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Mangum KD, Li Q, Bauer TM, Wolf SJ, Shadiow J, Moon JY, Barrett EC, Joshi AD, Ahmed Z, Wasikowski R, Boyer K, Obi AT, Davis FM, Chang L, Tsoi LC, Gudjonsson J, Gallagher KA. Epigenetic Alteration of Smooth Muscle Cells Regulates Endothelin-Dependent Blood Pressure and Hypertensive Arterial Remodeling. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.07.09.24310178. [PMID: 39040193 PMCID: PMC11261912 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.09.24310178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Long-standing hypertension (HTN) affects multiple organ systems and leads to pathologic arterial remodeling, which is driven largely by smooth muscle cell (SMC) plasticity. Although genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous variants associated with changes in blood pressure in humans, only a small percentage of these variants actually cause HTN. In order to identify relevant genes important in SMC function in HTN, we screened three separate human GWAS and Mendelian randomization studies to identify SNPs located within non-coding gene regions, focusing on genes encoding epigenetic enzymes, as these have been recently identified to control SMC fate in cardiovascular disease. We identified SNPs rs62059712 and rs74480102 in the promoter of the human JMJD3 gene and show that the minor C allele increases JMJD3 transcription in SMCs via increased SP1 binding to the JMJD3 promoter. Using our novel SMC-specific Jmjd3-deficient murine model ( Jmjd3 flox/flox Myh11 CreERT ), we show that loss of Jmjd3 in SMCs results in HTN, mechanistically, due to decreased EDNRB expression and a compensatory increase in EDNRA expression. As a translational corollary, through single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of human arteries, we found strong correlation between JMJD3 and EDNRB expression in SMCs. Further, we identified that JMJD3 is required for SMC-specific gene expression, and loss of JMJD3 in SMCs in the setting of HTN results in increased arterial remodeling by promoting the SMC synthetic phenotype. Our findings link a HTN-associated human DNA variant with regulation of SMC plasticity, revealing therapeutic targets that may be used in the screening and/or personalized treatment of HTN.
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Gao L, Zhang C, Zhu Y, Zhang N, Zhang C, Zhou S, Feng G, Huang F, Zhang L. Serum response factor promoting axonal regeneration by activating the Ras-Raf-Cofilin signaling pathway after the spinal cord injury. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14585. [PMID: 38421133 PMCID: PMC10851317 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14585] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Serum response factor (SRF) is important in muscle development, tissue repair, and neuronal regulation. OBJECTIVES This research aims to thoroughly examine the effects of SRF on spinal cord injury (SCI) and its ability to significantly impact the recovery and regeneration of neuronal axons. METHODS The researchers created rat models of SCI and scratch injury to primary spinal cord neurons to observe the expression of relevant factors after neuronal injury. RESULTS We found that the SRF, Ras, Raf, and cofilin levels increased after injury and gradually returned to normal levels. Afterward, researchers gave rats with SCI an SRF inhibitor (CCG1423) and studied the effects with nuclear magnetic resonance and transmission electron microscopy. The SRF inhibitor rodents had worse spinal cord recovery and axon regrowth than the control group. And the apoptosis of primary neurons after scratch injury was significantly higher in the SRF inhibitor group. Additionally, the researchers utilized lentiviral transfection to modify the SRF expression in neurons. SRF overexpression increased neuron migration while silencing SRF decreased it. Finally, Western blotting and RT-PCR were conducted to examine the expression changes of related factors upon altering SRF expression. The results revealed SRF overexpression increased Ras, Raf, and cofilin expression. Silencing SRF decreased Ras, Raf, and Cofilin expression. CONCLUSION Based on our research, the SRF promotes axonal regeneration by activating the "Ras-Raf-Cofilin" signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limin Gao
- Institute of Neurobiology, Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandong ProvinceChina
- Department of NeurobiologySchool of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Chen Zhang
- Institute of Neurobiology, Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandong ProvinceChina
- Experimental Neurosurgery, Department of NeurosurgeryNeuroscience Center, Frankfurt University HospitalFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Yonglin Zhu
- Department of Bone and JointYantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandongChina
| | - Naili Zhang
- Institute of Neurobiology, Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandong ProvinceChina
| | - Chunlei Zhang
- Institute of Neurobiology, Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandong ProvinceChina
| | - Shuai Zhou
- Institute of Neurobiology, Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandong ProvinceChina
| | - Guoying Feng
- Institute of Neurobiology, Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandong ProvinceChina
| | - Fei Huang
- Institute of Neurobiology, Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandong ProvinceChina
- University of Health and Rehabilitation SciencesQingdaoShandong ProvinceChina
| | - Luping Zhang
- Institute of Neurobiology, Binzhou Medical UniversityYantaiShandong ProvinceChina
