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Gargalionis AN, Adamopoulos C, Vottis CT, Papavassiliou AG, Basdra EK. Runx2 and Polycystins in Bone Mechanotransduction: Challenges for Therapeutic Opportunities. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5291. [PMID: 38791330 PMCID: PMC11121608 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105291] [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: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Bone mechanotransduction is a critical process during skeletal development in embryogenesis and organogenesis. At the same time, the type and level of mechanical loading regulates bone remodeling throughout the adult life. The aberrant mechanosensing of bone cells has been implicated in the development and progression of bone loss disorders, but also in the bone-specific aspect of other clinical entities, such as the tumorigenesis of solid organs. Novel treatment options have come into sight that exploit the mechanosensitivity of osteoblasts, osteocytes, and chondrocytes to achieve efficient bone regeneration. In this regard, runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) has emerged as a chief skeletal-specific molecule of differentiation, which is prominent to induction by mechanical stimuli. Polycystins represent a family of mechanosensitive proteins that interact with Runx2 in mechano-induced signaling cascades and foster the regulation of alternative effectors of mechanotransuction. In the present narrative review, we employed a PubMed search to extract the literature concerning Runx2, polycystins, and their association from 2000 to March 2024. The keywords stated below were used for the article search. We discuss recent advances regarding the implication of Runx2 and polycystins in bone remodeling and regeneration and elaborate on the targeting strategies that may potentially be applied for the treatment of patients with bone loss diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonios N. Gargalionis
- Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, 12462 Athens, Greece;
| | - Christos Adamopoulos
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.A.); (A.G.P.)
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Christos T. Vottis
- First Department of Orthopedics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Attikon’ University General Hospital, 12462 Athens, Greece;
| | - Athanasios G. Papavassiliou
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.A.); (A.G.P.)
| | - Efthimia K. Basdra
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece; (C.A.); (A.G.P.)
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Zheng L, Yang Y, Liu J, Zhao T, Zhang X, Chen L. Identification of Key Immune Infiltration Related Genes Involved in Aortic Dissection Using Bioinformatic Analyses and Experimental Verification. J Inflamm Res 2024; 17:2119-2135. [PMID: 38595338 PMCID: PMC11003470 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s434993] [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: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Immune microenvironment plays an important role in aortic dissection (AD). Therefore, novel immune biomarkers may facilitate AD prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This study aimed at mining key immune-related genes and relevant mechanisms involved in AD pathogenesis. Patients and Methods Key immune cells in AD were identified by ssGESA algorithm. Next, genes associated with key immune cells were screened by weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Then hub immune genes were picked from protein-protein interaction network of overlapped genes from differential expression and WGCNA analyses by cytohubba plug-in. Their diagnostic potential was evaluated in two independent cohorts from GEO database. In addition, the expressions of hub immune genes were determined by quantitative RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting in dissected and normal aortic tissues. Results Activated B cells, CD56dim natural killer cells, eosinophils, gamma delta T cells, immature B cells, natural killer cells and type 17 T helper cells were identified as key immune cells in AD. Thereafter, a gene module significantly correlated with key immune cells were found by WGCNA method. Subsequently, KDR, IGF1, NOS3, PECAM1, GAPDH, FLT1, DLL4, CDH5, VWF, and TEK were identified as hub immune cell related genes by PPI network analysis, which may be potential diagnostic markers for AD, as evidenced by ROC curves. Moreover, the decreased expression of VWF in AD was validated at both mRNA and protein levels, and its expression was significantly positive correlated with the marker of smooth muscle cells, ACTA2, in AD. Further immunofluorescent results showed that VWF was colocalized with ACTA2 in aortic tissues. Conclusion We identified key immune cells and hub immune cell-related genes involved in AD. Moreover, we found that VWF was co-expressed with the smooth muscle cell marker ACTA2, indicating the important role of VWF in smooth muscle cell loss in AD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zheng
- Department of Vascular Surgery, the Second Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yusi Yang
- Department of Cardiology, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, 030032, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tianliang Zhao
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lihua Chen
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China
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Wang G, Luo Y, Gao X, Liang Y, Yang F, Wu J, Fang D, Luo M. MicroRNA regulation of phenotypic transformations in vascular smooth muscle: relevance to vascular remodeling. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:144. [PMID: 37165163 PMCID: PMC11071847 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04793-w] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) phenotype play a critical role in the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and restenosis after angioplasty. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous noncoding RNAs (approximately 19-25 nucleotides in length) that function as regulators in various physiological and pathophysiological events. Recent studies have suggested that aberrant miRNAs' expression might underlie VSMC phenotypic transformation, appearing to regulate the phenotypic transformations of VSMCs by targeting specific genes that either participate in the maintenance of the contractile phenotype or contribute to the transformation to alternate phenotypes, and affecting atherosclerosis, hypertension, and coronary artery disease by altering VSMC proliferation, migration, differentiation, inflammation, calcification, oxidative stress, and apoptosis, suggesting an important regulatory role in vascular remodeling for maintaining vascular homeostasis. This review outlines recent progress in the discovery of miRNAs and elucidation of their mechanisms of action and functions in VSMC phenotypic regulation. Importantly, as the literature supports roles for miRNAs in modulating vascular remodeling and for maintaining vascular homeostasis, this area of research will likely provide new insights into clinical diagnosis and prognosis and ultimately facilitate the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Longmatan District, No. 1, Section 1, Xianglin Road, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Department of Pharmacology, the School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- School of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yulin Luo
- GCP Center, Affiliated Hospital (Traditional Chinese Medicine) of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Gao
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Longmatan District, No. 1, Section 1, Xianglin Road, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Department of Pharmacology, the School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yu Liang
- Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Feifei Yang
- School of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jianbo Wu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Longmatan District, No. 1, Section 1, Xianglin Road, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Department of Pharmacology, the School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Dan Fang
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Longmatan District, No. 1, Section 1, Xianglin Road, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Department of Pharmacology, the School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
| | - Mao Luo
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Drug Discovery Research Center, Southwest Medical University, Longmatan District, No. 1, Section 1, Xianglin Road, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
- Laboratory for Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Department of Pharmacology, the School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
- Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
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Liu G, Li J, Ming Y, Xiang B, Zhou X, Chen Y, Chen N, Abudupataer M, Zhu S, Sun X, Sun Y, Lai H, Feng S, Wang C, Zhu K. A hiPSC-derived lineage-specific vascular smooth muscle cell-on-a-chip identifies aortic heterogeneity across segments. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:1835-1851. [PMID: 36810777 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc01158a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Aortic aneurysm (AA), a potentially lethal condition with the characteristic of aortic dilatation, can only be treated by surgical or endovascular procedures. The underlying mechanisms of AA are unclear and early preventive treatment is still insufficient due to segmental aortic heterogeneity and the limitations of current disease models. Here, we firstly established a comprehensive lineage-specific vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC)-on-a-chip model using human induced pluripotent stem cells to yield cell lineages representing different segments of the aorta and tested the constructed organ-on-a-chip model under various tensile stress conditions. Bulk RNA sequencing, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, western blot and FACS analyses were performed to discover the segmental aortic heterogeneity of response for tensile stress and drug testing. The appropriate stretching frequency for all lineages of SMCs was 1.0 Hz, paraxial mesoderm (PM) SMCs were more sensitive to tensile stress than lateral mesoderm (LM) SMCs and neural crest (NC) SMCs. These differences may be related to the different transcriptional profiles of the tension-stressed distinct lineage-specific vascular SMCs, specifically in relation to the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Also, the organ-on-a-chip displayed contractile physiology, perfect fluid coordination, and was conducive to drug testing, displaying heterogeneous segmental aortic responses. Compared with LM-SMCs and NC-SMCs, PM-SMCs were more sensitive to ciprofloxacin. The model is evaluated as a novel and suitable supplement to AA animal models for determining differential physiology and drug response in different parts of the aorta. Furthermore, this system could pave the way for disease modeling, drug testing, and the personalized treatment of patients with AA in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Liu
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yang Ming
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Bitao Xiang
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xiaonan Zhou
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yabin Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, 319 Yueyang Road, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Nan Chen
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Mieradilijiang Abudupataer
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Shichao Zhu
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xiaoning Sun
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yongxin Sun
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Hao Lai
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Sisi Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| | - Chunsheng Wang
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Kai Zhu
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
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Emerging Role of Non-Coding RNAs in Aortic Dissection. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12101336. [PMID: 36291545 PMCID: PMC9599213 DOI: 10.3390/biom12101336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Aortic dissection (AD) is a fatal cardiovascular acute disease with high incidence and mortality, and it seriously threatens patients’ lives and health. The pathogenesis of AD mainly includes vascular inflammation, extracellular matrix degradation, and phenotypic conversion as well as apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs); however, its detailed mechanisms are still not fully elucidated. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are an emerging class of RNA molecules without protein-coding ability, and they play crucial roles in the progression of many diseases, including AD. A growing number of studies have shown that the dysregulation of ncRNAs contributes to the occurrence and development of AD by modulating the expression of specific target genes or the activity of related proteins. In addition, some ncRNAs exhibit great potential as promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets in AD treatment. In this review, we systematically summarize the recent findings on the underlying mechanism of ncRNA involved in AD regulation and highlight their clinical application as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in AD treatment. The information reviewed here will be of great benefit to the development of ncRNA-based therapeutic strategies for AD patients.
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Xue C, Li G, Lu J, Li L. Crosstalk between circRNAs and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in cancer progression. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:400. [PMID: 34815385 PMCID: PMC8611092 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00788-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs), covalently closed noncoding RNAs, are widely expressed in eukaryotes and viruses. They can function by regulating target gene expression, linear RNA transcription and protein generation. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway plays key roles in many biological and cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, growth, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis. It also plays a pivotal role in cancer progression. Emerging data suggest that the circRNA/PI3K/AKT axis modulates the expression of cancer-associated genes and thus regulates tumor progression. Aberrant regulation of the expression of circRNAs in the circRNA/PI3K/AKT axis is significantly associated with clinicopathological characteristics and plays an important role in the regulation of biological functions. In this review, we summarized the expression and biological functions of PI3K-AKT-related circRNAs in vitro and in vivo and assessed their associations with clinicopathological characteristics. We also further discussed the important role of circRNAs in the diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Xue
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Ganglei Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Juan Lu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Lanjuan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
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