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Zhao J, Huangfu C, Chang Z, Grainger AT, Liu Z, Shi W. Atherogenesis in the Carotid Artery with and without Interrupted Blood Flow of Two Hyperlipidemic Mouse Strains. J Vasc Res 2019; 56:241-254. [PMID: 31536996 DOI: 10.1159/000502691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries is a common cause of ischemic stroke. We examined atherogenesis in the left carotid artery with and without interrupted blood flow of C57BL/6 (B6) and C3H-Apoe-deficient (Apoe-/-) mouse strains. METHODS Blood flow was interrupted by ligating the common carotid artery near its bifurcation in one group of mice and another group was not interrupted. RESULTS Without interference with blood flow, C3H-Apoe-/- mice developed no atherosclerosis in the carotid artery, while B6-Apoe-/- mice formed advanced atherosclerotic lesions (98,019 ± 10,594 μm2/section) after 12 weeks of a Western diet. When blood flow was interrupted by ligating the common carotid artery near its bifurcation, C3H-Apoe-/- mice showed fatty streak lesions 2 weeks after ligation, and by 4 weeks fibrous lesions had formed, although they were smaller than in B6-Apoe-/- mice. Neutrophil adhesion to endothelium and infiltration in lesions was observed in ligated arteries of both strains. Treatment of B6-Apoe-/- mice with antibody against neutrophils had little effect on lesion size. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate the dramatic influences of genetic backgrounds and blood flow on atherogenesis in the carotid artery of hyperlipidemic mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Zhao
- Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Chaoji Huangfu
- Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Western Theater Command, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhihui Chang
- Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Andrew T Grainger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Zhaoyu Liu
- Department of Radiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Weibin Shi
- Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA,
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2
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Fancher IS, Ahn SJ, Adamos C, Osborn C, Oh MJ, Fang Y, Reardon CA, Getz GS, Phillips SA, Levitan I. Hypercholesterolemia-Induced Loss of Flow-Induced Vasodilation and Lesion Formation in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice Critically Depend on Inwardly Rectifying K + Channels. J Am Heart Assoc 2018; 7:e007430. [PMID: 29502106 PMCID: PMC5866319 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.117.007430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypercholesterolemia-induced decreased availability of nitric oxide (NO) is a major factor in cardiovascular disease. We previously established that cholesterol suppresses endothelial inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channels and that Kir2.1 is an upstream mediator of flow-induced NO production. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that suppression of Kir2.1 is responsible for hypercholesterolemia-induced inhibition of flow-induced NO production and flow-induced vasodilation (FIV). We also tested the role of Kir2.1 in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS Kir2.1 currents are significantly suppressed in microvascular endothelial cells exposed to acetylated-low-density lipoprotein or isolated from apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe-/- ) mice and rescued by cholesterol depletion. Genetic deficiency of Kir2.1 on the background of hypercholesterolemic Apoe-/- mice, Kir2.1+/-/Apoe-/- exhibit the same blunted FIV and flow-induced NO response as Apoe-/- or Kir2.1+/- alone, but while FIV in Apoe-/- mice can be rescued by cholesterol depletion, in Kir2.1+/-/Apoe-/- mice cholesterol depletion has no effect on FIV. Endothelial-specific overexpression of Kir2.1 in arteries from Apoe-/- and Kir2.1+/-/Apoe-/- mice results in full rescue of FIV and NO production in Apoe-/- mice with and without the addition of a high-fat diet. Conversely, endothelial-specific expression of dominant-negative Kir2.1 results in the opposite effect. Kir2.1+/-/Apoe-/- mice also show increased lesion formation, particularly in the atheroresistant area of descending aorta. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that hypercholesterolemia-induced reduction in FIV is largely attributable to cholesterol suppression of Kir2.1 function via the loss of flow-induced NO production, whereas the stages downstream of flow-induced Kir2.1 activation appear to be mostly intact. Kir2.1 channels also have an atheroprotective role.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Aorta/metabolism
- Aorta/pathology
- Aortic Diseases/genetics
- Aortic Diseases/metabolism
- Aortic Diseases/pathology
- Aortic Diseases/physiopathology
- Atherosclerosis/genetics
- Atherosclerosis/metabolism
- Atherosclerosis/pathology
- Atherosclerosis/physiopathology
- Cells, Cultured
- Cholesterol/blood
- Disease Models, Animal
- Endothelial Cells/metabolism
- Endothelial Cells/pathology
- Endothelium, Vascular/metabolism
- Endothelium, Vascular/physiopathology
- Hypercholesterolemia/genetics
- Hypercholesterolemia/metabolism
- Hypercholesterolemia/pathology
- Hypercholesterolemia/physiopathology
- Male
- Mesenteric Arteries/metabolism
- Mesenteric Arteries/physiopathology
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout, ApoE
- Nitric Oxide/metabolism
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic
- Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying/deficiency
- Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying/genetics
- Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Vasodilation
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibra S Fancher
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
| | - Sang Joon Ahn
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
| | - Crystal Adamos
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
| | - Catherine Osborn
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
| | - Myung-Jin Oh
- Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, IL
| | - Yun Fang
- Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, IL
| | | | | | - Shane A Phillips
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
| | - Irena Levitan
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep and Allergy, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
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3
