloBrazil
- Department of Biophysics and PharmacologyInstitute of Biosciences of Botucatu, Universidade Estadual PaulistaBotucatuBrazil
| | - Ricardo Rosa Junior
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular CardiologyHeart Institute (InCor)/University of São Paulo Medical SchoolSão PauloBrazil
| | - Lykourgos‐Panagiotis Zalmas
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome CampusCambridgeUK
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome CampusCambridgeUK
| | - Yun Fang
- Department of MedicineUniversity of ChicagoChicagoILUSA
| | - Evangelia Petsalaki
- European Molecular Biology LaboratoryEuropean Bioinformatics InstituteHinxtonUK
| | - José Eduardo Krieger
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular CardiologyHeart Institute (InCor)/University of São Paulo Medical SchoolSão PauloBrazil
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27
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Scipione CA, Hyduk SJ, Polenz CK, Cybulsky MI. Unveiling the Hidden Landscape of Arterial Diseases at Single-Cell Resolution. Can J Cardiol 2023; 39:1781-1794. [PMID: 37716639 DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2023.09.009] [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: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
High-resolution single-cell technologies have shed light on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases by enabling the discovery of novel cellular and transcriptomic signatures associated with various conditions, and uncovering new contributions of inflammatory processes, immunity, metabolic stress, and risk factors. We review the information obtained from studies using single-cell technologies in tissues with atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysms. Insights are provided on the biology of endothelial, smooth muscle, and immune cells in the arterial intima and media. In addition to cellular diversity, numerous examples of plasticity and phenotype switching are highlighted and presented in the context of normal cell functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey A Scipione
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Sharon J Hyduk
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chanele K Polenz
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Myron I Cybulsky
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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28
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Madonna R. Endothelial heterogeneity and their relevance in cardiac development and coronary artery disease. Vascul Pharmacol 2023; 153:107242. [PMID: 37940065 DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2023.107242] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Micro- and macrovascular endothelial cells (ECs) are characterized by structural and functional heterogeneity, which is also reflected in their secretory activity. The root of this heterogeneity and related regulatory mechanisms are still poorly understood. During embryogenesis, microvascular ECs participate in organogenesis prior to the development of the fetal circulation, suggesting that ECs are capable of releasing paracrine trophogens, termed angiocrine factors (AFs). These are angiocrine growth factors, adhesion molecules, and chemokines, which are intended to promote morphogenesis and repair of the adjacent parenchyma/stroma where the vessels are located. There is a tissue and organ-specificity of AFs that traces the heterogeneity of ECs. This AF heterogeneity also traces how ECs respond to pathological conditions or exposure to cardiovascular risk factors. The study of the mechanisms that regulate endothelial and paracrine heterogeneity and that contribute to endotheliopathy represents a broad and as yet understudied area of research. A better understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate this heterogeneity, leading to endotheliopathy is an exciting challenge. In this brief review we will discuss experimental advances in the heterogeneity of ECs and their AF, with a focus on their involvement in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalinda Madonna
- Cardiology Division, Department of Pathology, University of Pisa, Via Paradisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
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29
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Mosquera JV, Auguste G, Wong D, Turner AW, Hodonsky CJ, Alvarez-Yela AC, Song Y, Cheng Q, Lino Cardenas CL, Theofilatos K, Bos M, Kavousi M, Peyser PA, Mayr M, Kovacic JC, Björkegren JLM, Malhotra R, Stukenberg PT, Finn AV, van der Laan SW, Zang C, Sheffield NC, Miller CL. Integrative single-cell meta-analysis reveals disease-relevant vascular cell states and markers in human atherosclerosis. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113380. [PMID: 37950869 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is characterized by atherosclerotic plaque formation in the arterial wall. CAD progression involves complex interactions and phenotypic plasticity among vascular and immune cell lineages. Single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) studies have highlighted lineage-specific transcriptomic signatures, but human cell phenotypes remain controversial. Here, we perform an integrated meta-analysis of 22 scRNA-seq libraries to generate a comprehensive map of human atherosclerosis with 118,578 cells. Besides characterizing granular cell-type diversity and communication, we leverage this atlas to provide insights into smooth muscle cell (SMC) modulation. We integrate genome-wide association study data and uncover a critical role for modulated SMC phenotypes in CAD, myocardial infarction, and coronary calcification. Finally, we identify fibromyocyte/fibrochondrogenic SMC markers (LTBP1 and CRTAC1) as proxies of atherosclerosis progression and validate these through omics and spatial imaging analyses. Altogether, we create a unified atlas of human atherosclerosis informing cell state-specific mechanistic and translational studies of cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Verdezoto Mosquera
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Gaëlle Auguste
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Doris Wong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Adam W Turner
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Chani J Hodonsky
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | | | - Yipei Song
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Computer Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Qi Cheng
- CVPath Institute, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA
| | - Christian L Lino Cardenas
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | | | - Maxime Bos
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Maryam Kavousi
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Patricia A Peyser
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48019, USA
| | - Manuel Mayr
- King's British Heart Foundation Centre, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK; National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London SW3 6LY, UK
| | - Jason C Kovacic
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Johan L M Björkegren
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Rajeev Malhotra
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - P Todd Stukenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | | | - Sander W van der Laan
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Chongzhi Zang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Nathan C Sheffield
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Clint L Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
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30
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Sakkers TR, Mokry M, Civelek M, Erdmann J, Pasterkamp G, Diez Benavente E, den Ruijter HM. Sex differences in the genetic and molecular mechanisms of coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis 2023; 384:117279. [PMID: 37805337 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.117279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences in coronary artery disease (CAD) presentation, risk factors and prognosis have been widely studied. Similarly, studies on atherosclerosis have shown prominent sex differences in plaque biology. Our understanding of the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms that drive these differences remains fragmented and largely understudied. Through reviewing genetic and epigenetic studies, we identified more than 40 sex-differential candidate genes (13 within known CAD loci) that may explain, at least in part, sex differences in vascular remodeling, lipid metabolism and endothelial dysfunction. Studies with transcriptomic and single-cell RNA sequencing data from atherosclerotic plaques highlight potential sex differences in smooth muscle cell and endothelial cell biology. Especially, phenotypic switching of smooth muscle cells seems to play a crucial role in female atherosclerosis. This matches the known sex differences in atherosclerotic phenotypes, with men being more prone to lipid-rich plaques, while women are more likely to develop fibrous plaques with endothelial dysfunction. To unravel the complex mechanisms that drive sex differences in CAD, increased statistical power and adjustments to study designs and analysis strategies are required. This entails increasing inclusion rates of women, performing well-defined sex-stratified analyses and the integration of multi-omics data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim R Sakkers
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Michal Mokry
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Central Diagnostic Laboratory, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mete Civelek
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, 1335 Lee St, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 351 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - Jeanette Erdmann
- Institute for Cardiogenetics, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Gerard Pasterkamp
- Central Diagnostic Laboratory, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Hester M den Ruijter
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, 3508, GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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31
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Zhao Y, Liu Y, Zhao G, Lu H, Liu Y, Xue C, Chang Z, Liu H, Deng Y, Liang W, Wang H, Rom O, Garcia-Barrio MT, Zhu T, Guo Y, Chang L, Lin J, Chen YE, Zhang J. Myeloid BAF60a deficiency alters metabolic homeostasis and exacerbates atherosclerosis. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113171. [PMID: 37768825 PMCID: PMC10842557 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113171] [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: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Atherosclerosis, a leading health concern, stems from the dynamic involvement of immune cells in vascular plaques. Despite its significance, the interplay between chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation in plaque macrophages is understudied. We discovered the reduced expression of Baf60a, a component of the switch/sucrose non-fermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex, in macrophages from advanced plaques. Myeloid-specific Baf60a deletion compromised mitochondrial integrity and heightened adhesion, apoptosis, and plaque development. BAF60a preserves mitochondrial energy homeostasis under pro-atherogenic stimuli by retaining nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) accessibility at critical genes. Overexpression of BAF60a rescued mitochondrial dysfunction in an NRF1-dependent manner. This study illuminates the BAF60a-NRF1 axis as a mitochondrial function modulator in atherosclerosis, proposing the rejuvenation of perturbed chromatin remodeling machinery as a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhao