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Hodonsky CJ, Turner AW, Khan MD, Barrientos NB, Methorst R, Ma L, Lopez NG, Mosquera JV, Auguste G, Farber E, Ma WF, Wong D, Onengut-Gumuscu S, Kavousi M, Peyser PA, van der Laan SW, Leeper NJ, Kovacic JC, Björkegren JLM, Miller CL. Multi-ancestry genetic analysis of gene regulation in coronary arteries prioritizes disease risk loci. CELL GENOMICS 2024; 4:100465. [PMID: 38190101 PMCID: PMC10794848 DOI: 10.1016/j.xgen.2023.100465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of risk loci for coronary artery disease (CAD). However, non-European populations are underrepresented in GWASs, and the causal gene-regulatory mechanisms of these risk loci during atherosclerosis remain unclear. We incorporated local ancestry and haplotypes to identify quantitative trait loci for expression (eQTLs) and splicing (sQTLs) in coronary arteries from 138 ancestrally diverse Americans. Of 2,132 eQTL-associated genes (eGenes), 47% were previously unreported in coronary artery; 19% exhibited cell-type-specific expression. Colocalization revealed subgroups of eGenes unique to CAD and blood pressure GWAS. Fine-mapping highlighted additional eGenes, including TBX20 and IL5. We also identified sQTLs for 1,690 genes, among which TOR1AIP1 and ULK3 sQTLs demonstrated the importance of evaluating splicing to accurately identify disease-relevant isoform expression. Our work provides a patient-derived coronary artery eQTL resource and exemplifies the need for diverse study populations and multifaceted approaches to characterize gene regulation in disease processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chani J Hodonsky
- 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
| | - Mohammad Daud Khan
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Nelson B Barrientos
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ruben Methorst
- Central Diagnostics Laboratory, Division Laboratories, Pharmacy, and Biomedical Genetics, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Lijiang Ma
- 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
| | - Nicolas G Lopez
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jose Verdezoto Mosquera
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Gaëlle Auguste
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Emily Farber
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Wei Feng Ma
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Doris Wong
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Suna Onengut-Gumuscu
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Maryam Kavousi
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Patricia A Peyser
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48019, 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
| | - Nicholas J Leeper
- Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - 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, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Clint L Miller
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
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Ye Z, Mo C, Liu S, Gao S, Feng L, Zhao B, Canida T, Wu YC, Hatch KS, Ma Y, Mitchell BD, Hong L, Kochunov P, Chen C, Zhao B, Chen S, Ma T. Deciphering the causal relationship between blood pressure and regional white matter integrity: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:1471-1483. [PMID: 37330925 PMCID: PMC10444533 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25205] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Elevated arterial blood pressure (BP) is a common risk factor for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, but no causal relationship has been established between BP and cerebral white matter (WM) integrity. In this study, we performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis with individual-level data by defining two nonoverlapping sets of European ancestry individuals (genetics-exposure set: N = 203,111; mean age = 56.71 years, genetics-outcome set: N = 16,156; mean age = 54.61 years) from UK Biobank to evaluate the causal effects of BP on regional WM integrity, measured by fractional anisotropy of diffusion tensor imaging. Two BP traits: systolic and diastolic blood pressure were used as exposures. Genetic variant was carefully selected as instrumental variable (IV) under the MR analysis assumptions. We existing large-scale genome-wide association study summary data for validation. The main method used was a generalized version of inverse-variance weight method while other MR methods were also applied for consistent findings. Two additional MR analyses were performed to exclude the possibility of reverse causality. We found significantly negative causal effects (FDR-adjusted p < .05; every 10 mmHg increase in BP leads to a decrease in FA value by .4% ~ 2%) of BP traits on a union set of 17 WM tracts, including brain regions related to cognitive function and memory. Our study extended the previous findings of association to causation for regional WM integrity, providing insights into the pathological processes of elevated BP that might chronically alter the brain microstructure in different regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyao Ye
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Chen Mo
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Song Liu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Si Gao
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Li Feng
- Department of Nutrition and Food Science, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Boao Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Travis Canida
- Department of Mathematics, The college of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yu-Chia Wu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kathryn S Hatch
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yizhou Ma
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Braxton D. Mitchell
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - L.Elliot Hong
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Peter Kochunov
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Chixiang Chen
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Bingxin Zhao
- Department of Statistics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Shuo Chen
- Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tianzhou Ma
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
