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Ray AK, Priya A, Malik MZ, Thanaraj TA, Singh AK, Mago P, Ghosh C, Shalimar, Tandon R, Chaturvedi R. A bioinformatics approach to elucidate conserved genes and pathways in C. elegans as an animal model for cardiovascular research. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7471. [PMID: 38553458 PMCID: PMC10980734 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56562-9] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a collective term for disorders of the heart and blood vessels. The molecular events and biochemical pathways associated with CVD are difficult to study in clinical settings on patients and in vitro conditions. Animal models play a pivotal and indispensable role in CVD research. Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode species, has emerged as a prominent experimental organism widely utilized in various biomedical research fields. However, the specific number of CVD-related genes and pathways within the C. elegans genome remains undisclosed to date, limiting its in-depth utilization for investigations. In the present study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of genes and pathways related to CVD within the genomes of humans and C. elegans through a systematic bioinformatic approach. A total of 1113 genes in C. elegans orthologous to the most significant CVD-related genes in humans were identified, and the GO terms and pathways were compared to study the pathways that are conserved between the two species. In order to infer the functions of CVD-related orthologous genes in C. elegans, a PPI network was constructed. Orthologous gene PPI network analysis results reveal the hubs and important KRs: pmk-1, daf-21, gpb-1, crh-1, enpl-1, eef-1G, acdh-8, hif-1, pmk-2, and aha-1 in C. elegans. Modules were identified for determining the role of the orthologous genes at various levels in the created network. We also identified 9 commonly enriched pathways between humans and C. elegans linked with CVDs that include autophagy (animal), the ErbB signaling pathway, the FoxO signaling pathway, the MAPK signaling pathway, ABC transporters, the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and metabolic pathways. This study provides the first systematic genomic approach to explore the CVD-associated genes and pathways that are present in C. elegans, supporting the use of C. elegans as a prominent animal model organism for cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwini Kumar Ray
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
| | - Anjali Priya
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Md Zubbair Malik
- Department of Genetics and Bioinformatics, Dasman Diabetes Institute, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
| | | | - Alok Kumar Singh
- Department of Zoology, Ramjas College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Payal Mago
- Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Science for Women, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
- Campus of Open Learning, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Chirashree Ghosh
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Shalimar
- Department of Gastroenterology, All India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi, India
| | - Ravi Tandon
- Laboratory of AIDS Research and Immunology, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
| | - Rupesh Chaturvedi
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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Ray AK, Priya A, Malik MZ, Thanaraj TA, Singh AK, Mago P, Ghosh C, Shalimar, Tandon R, Chaturvedi R. Conserved Cardiovascular Network: Bioinformatics Insights into Genes and Pathways for Establishing Caenorhabditis elegans as an Animal Model for Cardiovascular Diseases. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.12.24.573256. [PMID: 38234826 PMCID: PMC10793405 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.24.573256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a collective term for disorders of the heart and blood vessels. The molecular events and biochemical pathways associated with CVD are difficult to study in clinical settings on patients and in vitro conditions. Animal models play a pivotal and indispensable role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) research. Caenorhabditis elegans , a nematode species, has emerged as a prominent experimental organism widely utilised in various biomedical research fields. However, the specific number of CVD-related genes and pathways within the C. elegans genome remains undisclosed to date, limiting its in-depth utilisation for investigations. In the present study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of genes and pathways related to CVD within the genomes of humans and C. elegans through a systematic bioinformatic approach. A total of 1113 genes in C. elegans orthologous to the most significant CVD-related genes in humans were identified, and the GO terms and pathways were compared to study the pathways that are conserved between the two species. In order to infer the functions of CVD-related orthologous genes in C. elegans, a PPI network was constructed. Orthologous gene PPI network analysis results reveal the hubs and important KRs: pmk-1, daf-21, gpb-1, crh-1, enpl-1, eef-1G, acdh-8, hif-1, pmk-2, and aha-1 in C. elegans. Modules were identified for determining the role of the orthologous genes at various levels in the created network. We also identified 9 commonly enriched pathways between humans and C. elegans linked with CVDs that include autophagy (animal), the ErbB signalling pathway, the FoxO signalling pathway, the MAPK signalling pathway, ABC transporters, the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and metabolic pathways. This study provides the first systematic genomic approach to explore the CVD-associated genes and pathways that are present in C. elegans, supporting the use of C. elegans as a prominent animal model organism for cardiovascular diseases.