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yuhao Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Guizhen Zhao
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Haocheng Lu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
| | - Yaozhong Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Chao Xue
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ziyi Chang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Hongyu Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yongjie Deng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Wenying Liang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Huilun Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Oren Rom
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Pathology and Translational Pathobiology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA
| | - Minerva T Garcia-Barrio
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Tianqing Zhu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yanhong Guo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Lin Chang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jiandie Lin
- Life Sciences Institute and Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Y Eugene Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jifeng Zhang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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32
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Alfaidi M, Evans PC, Pickering JG. Editorial: Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cardiovascular disease. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023; 10:1290050. [PMID: 37900559 PMCID: PMC10602815 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1290050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mabruka Alfaidi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport, Shreveport, LS, United States
| | - Paul C. Evans
- Biochemical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - J. Geoffrey Pickering
- Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry, and Medical Biophysics, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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33
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Kavousi M, Bos MM, Barnes HJ, Lino Cardenas CL, Wong D, Lu H, Hodonsky CJ, Landsmeer LPL, Turner AW, Kho M, Hasbani NR, de Vries PS, Bowden DW, Chopade S, Deelen J, Benavente ED, Guo X, Hofer E, Hwang SJ, Lutz SM, Lyytikäinen LP, Slenders L, Smith AV, Stanislawski MA, van Setten J, Wong Q, Yanek LR, Becker DM, Beekman M, Budoff MJ, Feitosa MF, Finan C, Hilliard AT, Kardia SLR, Kovacic JC, Kral BG, Langefeld CD, Launer LJ, Malik S, Hoesein FAAM, Mokry M, Schmidt R, Smith JA, Taylor KD, Terry JG, van der Grond J, van Meurs J, Vliegenthart R, Xu J, Young KA, Zilhão NR, Zweiker R, Assimes TL, Becker LC, Bos D, Carr JJ, Cupples LA, de Kleijn DPV, de Winther M, den Ruijter HM, Fornage M, Freedman BI, Gudnason V, Hingorani AD, Hokanson JE, Ikram MA, Išgum I, Jacobs DR, Kähönen M, Lange LA, Lehtimäki T, Pasterkamp G, Raitakari OT, Schmidt H, Slagboom PE, Uitterlinden AG, Vernooij MW, Bis JC, Franceschini N, Psaty BM, Post WS, Rotter JI, Björkegren JLM, O'Donnell CJ, Bielak LF, Peyser PA, Malhotra R, van der Laan SW, Miller CL. Multi-ancestry genome-wide study identifies effector genes and druggable pathways for coronary artery calcification. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1651-1664. [PMID: 37770635 PMCID: PMC10601987 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01518-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Coronary artery calcification (CAC), a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis, predicts future symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). Identifying genetic risk factors for CAC may point to new therapeutic avenues for prevention. Currently, there are only four known risk loci for CAC identified from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in the general population. Here we conducted the largest multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis of CAC to date, which comprised 26,909 individuals of European ancestry and 8,867 individuals of African ancestry. We identified 11 independent risk loci, of which eight were new for CAC and five had not been reported for CAD. These new CAC loci are related to bone mineralization, phosphate catabolism and hormone metabolic pathways. Several new loci harbor candidate causal genes supported by multiple lines of functional evidence and are regulators of smooth muscle cell-mediated calcification ex vivo and in vitro. Together, these findings help refine the genetic architecture of CAC and extend our understanding of the biological and potential druggable pathways underlying CAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Kavousi
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Maxime M Bos
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hanna J Barnes
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christian L Lino Cardenas
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Doris Wong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Haojie Lu
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Chani J Hodonsky
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Lennart P L Landsmeer
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Adam W Turner
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Minjung Kho
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Graduate School of Data Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Natalie R Hasbani
- Human Genetics Center, Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Paul S de Vries
- Human Genetics Center, Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Donald W Bowden
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Sandesh Chopade
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, Faculty of Population Health, University College London, London, UK
- University College London British Heart Foundation Research Accelerator Centre, London, UK
| | - Joris Deelen
- Biomedical Data Sciences, Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Division of Heart and Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Xiuqing Guo
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation (formerly Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute) at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Edith Hofer
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Division of Neurogeriatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Documentation, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Sharon M Lutz
- Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center-Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Lotte Slenders
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Albert V Smith
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Icelandic Heart Association, Kopavogur, Iceland
| | - Maggie A Stanislawski
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Jessica van Setten
- Department of Cardiology, Division of Heart and Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Quenna Wong
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lisa R Yanek
- GeneSTAR Research Program, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Diane M Becker
- GeneSTAR Research Program, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Marian Beekman
- Biomedical Data Sciences, Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Matthew J Budoff
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation (formerly Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute) at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Mary F Feitosa
- Department of Genetics, Division of Statistical Genomics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chris Finan
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, Faculty of Population Health, University College London, London, UK
- University College London British Heart Foundation Research Accelerator Centre, London, UK
- Department of Cardiology, Division of Heart and Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Sharon L R Kardia
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jason C Kovacic
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- St Vincent's Clinical School, University of NSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Brian G Kral
- GeneSTAR Research Program, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Carl D Langefeld
- Department of Biostatistical Sciences and Data Science, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Lenore J Launer
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shaista Malik
- Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Michal Mokry
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Division of Heart and Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Reinhold Schmidt
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Division of Neurogeriatrics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Jennifer A Smith
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kent D Taylor
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation (formerly Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute) at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - James G Terry
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jeroen van der Grond
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Joyce van Meurs
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rozemarijn Vliegenthart
- Department of Radiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jianzhao Xu
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Kendra A Young
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | | | - Robert Zweiker
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Themistocles L Assimes
- VA Palo Alto Healthcare System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Lewis C Becker
- GeneSTAR Research Program, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Daniel Bos
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - J Jeffrey Carr
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - L Adrienne Cupples
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dominique P V de Kleijn
- Department of Vascular Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Menno de Winther
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences: Atherosclerosis and Ischemic syndromes, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity: Inflammatory diseases, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hester M den Ruijter
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Division of Heart and Lungs, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Myriam Fornage
