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Wang Y, Liu X, Xu Q, Xu W, Zhou X, Lin Z. CCN2 deficiency in smooth muscle cells triggers cell reprogramming and aggravates aneurysm development. JCI Insight 2023; 8:162987. [PMID: 36625347 PMCID: PMC9870081 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.162987] [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: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic switching is widely recognized as a key mechanism responsible for the pathogenesis of several aortic diseases, such as aortic aneurysm. Cellular communication network factor 2 (CCN2), often upregulated in human pathologies and animal disease models, exerts myriad context-dependent biological functions. However, current understanding of the role of SMC-CCN2 in SMC phenotypic switching and its function in the pathology of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is lacking. Here, we show that SMC-restricted CCN2 deficiency causes AAA in the infrarenal aorta of angiotensin II-infused (Ang II-infused) hypercholesterolemic mice at a similar anatomic location to human AAA. Notably, the resistance of naive C57BL/6 WT mice to Ang II-induced AAA formation is lost upon silencing of CCN2 in SMC. Furthermore, the pro-AAA phenotype of SMC-CCN2-KO mice is recapitulated in a different model that involves the application of elastase-β-aminopropionitrile. Mechanistically, our findings reveal that CCN2 intersects with TGF-β signaling and regulates SMC marker expression. Deficiency of CCN2 triggers SMC reprograming associated with alterations in Krüppel-like factor 4 and contractile marker expression, and this reprograming likely contributes to the development of AAA in mice. These results identify SMC-CCN2 as potentially a novel regulator of SMC phenotypic switching and AA biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Cardiology Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Xuesong Liu
- Cardiology Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Qian Xu
- Cardiology Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Wei Xu
- Cardiology Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Xianming Zhou
- Cardiology Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhiyong Lin
- Cardiology Division, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Micha D, Guo DC, Hilhorst-Hofstee Y, van Kooten F, Atmaja D, Overwater E, Cayami FK, Regalado ES, van Uffelen R, Venselaar H, Faradz SMH, Vriend G, Weiss MM, Sistermans EA, Maugeri A, Milewicz DM, Pals G, van Dijk FS. SMAD2 Mutations Are Associated with Arterial Aneurysms and Dissections. Hum Mutat 2015; 36:1145-9. [PMID: 26247899 DOI: 10.1002/humu.22854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We report three families with arterial aneurysms and dissections in which variants predicted to be pathogenic were identified in SMAD2. Moreover, one variant occurred de novo in a proband with unaffected parents. SMAD2 is a strong candidate gene for arterial aneurysms and dissections given its role in the TGF-β signaling pathway. Furthermore, although SMAD2 and SMAD3 probably have functionally distinct roles in cell signaling, they are structurally very similar. Our findings indicate that SMAD2 mutations are associated with arterial aneurysms and dissections and are in accordance with the observation that patients with pathogenic variants in genes encoding proteins involved in the TGF-β signaling pathway exhibit arterial aneurysms and dissections as key features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitra Micha
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands
| | - Dong-Chuan Guo
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Yvonne Hilhorst-Hofstee
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2300, RC, The Netherlands
| | - Fop van Kooten
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, 3000, CA, The Netherlands
| | - Dian Atmaja
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands.,Center for Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
| | - Eline Overwater
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1100, DD, The Netherlands
| | - Ferdy K Cayami
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands.,Center for Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
| | - Ellen S Regalado
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - René van Uffelen
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Dordrecht, 3318, AT, The Netherlands
| | - Hanka Venselaar
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Genetics (CMBI), Nijmegen, 6500, HB, The Netherlands
| | - Sultana M H Faradz
- Center for Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
| | - Gerrit Vriend
- Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Genetics (CMBI), Nijmegen, 6500, HB, The Netherlands
| | - Marjan M Weiss
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands
| | - Erik A Sistermans
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands
| | - Alessandra Maugeri
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands
| | - Dianna M Milewicz
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Gerard Pals
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands
| | - Fleur S van Dijk
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Center for Connective Tissue Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, 1007, MB, The Netherlands
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