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Tang X, Luo Y, Yuan D, Calandrelli R, Malhi NK, Sriram K, Miao Y, Lou CH, Tsark W, Tapia A, Chen AT, Zhang G, Roeth D, Kalkum M, Wang ZV, Chien S, Natarajan R, Cooke JP, Zhong S, Chen ZB. Long noncoding RNA LEENE promotes angiogenesis and ischemic recovery in diabetes models. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e161759. [PMID: 36512424 PMCID: PMC9888385 DOI: 10.1172/jci161759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired angiogenesis in diabetes is a key process contributing to ischemic diseases such as peripheral arterial disease. Epigenetic mechanisms, including those mediated by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), are crucial links connecting diabetes and the related chronic tissue ischemia. Here we identify the lncRNA that enhances endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression (LEENE) as a regulator of angiogenesis and ischemic response. LEENE expression was decreased in diabetic conditions in cultured endothelial cells (ECs), mouse hind limb muscles, and human arteries. Inhibition of LEENE in human microvascular ECs reduced their angiogenic capacity with a dysregulated angiogenic gene program. Diabetic mice deficient in Leene demonstrated impaired angiogenesis and perfusion following hind limb ischemia. Importantly, overexpression of human LEENE rescued the impaired ischemic response in Leene-knockout mice at tissue functional and single-cell transcriptomic levels. Mechanistically, LEENE RNA promoted transcription of proangiogenic genes in ECs, such as KDR (encoding VEGFR2) and NOS3 (encoding eNOS), potentially by interacting with LEO1, a key component of the RNA polymerase II-associated factor complex and MYC, a crucial transcription factor for angiogenesis. Taken together, our findings demonstrate an essential role for LEENE in the regulation of angiogenesis and tissue perfusion. Functional enhancement of LEENE to restore angiogenesis for tissue repair and regeneration may represent a potential strategy to tackle ischemic vascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofang Tang
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Yingjun Luo
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Dongqiang Yuan
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | | | - Naseeb Kaur Malhi
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Kiran Sriram
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences
| | - Yifei Miao
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | | | - Walter Tsark
- Transgenic Mouse Facility, Center for Comparative Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Alonso Tapia
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences
| | - Aleysha T. Chen
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | | | - Daniel Roeth
- Department of Immunology & Theranostics, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Center for Comparative Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Markus Kalkum
- Department of Immunology & Theranostics, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, Center for Comparative Medicine, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
| | - Zhao V. Wang
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences
- Department of Diabetes and Cancer Metabolism and
| | - Shu Chien
- Department of Bioengineering, UCSD, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, UCSD, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Rama Natarajan
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences
| | - John P. Cooke
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sheng Zhong
- Department of Bioengineering, UCSD, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Zhen Bouman Chen
- Department of Diabetes Complications and Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA
- Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences
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Kallapur A, Sallam T. Endothelial cells LEENE on noncoding RNAs in diabetic vasculopathy. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e167047. [PMID: 36719373 PMCID: PMC9888374 DOI: 10.1172/jci167047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as key mediators of regulated gene expression in diverse biologic contexts, including cardiovascular disease. In this issue of the JCI, Tang, Luo, and colleagues explored the contributions of lncRNAs in diabetic vasculopathy. The authors identified the lncRNA LEENE as a key mediator of angiogenesis and ischemic response. In a model of diabetic peripheral arterial disease, loss of LEENE led to impaired vascular perfusion, while its overexpression rescued the ischemic defect. The authors used unbiased chromatin affinity assays to decipher LEENE's interactome and mode of action. These findings offer insights as to why patients with diabetes are uniquely susceptible to developing peripheral vascular disease and fill important gaps in our understanding of mechanisms that connect metabolic dysregulation with impaired angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aneesh Kallapur
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine
- Department of Physiology, and
- Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Tamer Sallam
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine
- Department of Physiology, and
- Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Effects of Polymorphisms in Myc-Related Genes on Bleeding Complications in Patients with Stable Warfarin Responses. Cardiovasc Ther 2019; 2019:1813747. [PMID: 31772606 PMCID: PMC6739803 DOI: 10.1155/2019/1813747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives This study aimed to identify the possible effects of Myc and 8q24 polymorphisms on bleeding complications in patients who maintained international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0-3.0 with warfarin therapy after cardiac valve replacement. Methods Twenty-five single nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed, including VKORC1, CYP2C9, Myc, and 8q24. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate the associations between genetic polymorphisms and bleeding complications. Attributable risk and the number needed to genotype (NNG) were also calculated to evaluate the potential clinical value of genotyping. Results We included 142 patients, among whom 21 experienced bleeding complications. Multivariate models showed that patients carrying the CC genotype of rs6983561 and the A allele of rs13281615 at 8q24 had 27.6- and 10.0-fold higher bleeding complications, compared with patients with the A allele and the GG genotype, respectively. For rs6983561, the attributable risk and NNG were 96.4% and 36.8, respectively, whereas, for rs13281615, the attributable risk and NNG were 90.0% and 8.3, respectively. Atrial fibrillation was associated with a 5.5-fold increased risk of bleeding complications. The AUROC value was 0.761 (95% CI 0.659-0.863, p<0.001), and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test showed that the fitness of the multivariate analysis model was satisfactory (χ2=0.846; 3 degrees of freedom; p=0.838). Conclusions Bleeding complications during warfarin therapy were associated with 8q24 polymorphisms and atrial fibrillation in patients with mechanical heart valves.
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Franceschini N, Hu Y, Reiner AP, Buyske S, Nalls M, Yanek LR, Li Y, Hindorff LA, Cole SA, Howard BV, Stafford JM, Carty CL, Sethupathy P, Martin LW, Lin DY, Johnson KC, Becker LC, North KE, Dehghan A, Bis JC, Liu Y, Greenland P, Manson JE, Maeda N, Garcia M, Harris TB, Becker DM, O'Donnell C, Heiss G, Kooperberg C, Boerwinkle E. Prospective associations of coronary heart disease loci in African Americans using the MetaboChip: the PAGE study. PLoS One 2014; 9:e113203. [PMID: 25542012 PMCID: PMC4277270 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in African Americans. However, there is a paucity of studies assessing genetic determinants of CHD in African Americans. We examined the association of published variants in CHD loci with incident CHD, attempted to fine map these loci, and characterize novel variants influencing CHD risk in African Americans. METHODS AND RESULTS Up to 8,201 African Americans (including 546 first CHD events) were genotyped using the MetaboChip array in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and Women's Health Initiative (WHI). We tested associations using Cox proportional hazard models in sex- and study-stratified analyses and combined results using meta-analysis. Among 44 validated CHD loci available in the array, we replicated and fine-mapped the SORT1 locus, and showed same direction of effects as reported in studies of individuals of European ancestry for SNPs in 22 additional published loci. We also identified a SNP achieving array wide significance (MYC: rs2070583, allele frequency 0.02, P = 8.1 × 10(-8)), but the association did not replicate in an additional 8,059 African Americans (577 events) from the WHI, HealthABC and GeneSTAR studies, and in a meta-analysis of 5 cohort studies of European ancestry (24,024 individuals including 1,570 cases of MI and 2,406 cases of CHD) from the CHARGE Consortium. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that some CHD loci previously identified in individuals of European ancestry may be relevant to incident CHD in African Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Franceschini
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Yijuan Hu
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Alex P. Reiner
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Steven Buyske
- Department of Statistics & Biostatistics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Mike Nalls
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Lisa R. Yanek
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yun Li
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Lucia A. Hindorff
- Division of Genomic Medicine, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shelley A. Cole
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Barbara V. Howard
- MedStar Health Research Institute, Hyattsville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jeanette M. Stafford
- Department of Biostatistical Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Cara L. Carty
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Praveen Sethupathy
- Department of Genetics Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Lisa W. Martin
- Cardiovascular Institute, the George Washington University, Washington, D. C., United States of America
| | - Dan-Yu Lin
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Karen C. Johnson
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Lewis C. Becker
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kari E. North
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- UNC Center for Genome Sciences, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Abbas Dehghan
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joshua C. Bis
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit and Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Yongmei Liu
- Center for Human Genomics, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Philip Greenland
- Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - JoAnn E. Manson
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Nobuyo Maeda
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Melissa Garcia
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tamara B. Harris
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Diane M. Becker
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Christopher O'Donnell
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Gerardo Heiss
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Charles Kooperberg