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Barry I Freedman
- Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Vilmundur Gudnason
- Icelandic Heart Association, Kopavogur, Iceland
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Aroon D Hingorani
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, Faculty of Population Health, University College London, London, UK
- University College London British Heart Foundation Research Accelerator Centre, London, UK
| | - John E Hokanson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - M Arfan Ikram
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ivana Išgum
- Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - David R Jacobs
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Mika Kähönen
- Department of Clinical Physiology, Tampere University Hospital and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center-Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Leslie A Lange
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Terho Lehtimäki
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center-Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Gerard Pasterkamp
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Olli T Raitakari
- Centre for Population Health Research, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
- Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland
| | - Helena Schmidt
- Gottfried Schatz Research Center (for Cell Signaling, Metabolism and Aging), Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - P Eline Slagboom
- Biomedical Data Sciences, Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - André G Uitterlinden
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Meike W Vernooij
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Vascular Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht and Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Joshua C Bis
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nora Franceschini
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Bruce M Psaty
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Departments of Epidemiology, and Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wendy S Post
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jerome I Rotter
- The Institute for Translational Genomics and Population Sciences, Department of Pediatrics, The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation (formerly Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute) at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Johan L M Björkegren
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, Integrated Cardio Metabolic Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Christopher J O'Donnell
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Cardiology Section, Department of Medicine, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lawrence F Bielak
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Patricia A Peyser
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rajeev Malhotra
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sander W van der Laan
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Clint L Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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Zhang G, Cui X, Qin Z, Wang Z, Lu Y, Xu Y, Xu S, Tang L, Zhang L, Liu G, Wang X, Zhang J, Tang J. Atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability quantification system for clinical and biological interpretability. iScience 2023; 26:107587. [PMID: 37664595 PMCID: PMC10470306 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myocardial infarction dominates coronary artery disease mortality. Identifying bio-signatures for plaque destabilization and rupture is important for preventing the transition from coronary stability to instability and the occurrence of thrombosis events. This computational systems biology study enrolled 2,235 samples from 22 independent bulks cohorts and 14 samples from two single-cell cohorts. A machine-learning integrative program containing nine learners was developed to generate a warning classifier linked to atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability signature (APVS). The classifier displays the reliable performance and robustness for distinguishing ST-elevation myocardial infarction from chronic coronary syndrome at presentation, and revealed higher accuracy to 33 pathogenic biomarkers. We also developed an APVS-based quantification system (APVSLevel) for comprehensively quantifying atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability, empowering early-warning capabilities, and accurate assessment of atherosclerosis severity. It unraveled the multidimensional dysregulated mechanisms at high resolution. This study provides a potential tool for macro-level differential diagnosis and evaluation of subtle genetic pathological changes in atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Xiaolin Cui
- School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518172, China
| | - Zhen Qin
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Zeyu Wang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Yongzheng Lu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Yanyan Xu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Shuai Xu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Laiyi Tang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Gangqiong Liu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Xiaofang Wang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Jinying Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Junnan Tang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Key Laboratory of Cardiac Injury and Repair, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
- Henan Province Clinical Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
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Theofilatos K, Stojkovic S, Hasman M, van der Laan SW, Baig F, Barallobre-Barreiro J, Schmidt LE, Yin S, Yin X, Burnap S, Singh B, Popham J, Harkot O, Kampf S, Nackenhorst MC, Strassl A, Loewe C, Demyanets S, Neumayer C, Bilban M, Hengstenberg C, Huber K, Pasterkamp G, Wojta J, Mayr M. Proteomic Atlas of Atherosclerosis: The Contribution of Proteoglycans to Sex Differences, Plaque Phenotypes, and Outcomes. Circ Res 2023; 133:542-558. [PMID: 37646165 PMCID: PMC10498884 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.123.322590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Using proteomics, we aimed to reveal molecular types of human atherosclerotic lesions and study their associations with histology, imaging, and cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS Two hundred nineteen carotid endarterectomy samples were procured from 120 patients. A sequential protein extraction protocol was employed in conjunction with multiplexed, discovery proteomics. To focus on extracellular proteins, parallel reaction monitoring was employed for targeted proteomics. Proteomic signatures were integrated with bulk, single-cell, and spatial RNA-sequencing data, and validated in 200 patients from the Athero-Express Biobank study. RESULTS This extensive proteomics analysis identified plaque inflammation and calcification signatures, which were inversely correlated and validated using targeted proteomics. The inflammation signature was characterized by the presence of neutrophil-derived proteins, such as S100A8/9 (calprotectin) and myeloperoxidase, whereas the calcification signature included fetuin-A, osteopontin, and gamma-carboxylated proteins. The proteomics data also revealed sex differences in atherosclerosis, with large-aggregating proteoglycans versican and aggrecan being more abundant in females and exhibiting an inverse correlation with estradiol levels. The integration of RNA-sequencing data attributed the inflammation signature predominantly to neutrophils and macrophages, and the calcification and sex signatures to smooth muscle cells, except for certain plasma proteins that were not expressed but retained in plaques, such as fetuin-A. Dimensionality reduction and machine learning techniques were applied to identify 4 distinct plaque phenotypes based on proteomics data. A protein signature of 4 key proteins (calponin, protein C, serpin H1, and versican) predicted future cardiovascular mortality with an area under the curve of 75% and 67.5% in the discovery and validation cohort, respectively, surpassing the prognostic performance of imaging and histology. CONCLUSIONS Plaque proteomics redefined clinically relevant patient groups with distinct outcomes, identifying subgroups of male and female patients with elevated risk of future cardiovascular events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Theofilatos
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Stefan Stojkovic
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II (S.S., O.H., C.H., J.W., M.M.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Hasman
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Sander W. van der Laan
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands (S.W.v.d.L., G.P.)
| | - Ferheen Baig
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Javier Barallobre-Barreiro
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Lukas Emanuel Schmidt
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Siqi Yin
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Xiaoke Yin
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Sean Burnap
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Bhawana Singh
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Jude Popham
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
| | - Olesya Harkot
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II (S.S., O.H., C.H., J.W., M.M.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephanie Kampf
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery (S.K., C.N.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Andreas Strassl
- Division of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy (A.S., C.L.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Loewe
- Division of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy (A.S., C.L.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Svitlana Demyanets
- Department of Laboratory Medicine (S.D.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph Neumayer
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery (S.K., C.N.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Bilban
- Core Facilities (M.B.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Hengstenberg
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II (S.S., O.H., C.H., J.W., M.M.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Kurt Huber
- Third Medical Department, Wilhelminenspital, and Sigmund Freud University, Medical Faculty, Vienna, Austria (K.H.)
| | - Gerard Pasterkamp
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands (S.W.v.d.L., G.P.)
| | - Johann Wojta
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II (S.S., O.H., C.H., J.W., M.M.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cardiovascular Research, Vienna, Austria (J.W.)
| | - Manuel Mayr
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, Kings College London, United Kingdom (K.T., M.H., F.B., J.B.B., L.E.S., S.Y., X.Y., S.B., B.S., J.P., M.M.)