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Östergren C, Shim J, Larsen JV, Nielsen LB, Bentzon JF. Genetic analysis of ligation-induced neointima formation in an F2 intercross of C57BL/6 and FVB/N inbred mouse strains. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0121899. [PMID: 25875831 PMCID: PMC4395357 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are central for arterial diseases including atherosclerosis and restenosis. We hypothesized that the underlying mechanisms may be modeled by carotid ligation in mice. In FVB/N inbred mice, ligation leads to abundant neointima formation with proliferating media-derived SMCs, whereas in C57BL/6 mice hardly any neointima is formed. In the present study, we aimed to identify the chromosomal location of the causative gene variants in an F2 intercross between these two mouse strains. Methods and Results The neointimal cross-sectional area was significantly different between FVB/N, C57BL/6 and F1 female mice 4 weeks after ligation. Carotid artery ligation and a genome scan using 800 informative SNP markers were then performed in 157 female F2 mice. Using quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, we identified suggestive, but no genome-wide significant, QTLs on chromosomes 7 and 12 for neointimal cross-sectional area and on chromosome 14 for media area. Further analysis of the cross revealed 4 QTLs for plasma cholesterol, which combined explained 69% of the variation among F2 mice. Conclusions We identified suggestive QTLs for neointima and media area after carotid ligation in an intercross of FVB/N and C57BL/6 mice, but none that reached genome-wide significance indicating a complex genetic architecture of the traits. Genome-wide significant QTLs for total cholesterol levels were identified on chromosomes 1, 3, 9, and 12.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Östergren
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, and Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jeong Shim
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, and Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jens Vinther Larsen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, and Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lars Bo Nielsen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jacob F. Bentzon
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, and Department of Cardiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
- * E-mail:
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Rexhaj E, Paoloni-Giacobino A, Rimoldi SF, Fuster DG, Anderegg M, Somm E, Bouillet E, Allemann Y, Sartori C, Scherrer U. Mice generated by in vitro fertilization exhibit vascular dysfunction and shortened life span. J Clin Invest 2013; 123:5052-60. [PMID: 24270419 PMCID: PMC3859389 DOI: 10.1172/jci68943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2013] [Accepted: 09/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies (ART) display a level of vascular dysfunction similar to that seen in children of mothers with preeclamspia. The long-term consequences of ART-associated vascular disorders are unknown and difficult to investigate in healthy children. Here, we found that vasculature from mice generated by ART display endothelial dysfunction and increased stiffness, which translated into arterial hypertension in vivo. Progeny of male ART mice also exhibited vascular dysfunction, suggesting underlying epigenetic modifications. ART mice had altered methylation at the promoter of the gene encoding eNOS in the aorta, which correlated with decreased vascular eNOS expression and NO synthesis. Administration of a deacetylase inhibitor to ART mice normalized vascular gene methylation and function and resulted in progeny without vascular dysfunction. The induction of ART-associated vascular and epigenetic alterations appeared to be related to the embryo environment; these alterations were possibly facilitated by the hormonally stimulated ovulation accompanying ART. Finally, ART mice challenged with a high-fat diet had roughly a 25% shorter life span compared with control animals. This study highlights the potential of ART to induce vascular dysfunction and shorten life span and suggests that epigenetic alterations contribute to these problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emrush Rexhaj
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Ariane Paoloni-Giacobino
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Stefano F. Rimoldi
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Daniel G. Fuster
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Manuel Anderegg
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Emmanuel Somm
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Elisa Bouillet
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Yves Allemann
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Claudio Sartori
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Urs Scherrer
- Swiss Cardiovascular Center Bern and Department of Clinical Research, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Genetic and Laboratory Medicine and Swiss Center for Applied Human Toxicology, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
Department of Internal Medicine, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
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5
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Dowling AR, Nedorezov LB, Qiu X, Marino JS, Hill JW. Genetic factors modulate the impact of pubertal androgen excess on insulin sensitivity and fertility. PLoS One 2013; 8:e79849. [PMID: 24278193 PMCID: PMC3835926 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2013] [Accepted: 09/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder of reproductive age women. The syndrome is caused by a combination of environmental influences and genetic predisposition. Despite extensive efforts, the heritable factors contributing to PCOS development are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that genetic background contributes to the development of a PCOS-like reproductive and metabolic phenotype in mice exposed to excess DHEA during the pubertal transition. We tested whether the PCOS phenotype would be more pronounced on the diabetes-prone C57BL/6 background than the previously used strain, BALB/cByJ. In addition, we examined strain-dependent upregulation of the expression of ovarian and extra-ovarian candidate genes implicated in human PCOS, genes containing known strain variants, and genes involved with steroidogenesis or insulin sensitivity. These studies show that there are significant strain-related differences in metabolic response to excess androgen exposure during puberty. Additionally, our results suggest the C57BL/6J strain provides a more robust and uniform experimental platform for PCOS research than the BALB/cByJ strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail R. Dowling
- University of Toledo Medical Center, Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Research, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Laura B. Nedorezov
- University of Toledo Medical Center, Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Research, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Xiaoliang Qiu
- University of Toledo Medical Center, Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Research, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Joseph S. Marino
- Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jennifer W. Hill
- University of Toledo Medical Center, Center for Diabetes and Endocrine Research, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio, United States of America
- Dept. of Obstetrics-Gynecology, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, Ohio, United States of America
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