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Eric Boerwinkle
- Human Genetics Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
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Sarajlić A, Janjić V, Stojković N, Radak D, Pržulj N. Network topology reveals key cardiovascular disease genes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e71537. [PMID: 23977067 PMCID: PMC3744556 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 06/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks has already been successfully used as a source of new biological information. Even though cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major global cause of death, many CVD genes still await discovery. We explore ways to utilize the structure of the human PPI network to find important genes for CVDs that should be targeted by drugs. The hope is to use the properties of such important genes to predict new ones, which would in turn improve a choice of therapy. We propose a methodology that examines the PPI network wiring around genes involved in CVDs. We use the methodology to identify a subset of CVD-related genes that are statistically significantly enriched in drug targets and "driver genes." We seek such genes, since driver genes have been proposed to drive onset and progression of a disease. Our identified subset of CVD genes has a large overlap with the Core Diseasome, which has been postulated to be the key to disease formation and hence should be the primary object of therapeutic intervention. This indicates that our methodology identifies "key" genes responsible for CVDs. Thus, we use it to predict new CVD genes and we validate over 70% of our predictions in the literature. Finally, we show that our predicted genes are functionally similar to currently known CVD drug targets, which confirms a potential utility of our methodology towards improving therapy for CVDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anida Sarajlić
- Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Vuk Janjić
- Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Neda Stojković
- Institute for Cardiovascular Disease “Dedinje,” University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Djordje Radak
- Institute for Cardiovascular Disease “Dedinje,” University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nataša Pržulj
- Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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McClellan JL, Davis JM, Steiner JL, Enos RT, Jung SH, Carson JA, Pena MM, Carnevale KA, Berger FG, Murphy EA. Linking tumor-associated macrophages, inflammation, and intestinal tumorigenesis: role of MCP-1. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2012; 303:G1087-95. [PMID: 23019193 PMCID: PMC3517651 DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00252.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Tumor-associated macrophages are associated with poor prognosis in certain cancers. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is thought to be the most important chemokine for recruitment of macrophages to the tumor microenvironment. However, its role on tumorigenesis in a genetic mouse model of colon cancer has not been explored. We examined the role of MCP-1 on tumor-associated macrophages, inflammation, and intestinal tumorigenesis. Male Apc(Min/+), Apc(Min/+)/MCP-1(-/-) or wild-type mice were euthanized at 18 wk of age and intestines were analyzed for polyp burden, apoptosis, proliferation, β-catenin, macrophage number and phenotype, markers for cytotoxic T lymphocytes and regulatory T cells, and inflammatory mediators. MCP-1 deficiency decreased overall polyp number by 20% and specifically large polyp number by 45% (P < 0.05). This was consistent with an increase in apoptotic cells (P < 0.05), but there was no change detected in proliferation or β-catenin. MCP-1 deficiency decreased F4/80-positive cells in both the polyp tissue and surrounding intestinal tissue (P < 0.05) as well as expression of markers associated with M1 (IL-12 and IL-23) and M2 macrophages (IL-13, CD206, TGF-β, and CCL17) (P < 0.05). MCP-1 knockout was also associated with increased cytotoxic T lymphocytes and decreased regulatory T cells (P < 0.05). In addition, MCP-1(-/-) offset the increased mRNA expression of IL-1β and IL-6 in intestinal tissue and IL-1β and TNF-α in polyp tissue (P < 0.05), and prevented the decrease in SOCS1 expression (P < 0.05). We demonstrate that MCP-1 is an important mediator of tumor growth and immune regulation that may serve as an important biomarker and/or therapeutic target in colon cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L. McClellan
- 1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina; ,2Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina;
| | - J. Mark Davis
- 2Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina;
| | - Jennifer L. Steiner
- 2Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina;
| | - Reilly T. Enos
- 2Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina;
| | - Seung H. Jung
- 2Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina;
| | - James A. Carson
- 2Department of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina; ,4Center for Colon Cancer Research, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
| | - Maria M. Pena
- 3Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina; and ,4Center for Colon Cancer Research, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
| | - Kevin A. Carnevale
- 1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina;
| | - Franklin G. Berger
- 3Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina; and ,4Center for Colon Cancer Research, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
| | - E. Angela Murphy
- 1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina;
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