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II (S.S., O.H., C.H., J.W., M.M.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria
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Nooti S, Rai V, Radwan MM, Thankam FG, Singh H, Chatzizisis YS, Agrawal DK. Oxidized Low-density Lipoproteins and Lipopolysaccharides Augment Carotid Artery Plaque Vulnerability in Hypercholesterolemic Microswine. CARDIOLOGY AND CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE 2023; 7:273-294. [PMID: 37577745 PMCID: PMC10421630 DOI: 10.26502/fccm.92920338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease and hypercholesterolemia is a risk factor. This study aims to compare the potency of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL) to induce plaque formation and increase plaque vulnerability in the carotid artery of hypercholesterolemic Yucatan microswine. Atherosclerotic lesions at the common carotid artery junction and ascending pharyngeal artery were induced in hypercholesterolemic Yucatan microswine at 5-6 months of age with balloon angioplasty. LPS or oxLDL were administered intraluminally at the site of injury after occluding the arterial flow temporarily. Pre-intervention ultrasound (US), angiography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were done at baseline and just before euthanasia to assess post-op parameters. The images from the US, OCT, and angiography in the LPS and the oxLDL-treated group showed increased plaque formation with features suggestive of unstable plaque, including necrotic core, thin fibrous caps, and a signal poor region more with oxLDL compared to LPS. Histomorphology of the carotid artery tissue near the injury corroborated the presence of severe lesions in both LPS and oxLDL-treated pigs but more in the oxLDL group. Vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells treated with LPS and oxLDL showed increased folds changes in mRNA transcripts of the biomarkers of inflammation and plaque vulnerability compared to untreated cells. Collectively, the results suggest that angioplasty-mediated intimal injury of the carotid arteries in atherosclerotic swine with local administration of LPS or ox-LDL induces vulnerable plaques compared to angioplasty alone and oxLDL is relatively more potent than LPS in inducing vulnerable plaque.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Nooti
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91763, USA
| | - V Rai
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91763, USA
| | - M M Radwan
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91763, USA
| | - F G Thankam
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91763, USA
| | - H Singh
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91763, USA
| | - Y S Chatzizisis
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - D K Agrawal
- Department of Translational Research, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California 91763, USA
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37
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Ebert S, Zang L, Ismail N, Otabil M, Fröhlich A, Egea V, Ács S, Hoeberg M, Berres ML, Weber C, Moreira JMA, Ries C, Bernhagen J, El Bounkari O. Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases-1 Interacts with CD74 to Promote AKT Signaling, Monocyte Recruitment Responses, and Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation. Cells 2023; 12:1899. [PMID: 37508563 PMCID: PMC10378328 DOI: 10.3390/cells12141899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1), an important regulator of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), has recently been shown to interact with CD74, a receptor for macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). However, the biological effects mediated by TIMP-1 through CD74 remain largely unexplored. Using sequence alignment and in silico protein-protein docking analysis, we demonstrated that TIMP-1 shares residues with both MIF and MIF-2, crucial for CD74 binding, but not for CXCR4. Subcellular colocalization, immunoprecipitation, and internalization experiments supported these findings, demonstrating that TIMP-1 interacts with surface-expressed CD74, resulting in its internalization in a dose-dependent manner, as well as with a soluble CD74 ectodomain fragment (sCD74). This prompted us to study the effects of the TIMP-1-CD74 axis on monocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSCMs) to assess its impact on vascular inflammation. A phospho-kinase array revealed the activation of serine/threonine kinases by TIMP-1 in THP-1 pre-monocytes, in particular AKT. Similarly, TIMP-1 dose-dependently triggered the phosphorylation of AKT and ERK1/2 in primary human monocytes. Importantly, Transwell migration, 3D-based Chemotaxis, and flow adhesion assays demonstrated that TIMP-1 engagement of CD74 strongly promotes the recruitment response of primary human monocytes, while live cell imaging studies revealed a profound activating effect on VSMC proliferation. Finally, re-analysis of scRNA-seq data highlighted the expression patterns of TIMP-1 and CD74 in human atherosclerotic lesions, thus, together with our experimental data, indicating a role for the TIMP-1-CD74 axis in vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Ebert
- Department of Vascular Biology, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Lan Zang
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Noor Ismail
- Department of Vascular Biology, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Otabil
- Department of Vascular Biology, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Adrian Fröhlich
- Department of Vascular Biology, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Virginia Egea
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Susann Ács
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Mikkel Hoeberg
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marie-Luise Berres
- Department of Internal Medicine III, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Weber
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377 Munich, Germany
- Munich Heart Alliance, 80802 Munich, Germany
| | - José M A Moreira
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Ries
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bernhagen
- Department of Vascular Biology, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), 81377 Munich, Germany
- Munich Heart Alliance, 80802 Munich, Germany
| | - Omar El Bounkari
- Department of Vascular Biology, Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, Klinikum der Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
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38
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Pan X, Liu J, Zhong L, Zhang Y, Liu C, Gao J, Pang M. Identification of lipid metabolism-related biomarkers for diagnosis and molecular classification of atherosclerosis. Lipids Health Dis 2023; 22:96. [PMID: 37415143 DOI: 10.1186/s12944-023-01864-6] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis is now the main cause of cardiac-cerebral vascular diseases around the world. Disturbances in lipid metabolism have an essential role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Thus, we aimed to investigate lipid metabolism-related molecular clusters and develop a diagnostic model for atherosclerosis. METHODS First, we used the GSE100927 and GSE43292 datasets to screen differentially expressed lipid metabolism-related genes (LMRGs). Subsequent enrichment analysis of these key genes was performed using the Metascape database. Using 101 atherosclerosis samples, we investigated the LMRG-based molecular clusters and the corresponding immune cell infiltration. After that, a diagnostic model for atherosclerosis was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression. Finally, a series of bioinformatics techniques, including CIBERSORT, gene set variation analysis, and single-cell data analysis, were used to analyze the potential mechanisms of the model genes in atherosclerosis. RESULTS A total of 29 LMRGs were found to be differentially expressed between atherosclerosis and normal samples. Functional and DisGeNET enrichment analyses indicated that 29 LMRGs are primarily engaged in cholesterol and lipid metabolism, the PPAR signaling pathway, and regulation of the inflammatory response and are also closely associated with atherosclerotic lesions. Two LMRG-related molecular clusters with significant biological functional differences are defined in atherosclerosis. A three-gene diagnostic model containing ADCY7, SCD, and CD36 was subsequently constructed. Receiver operating characteristic curves, decision curves, and an external validation dataset showed that our model exhibits good predictive performance. In addition, three model genes were found to be closely associated with immune cell infiltration, especially macrophage infiltration. CONCLUSIONS Our study comprehensively highlighted the intricate association between lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis and created a three-gene model for future clinical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Pan
- Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Dazhou Vocational College of Chinese Medicine, Dazhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Jifeng Liu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Lei Zhong
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Yunshu Zhang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Chaosheng Liu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
| | - Jing Gao
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
| | - Min Pang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
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39
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Forteza MJ, Berg M, Edsfeldt A, Sun J, Baumgartner R, Kareinen I, Casagrande FB, Hedin U, Zhang S, Vuckovic I, Dzeja PP, Polyzos KA, Gisterå A, Trauelsen M, Schwartz TW, Dib L, Herrmann J, Monaco C, Matic L, Gonçalves I, Ketelhuth DFJ. Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase regulates vascular inflammation in atherosclerosis and increases cardiovascular risk. Cardiovasc Res 2023; 119:1524-1536. [PMID: 36866436 PMCID: PMC10318388 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvad038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Recent studies have revealed a close connection between cellular metabolism and the chronic inflammatory process of atherosclerosis. While the link between systemic metabolism and atherosclerosis is well established, the implications of altered metabolism in the artery wall are less understood. Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK)-dependent inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) has been identified as a major metabolic step regulating inflammation. Whether the PDK/PDH axis plays a role in vascular inflammation and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Gene profiling of human atherosclerotic plaques revealed a strong correlation between PDK1 and PDK4 transcript levels and the expression of pro-inflammatory and destabilizing genes. Remarkably, the PDK1 and PDK4 expression correlated with a more vulnerable plaque phenotype, and PDK1 expression was found to predict future major adverse cardiovascular events. Using the small-molecule PDK inhibitor dichloroacetate (DCA) that restores arterial PDH activity, we demonstrated that the PDK/PDH axis is a major immunometabolic pathway, regulating immune cell polarization, plaque development, and fibrous cap formation in Apoe-/- mice. Surprisingly, we discovered that DCA regulates succinate release and mitigates its GPR91-dependent signals promoting NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1β secretion by macrophages in the plaque. CONCLUSIONS We have demonstrated for the first time that the PDK/PDH axis is associated with vascular inflammation in humans and particularly that the PDK1 isozyme is associated with more severe disease and could predict secondary cardiovascular events. Moreover, we demonstrate that targeting the PDK/PDH axis with DCA skews the immune system, inhibits vascular inflammation and atherogenesis, and promotes plaque stability features in Apoe-/- mice. These results point toward a promising treatment to combat atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria J Forteza
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Instutet,BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Berg
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Instutet,BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Edsfeldt
- Cardiovascular Research Translational Studies, Clinical Research Centre, Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Jan Waldenströms gata 35, 20 502, Malmö, Sweden
- Department of Cardiology, Skåne University Hospital, Carl-Bertil Laurells gata 9, 21 428, Malmö, Sweden
- Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, Lund University, Jan Waldenströms gata 35, 20 502, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Jangming Sun
- Cardiovascular Research Translational Studies, Clinical Research Centre, Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Jan Waldenströms gata 35, 20 502, Malmö, Sweden
- Department of Cardiology, Skåne University Hospital, Carl-Bertil Laurells gata 9, 21 428, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Roland Baumgartner
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Instutet,BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ilona Kareinen
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Instutet,BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Felipe Beccaria Casagrande
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Instutet,BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulf Hedin
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Song Zhang
- Mayo Clinic Metabolomics Core, Mayo Clinic, 200, First St. SW Rochester, MN 55905, USA
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200, First St. SW Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Ivan Vuckovic
- Mayo Clinic Metabolomics Core, Mayo Clinic, 200, First St. SW Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Petras P Dzeja
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200, First St. SW Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Konstantinos A Polyzos
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Instutet,BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anton Gisterå
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Instutet,BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mette Trauelsen
- Section for Metabolic Receptology, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3A, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thue W Schwartz
- Section for Metabolic Receptology, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3A, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lea Dib
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Dr, Headington, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK
| | - Joerg Herrmann
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200, First St. SW Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Claudia Monaco
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Dr, Headington, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK
| | - Ljubica Matic
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Isabel Gonçalves
- Cardiovascular Research Translational Studies, Clinical Research Centre, Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Jan Waldenströms gata 35, 20 502, Malmö, Sweden
- Department of Cardiology, Skåne University Hospital, Carl-Bertil Laurells gata 9, 21 428, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Daniel F J Ketelhuth
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Instutet,BioClinicum, Solnavägen 30, Solna, 17 164, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Cardiovascular and Renal Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløws vej 21, 5000 Odense, Denmark
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40
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Dib L, Koneva LA, Edsfeldt A, Zurke YX, Sun J, Nitulescu M, Attar M, Lutgens E, Schmidt S, Lindholm MW, Choudhury RP, Cassimjee I, Lee R, Handa A, Goncalves I, Sansom SN, Monaco C. Lipid-associated macrophages transition to an inflammatory state in human atherosclerosis increasing the risk of cerebrovascular complications. NATURE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH 2023; 2:656-672. [PMID: 38362263 PMCID: PMC7615632 DOI: 10.1038/s44161-023-00295-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The immune system is integral to cardiovascular health and disease. Targeting inflammation ameliorates adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Atherosclerosis, a major underlying cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), is conceptualised as a lipid-driven inflammation where macrophages play a non-redundant role. However, evidence emerging so far from single cell atlases suggests a dichotomy between lipid associated and inflammatory macrophage states. Here, we present an inclusive reference atlas of human intraplaque immune cell communities. Combining scRNASeq of human surgical carotid endarterectomies in a discovery cohort with bulk RNASeq and immunohistochemistry in a validation cohort (the Carotid Plaque Imaging Project-CPIP), we reveal the existence of PLIN2hi/TREM1hi macrophages as a toll-like receptor-dependent inflammatory lipid-associated macrophage state linked to cerebrovascular events. Our study shifts the current paradigm of lipid-driven inflammation by providing biological evidence for a pathogenic macrophage transition to an inflammatory lipid-associated phenotype and for its targeting as a new treatment strategy for CVD.
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Grants
- FS/18/63/34184 British Heart Foundation
- Novo Nordisk Fonden (Novo Nordisk Foundation)
- British Heart Foundation (BHF)
- Fondation Leducq
- European Commission (EC)
- Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research (KENN161701, KENN202101, KENN192004), Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.
- Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Research Council)
- The Swedish Society for Medical Research, Crafoord foundation; The Swedish Society of Medicine, the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, Diabetes foundation, SUS foundation, Lund University Diabetes Center, The Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation, the Medical Faculty at Lund University and Region Skåne.
- Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research (KENN161701, KENN202101, KENN192004)
- Netcare-Physicians-Partnership trust
- Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning (Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research)
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Dib
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Lada A. Koneva
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andreas Edsfeldt
- Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Clinical Research Center, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- Department of Cardiology, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
- Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Yasemin-Xiomara Zurke
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jiangming Sun
- Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Clinical Research Center, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Mihaela Nitulescu
- Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Clinical Research Center, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Moustafa Attar
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Esther Lutgens
- Cardiovascular Medicine and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN USA
| | - Steffen Schmidt
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, RNA Therapeutics Research, Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Marie W. Lindholm
- Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, RNA Therapeutics Research, Roche Innovation Center Copenhagen, Hørsholm, Denmark
| | | | - Ismail Cassimjee
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Regent Lee
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ashok Handa
- Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Isabel Goncalves
- Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Clinical Research Center, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- Department of Cardiology, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Stephen N. Sansom
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Claudia Monaco
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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41
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Tian Z, Li X, Jiang D. Analysis of immunogenic cell death in atherosclerosis based on scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 119:110130. [PMID: 37075670 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regulated cell death plays a very important role in atherosclerosis (AS). Despite a large number of studies, there is a lack of literature on immunogenic cell death (ICD) in AS. METHOD Carotid atherosclerotic plaque single-cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing data were analyzed to define involved cells and determine their transcriptomic characteristics. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, CIBERSORT, ESTIMATE and ssGSEA (Gene Set Enrichment Analysis), consensus clustering analysis, random forest (RF), Decision Curve Analysis (DCA), and the Drug-Gene Interaction and DrugBank databases were applied for bulk sequencing data. All data were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). RESULT mDCs and CTLs correlated obviously with AS occurrence and development (k2(mDCs) = 48.333, P < 0.001; k2(CTL) = 130.56, P < 0.001). In total, 21 differentially expressed genes were obtained for the bulk transcriptome; KEGG enrichment analysis results were similar to those for differentially expressed genes in endothelial cells. Eleven genes with a gene importance score > 1.5 were obtained in the training set and validated in the test set, resulting in 8 differentially expressed genes for ICD. A model to predict occurrence of AS and 56 drugs that may be used to treat AS were obtained with these 8 genes. CONCLUSION Immunogenic cell death occurs mainly in endothelial cells in AS. ICD maintains chronic inflammation in AS and plays a crucial role in its occurrence and development. ICD related genes may become drug-targeted genes for AS treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zemin Tian
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Xinyang Li
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Delong Jiang
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China.
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42
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Dai C, Lin Y. Comprehensive analysis of the diagnostic and therapeutic value of the hypoxia-related gene PLAUR in the progression of atherosclerosis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8533. [PMID: 37237021 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35548-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Atherosclerosis (AS) is a major contributor to a variety of negative clinical outcomes, including stroke and myocardial infarction. However, the role and therapeutic value of hypoxia-related genes in AS development has been less discussed. In this study, Plasminogen activator, urokinase receptor (PLAUR) was identified as an effective diagnostic marker for AS lesion progression by combining WGCNA and random forest algorithm. We validated the stability of the diagnostic value on multiple external datasets including humans and mice. We identified a significant correlation between PLAUR expression and lesion progression. We mined multiple single cell-RNA sequencing (sc-RNA seq) data to nominate macrophage as the key cell cluster for PLAUR mediated lesion progression. We combined cross-validation results from multiple databases to predict that HCG17-hsa-miR-424-5p-HIF1A, a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, may regulate hypoxia inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF1A) expression. The DrugMatrix database was used to predict alprazolam, valsartan, biotin A, lignocaine, and curcumin as potential drugs to delay lesion progression by antagonizing PLAUR, and AutoDock was used to verify the binding ability of drugs and PLAUR. Overall, this study provides the first systematic identification of the diagnostic and therapeutic value of PLAUR in AS and offers multiple treatment options with potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengyi Dai
- The First People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District, Xiaoshan First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Hangzhou, 311200, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Yuhang Lin
- Department of Neurology, Wenling First People's Hospital, The Affiliated Wenling Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenling, 317500, Zhejiang, China
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43
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Lee S, Schleer H, Park H, Jang E, Boyer M, Tao B, Gamez-Mendez A, Singh A, Folta-Stogniew E, Zhang X, Qin L, Xiao X, Xu L, Zhang J, Hu X, Pashos E, Tellides G, Shaul PW, Lee WL, Fernandez-Hernando C, Eichmann A, Sessa WC. Genetic or therapeutic neutralization of ALK1 reduces LDL transcytosis and atherosclerosis in mice. NATURE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH 2023; 2:438-448. [PMID: 39196046 PMCID: PMC11358031 DOI: 10.1038/s44161-023-00266-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) accumulation in the arterial wall contributes to atherosclerosis initiation and progression1. Activin A receptor-like type 1 (ACVRL1, called activin-like kinase receptor (ALK1)) is a recently identified receptor that mediates LDL entry and transcytosis in endothelial cells (ECs)2,3. However, the role of this pathway in vivo is not yet known. In the present study, we show that genetic deletion of ALK1 in arterial ECs of mice substantially limits LDL accumulation, macrophage infiltration and atherosclerosis without affecting cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Moreover, a selective monoclonal antibody binding ALK1 efficiently blocked LDL transcytosis, but not bone morphogenetic protein-9 (BMP9) signaling, dramatically reducing plaque formation in LDL receptor knockout mice fed a high-fat diet. Thus, our results demonstrate that blocking LDL transcytosis into the endothelium may be a promising therapeutic strategy that targets the initiating event of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Atherosclerosis/metabolism
- Atherosclerosis/genetics
- Atherosclerosis/pathology
- Transcytosis/drug effects
- Activin Receptors, Type II/metabolism
- Activin Receptors, Type II/genetics
- Receptors, LDL/genetics
- Receptors, LDL/metabolism
- Lipoproteins, LDL/metabolism
- Endothelial Cells/metabolism
- Endothelial Cells/drug effects
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Disease Models, Animal
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/pathology
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/drug therapy
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/genetics
- Signal Transduction
- Male
- Humans
- Growth Differentiation Factor 2/metabolism
- Growth Differentiation Factor 2/genetics
- Macrophages/metabolism
- Macrophages/drug effects
- Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects
- Cells, Cultured
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungwoon Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Hyojin Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Erika Jang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Boyer
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Bo Tao
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ana Gamez-Mendez
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Abhishek Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ewa Folta-Stogniew
- W.M. Keck Biotechnology Resource Laboratory, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Xinbo Zhang
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lingfeng Qin
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Xue Xiao
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Department of Population & Data Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lin Xu
- Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, Department of Population & Data Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Junhui Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Xiaoyue Hu
- Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Evanthia Pashos
- Internal Medicine Research, Unit Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - George Tellides
- Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Philip W Shaul
- Center for Pulmonary and Vascular Biology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Warren L Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Carlos Fernandez-Hernando
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Anne Eichmann
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - William C Sessa
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Internal Medicine Research, Unit Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Wong D, Auguste G, Cardenas CLL, Turner AW, Chen Y, Song Y, Ma L, Perry RN, Aherrahrou R, Kuppusamy M, Yang C, Mosquera JV, Dube CJ, Khan MD, Palmore M, Kalra JK, Kavousi M, Peyser PA, Matic L, Hedin U, Manichaikul A, Sonkusare SK, Civelek M, Kovacic JC, Björkegren JL, Malhotra R, Miller CL. FHL5 Controls Vascular Disease-Associated Gene Programs in Smooth Muscle Cells. Circ Res 2023; 132:1144-1161. [PMID: 37017084 PMCID: PMC10147587 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.122.321692] [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: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of loci associated with common vascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and hypertension. However, the lack of mechanistic insights for many GWAS loci limits their translation into the clinic. Among these loci with unknown functions is UFL1-four-and-a-half LIM (LIN-11, Isl-1, MEC-3) domain 5 (FHL5; chr6q16.1), which reached genome-wide significance in a recent coronary artery disease/ myocardial infarction GWAS meta-analysis. UFL1-FHL5 is also associated with several vascular diseases, consistent with the widespread pleiotropy observed for GWAS loci. METHODS We apply a multimodal approach leveraging statistical fine-mapping, epigenomic profiling, and ex vivo analysis of human coronary artery tissues to implicate FHL5 as the top candidate causal gene. We unravel the molecular mechanisms of the cross-phenotype genetic associations through in vitro functional analyses and epigenomic profiling experiments in coronary artery smooth muscle cells. RESULTS We prioritized FHL5 as the top candidate causal gene at the UFL1-FHL5 locus through expression quantitative trait locus colocalization methods. FHL5 gene expression was enriched in the smooth muscle cells and pericyte population in human artery tissues with coexpression network analyses supporting a functional role in regulating smooth muscle cell contraction. Unexpectedly, under procalcifying conditions, FHL5 overexpression promoted vascular calcification and dysregulated processes related to extracellular matrix organization and calcium handling. Lastly, by mapping FHL5 binding sites and inferring FHL5 target gene function using artery tissue gene regulatory network analyses, we highlight regulatory interactions between FHL5 and downstream coronary artery disease/myocardial infarction loci, such as FOXL1 and FN1 that have roles in vascular remodeling. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these studies provide mechanistic insights into the pleiotropic genetic associations of UFL1-FHL5. We show that FHL5 mediates vascular disease risk through transcriptional regulation of downstream vascular remodeling gene programs. These transacting mechanisms may explain a portion of the heritable risk for complex vascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Wong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Gaëlle Auguste
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Christian L. Lino Cardenas
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adam W. Turner
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Yixuan Chen
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Yipei Song
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Lijiang Ma
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - R. Noah Perry
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Redouane Aherrahrou
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Maniselvan Kuppusamy
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Chaojie Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Jose Verdezoto Mosquera
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Collin J. Dube
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Mohammad Daud Khan
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Meredith Palmore
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Jaspreet K. Kalra
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Maryam Kavousi
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, The Netherlands
| | | | - Ljubica Matic
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulf Hedin
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ani Manichaikul
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Swapnil K. Sonkusare
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Mete Civelek
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Jason C. Kovacic
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- St. Vincent’s Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Johan L.M. Björkegren
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
- Integrated Cardio Metabolic Centre, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Rajeev Malhotra
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Clint L. Miller
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Ruan Q, Guan P, Qi W, Li J, Xi M, Xiao L, Zhong S, Ma D, Ni J. Porphyromonas gingivalis regulates atherosclerosis through an immune pathway. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1103592. [PMID: 36999040 PMCID: PMC10043234 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1103592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease, involving a pathological process of endothelial dysfunction, lipid deposition, plaque rupture, and arterial occlusion, and is one of the leading causes of death in the world population. The progression of AS is closely associated with several inflammatory diseases, among which periodontitis has been shown to increase the risk of AS. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), presenting in large numbers in subgingival plaque biofilms, is the “dominant flora” in periodontitis, and its multiple virulence factors are important in stimulating host immunity. Therefore, it is significant to elucidate the potential mechanism and association between P. gingivalis and AS to prevent and treat AS. By summarizing the existing studies, we found that P. gingivalis promotes the progression of AS through multiple immune pathways. P. gingivalis can escape host immune clearance and, in various forms, circulate with blood and lymph and colonize arterial vessel walls, directly inducing local inflammation in blood vessels. It also induces the production of systemic inflammatory mediators and autoimmune antibodies, disrupts the serum lipid profile, and thus promotes the progression of AS. In this paper, we summarize the recent evidence (including clinical studies and animal studies) on the correlation between P. gingivalis and AS, and describe the specific immune mechanisms by which P. gingivalis promotes AS progression from three aspects (immune escape, blood circulation, and lymphatic circulation), providing new insights into the prevention and treatment of AS by suppressing periodontal pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qijun Ruan
- Department of Periodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Peng Guan
- Department of Periodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weijuan Qi
- Department of Periodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiatong Li
- Department of Periodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengying Xi
- Department of Periodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Limin Xiao
- Department of Periodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sulan Zhong
- Department of Periodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dandan Ma
- Department of Endodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Dandan Ma, ; Jia Ni,
| | - Jia Ni
- Department of Periodontics, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Dandan Ma, ; Jia Ni,
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46
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Anisimov A, Fang S, Hemanthakumar KA, Örd T, van Avondt K, Chevre R, Toropainen A, Singha P, Gilani H, Nguyen SD, Karaman S, Korhonen EA, Adams RH, Augustin HG, Öörni K, Soehnlein O, Kaikkonen MU, Alitalo K. The angiopoietin receptor Tie2 is atheroprotective in arterial endothelium. NATURE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH 2023; 2:307-321. [PMID: 37476204 PMCID: PMC7614785 DOI: 10.1038/s44161-023-00224-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Leukocytes and resident cells in the arterial wall contribute to atherosclerosis, especially at sites of disturbed blood flow. Expression of endothelial Tie1 receptor tyrosine kinase is enhanced at these sites, and attenuation of its expression reduces atherosclerotic burden and decreases inflammation. However, Tie2 tyrosine kinase function in atherosclerosis is unknown. Here we provide genetic evidence from humans and from an atherosclerotic mouse model to show that TIE2 is associated with protection from coronary artery disease. We show that deletion of Tie2, or both Tie2 and Tie1, in the arterial endothelium promotes atherosclerosis by increasing Foxo1 nuclear localization, endothelial adhesion molecule expression and accumulation of immune cells. We also show that Tie2 is expressed in a subset of aortic fibroblasts, and its silencing in these cells increases expression of inflammation-related genes. Our findings indicate that unlike Tie1, the Tie2 receptor functions as the dominant endothelial angiopoietin receptor that protects from atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Anisimov
- Wihuri Research Institute, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Shentong Fang
- Wihuri Research Institute, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- School of Biopharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Karthik Amudhala Hemanthakumar
- Wihuri Research Institute, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tiit Örd
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kristof van Avondt
- Institute of Experimental Pathology (ExPat), Center of Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE), University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Raphael Chevre
- Institute of Experimental Pathology (ExPat), Center of Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE), University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Anu Toropainen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Prosanta Singha
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Huda Gilani
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Su D. Nguyen
- Wihuri Research Institute, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Present Address: Orion Corporation, Orion Pharma, Turku, Finland
| | - Sinem Karaman
- Wihuri Research Institute, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Individualized Drug Therapy Research Program, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emilia A. Korhonen
- Wihuri Research Institute, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute for Neurovascular Cell Biology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- European Center for Angioscience (ECAS), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ralf H. Adams
- Department of Tissue Morphogenesis, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hellmut G. Augustin
- European Center for Angioscience (ECAS), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Vascular Oncology and Metastasis, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katariina Öörni
- Wihuri Research Institute, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Oliver Soehnlein
- Institute of Experimental Pathology (ExPat), Center of Molecular Biology of Inflammation (ZMBE), University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Minna U. Kaikkonen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kari Alitalo
- Wihuri Research Institute, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Cancer Medicine Program, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Yu L, Zhang Y, Liu C, Wu X, Wang S, Sui W, Zhang Y, Zhang C, Zhang M. Heterogeneity of macrophages in atherosclerosis revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing. FASEB J 2023; 37:e22810. [PMID: 36786718 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202201932rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Technology at the single-cell level has advanced dramatically in characterizing molecular heterogeneity. These technologies have enabled cell subtype diversity to be seen in all tissues, including atherosclerotic plaques. Critical in atherosclerosis pathogenesis and progression are macrophages. Previous studies have only determined macrophage phenotypes within the plaque, mainly by bulk analysis. However, recent progress in single-cell technologies now enables the comprehensive mapping of macrophage subsets and phenotypes present in plaques. In this review, we have updated and discussed the definition and classification of macrophage subsets in mice and humans using single-cell RNA sequencing. We summarized the different classification methods and perspectives: traditional classification with an updated scoring system, inflammatory macrophages, foamy macrophages, and atherosclerotic-resident macrophages. In addition, some special types of macrophages were identified by specific markers, including IFN-inducible and cavity macrophages. Furthermore, we discussed macrophage subset-specific markers and their functions. In the future, these novel insights into the characteristics and phenotypes of these macrophage subsets within atherosclerotic plaques can provide additional therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liwen Yu
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yujie Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Changhao Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiao Wu
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shasha Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Wenhai Sui
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Cardiovascular Disease Research Center of Shandong First Medical University, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Cardiovascular Disease Research Center of Shandong First Medical University, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Cardiovascular Disease Research Center of Shandong First Medical University, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Cardiovascular Disease Research Center of Shandong First Medical University, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
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48
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Xiong J, Li Z, Tang H, Duan Y, Ban X, Xu K, Guo Y, Tu Y. Bulk and single-cell characterisation of the immune heterogeneity of atherosclerosis identifies novel targets for immunotherapy. BMC Biol 2023; 21:46. [PMID: 36855107 PMCID: PMC9974063 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01540-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immune cells that infiltrate lesions are important for atherosclerosis progression and immunotherapies. This study was aimed at gaining important new insights into the heterogeneity of these cells by integrating the sequencing results of multiple samples and using an enhanced single-cell sequencing workflow to overcome the limitations of a single study. RESULTS Integrative analyses identified 28 distinct subpopulations based on gene expression profiles. Further analysis demonstrated that these cells manifested high heterogeneity at the levels of tissue preferences, genetic perturbations, functional variations, immune dynamics, transcriptional regulators, metabolic changes, and communication patterns. Of the T cells, interferon-induced CD8+ T cells were involved in the progression of atherosclerosis. In contrast, proinflammatory CD4+ CD28null T cells predicted a poor outcome in atherosclerosis. Notably, we identified two subpopulations of foamy macrophages that exhibit contrasting phenotypes. Among them, TREM2- SPP1+ foamy macrophages were preferentially distributed in the hypoxic core of plaques. These glycolytic metabolism-enriched cells, with impaired cholesterol metabolism and robust pro-angiogenic capacity, were phenotypically regulated by CSF1 secreted by co-localised mast cells. Moreover, combined with deconvolution of the bulk datasets, we revealed that these dysfunctional cells had a higher proportion of ruptured and haemorrhagic lesions and were significantly associated with poor atherosclerosis prognoses. CONCLUSIONS We systematically explored atherosclerotic immune heterogeneity and identified cell populations underlying atherosclerosis progression and poor prognosis, which may be valuable for developing new and precise immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Xiong
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150000, China
| | - Zhaoyue Li
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150000, China
| | - Hao Tang
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150000, China
| | - Yuchen Duan
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150000, China
| | - Xiaofang Ban
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150086, China
| | - Ke Xu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150000, China
| | - Yutong Guo
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150000, China
| | - Yingfeng Tu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150000, China.
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49
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Chen J, Xu H, Tao W, Chen Z, Zhao Y, Han JDJ. Transformer for one stop interpretable cell type annotation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:223. [PMID: 36641532 PMCID: PMC9840170 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35923-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Consistent annotation transfer from reference dataset to query dataset is fundamental to the development and reproducibility of single-cell research. Compared with traditional annotation methods, deep learning based methods are faster and more automated. A series of useful single cell analysis tools based on autoencoder architecture have been developed but these struggle to strike a balance between depth and interpretability. Here, we present TOSICA, a multi-head self-attention deep learning model based on Transformer that enables interpretable cell type annotation using biologically understandable entities, such as pathways or regulons. We show that TOSICA achieves fast and accurate one-stop annotation and batch-insensitive integration while providing biologically interpretable insights for understanding cellular behavior during development and disease progressions. We demonstrate TOSICA's advantages by applying it to scRNA-seq data of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, and CD14+ monocytes in COVID-19 to reveal rare cell types, heterogeneity and dynamic trajectories associated with disease progression and severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Chen
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Hao Xu
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Wanyu Tao
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhaoxiong Chen
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Yuxuan Zhao
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Jing-Dong J Han
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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50
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Xue W, He W, Yan M, Zhao H, Pi J. Exploring Shared Biomarkers of Myocardial Infarction and Alzheimer's Disease via Single-Cell/Nucleus Sequencing and Bioinformatics Analysis. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 96:705-723. [PMID: 37840493 PMCID: PMC10657707 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230559] [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] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients are at increased risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), after myocardial infarction (MI), but the biological link between MI and AD is unclear. OBJECTIVE To understand the association between the pathogenesis of MI and AD and identify common biomarkers of both diseases. METHODS Using public databases, we identified common biomarkers of MI and AD. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were performed to further screen hub biomarkers. Functional enrichment analyses were performed on the hub biomarkers. Single-cell/nucleus analysis was utilized to further analyze the hub biomarkers at the cellular level in carotid atherosclerosis and AD datasets. Motif enrichment analysis was used to screen key transcription factors. RESULTS 26 common differentially expressed genes were screened between MI and AD. Function enrichment analyses showed that these differentially expressed genes were mainly associated with inflammatory pathways. A key gene, Regulator of G-protein Signaling 1 (RGS1), was obtained by LASSO regression and PPI network. RGS1 was confirmed to mainly express in macrophages and microglia according to single-cell/nucleus analysis. The difference in expression of RGS1 in macrophages and microglia between disease groups and controls was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The expression of RGS1 in the disease groups was upregulated with the differentiation of macrophages and microglia. RelA was a key transcription factor regulating RGS1. CONCLUSION Macrophages and microglia are involved in the inflammatory response of MI and AD. RGS1 may be a key biomarker in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqi Xue
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Weifeng He
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Mengyuan Yan
- Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Huanyi Zhao
- First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jianbin Pi
- Department of Cardiovascular Disease, The Eighth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Foshan, Guangdong, China
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