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Zou M, Mangum KD, Magin JC, Cao HH, Yarboro MT, Shelton EL, Taylor JM, Reese J, Furey TS, Mack CP. Prdm6 drives ductus arteriosus closure by promoting ductus arteriosus smooth muscle cell identity and contractility. JCI Insight 2023; 8:e163454. [PMID: 36749647 PMCID: PMC10077476 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.163454] [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: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Based upon our demonstration that the smooth muscle cell-selective (SMC-selective) putative methyltransferase, Prdm6, interacts with myocardin-related transcription factor-A, we examined Prdm6's role in SMCs in vivo using cell type-specific knockout mouse models. Although SMC-specific depletion of Prdm6 in adult mice was well tolerated, Prdm6 depletion in Wnt1-expressing cells during development resulted in perinatal lethality and a completely penetrant patent ductus arteriosus (DA) phenotype. Lineage tracing experiments in Wnt1Cre2 Prdm6fl/fl ROSA26LacZ mice revealed normal neural crest-derived SMC investment of the outflow tract. In contrast, myography measurements on DA segments isolated from E18.5 embryos indicated that Prdm6 depletion significantly reduced DA tone and contractility. RNA-Seq analyses on DA and ascending aorta samples at E18.5 identified a DA-enriched gene program that included many SMC-selective contractile associated proteins that was downregulated by Prdm6 depletion. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing experiments in outflow tract SMCs demonstrated that 50% of the genes Prdm6 depletion altered contained Prdm6 binding sites. Finally, using several genome-wide data sets, we identified an SMC-selective enhancer within the Prdm6 third intron that exhibited allele-specific activity, providing evidence that rs17149944 may be the causal SNP for a cardiovascular disease GWAS locus identified within the human PRDM6 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zou
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kevin D. Mangum
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Justin C. Magin
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Heidi H. Cao
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael T. Yarboro
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Elaine L. Shelton
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Joan M. Taylor
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jeff Reese
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Terrence S. Furey
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christopher P. Mack
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Hodonsky CJ, Turner AW, Khan MD, Barrientos NB, Methorst R, Ma L, Lopez NG, Mosquera JV, Auguste G, Farber E, Ma WF, Wong D, Onengut-Gumuscu S, Kavousi M, Peyser PA, van der Laan SW, Leeper NJ, Kovacic JC, Björkegren JLM, Miller CL. Integrative multi-ancestry genetic analysis of gene regulation in coronary arteries prioritizes disease risk loci. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.02.09.23285622. [PMID: 36824883 PMCID: PMC9949190 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.09.23285622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of genetic risk loci for coronary artery disease (CAD). However, non-European populations are underrepresented in GWAS and the causal gene-regulatory mechanisms of these risk loci during atherosclerosis remain unclear. We incorporated local ancestry and haplotype information to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for gene expression and splicing in coronary arteries obtained from 138 ancestrally diverse Americans. Of 2,132 eQTL-associated genes (eGenes), 47% were previously unreported in coronary arteries and 19% exhibited cell-type-specific expression. Colocalization analysis with GWAS identified subgroups of eGenes unique to CAD and blood pressure. Fine-mapping highlighted additional eGenes of interest, including TBX20 and IL5 . Splicing (s)QTLs for 1,690 genes were also identified, among which TOR1AIP1 and ULK3 sQTLs demonstrated the importance of evaluating splicing events to accurately identify disease-relevant gene expression. Our work provides the first human coronary artery eQTL resource from a patient sample and exemplifies the necessity of diverse study populations and multi-omic approaches to characterize gene regulation in critical disease processes. Study Design Overview
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7
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A current overview of RhoA, RhoB, and RhoC functions in vascular biology and pathology. Biochem Pharmacol 2022; 206:115321. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2022.115321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Alexander MR, Hank S, Dale BL, Himmel L, Zhong X, Smart CD, Fehrenbach DJ, Chen Y, Prabakaran N, Tirado B, Centrella M, Ao M, Du L, Shyr Y, Levy D, Madhur MS. A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in SH2B3/LNK Promotes Hypertension Development and Renal Damage. Circ Res 2022; 131:731-747. [PMID: 36169218 PMCID: PMC9588739 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.121.320625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND SH2B3 (SH2B adaptor protein 3) is an adaptor protein that negatively regulates cytokine signaling and cell proliferation. A common missense single nucleotide polymorphism in SH2B3 (rs3184504) results in substitution of tryptophan (Trp) for arginine (Arg) at amino acid 262 and is a top association signal for hypertension in human genome-wide association studies. Whether this variant is causal for hypertension, and if so, the mechanism by which it impacts pathogenesis is unknown. METHODS We used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to create mice homozygous for the major (Arg/Arg) and minor (Trp/Trp) alleles of this SH2B3 polymorphism. Mice underwent angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion to evaluate differences in blood pressure (BP) elevation and end-organ damage including albuminuria and renal fibrosis. Cytokine production and Stat4 phosphorylation was also assessed in Arg/Arg and Trp/Trp T cells. RESULTS Trp/Trp mice exhibit 10 mmHg higher systolic BP during chronic Ang II infusion compared to Arg/Arg controls. Renal injury and perivascular fibrosis are exacerbated in Trp/Trp mice compared to Arg/Arg controls following Ang II infusion. Renal and ex vivo stimulated splenic CD8+ T cells from Ang II-infused Trp/Trp mice produce significantly more interferon gamma (IFNg) compared to Arg/Arg controls. Interleukin-12 (IL-12)-induced IFNg production is greater in Trp/Trp compared to Arg/Arg CD8+ T cells. In addition, IL-12 enhances Stat4 phosphorylation to a greater degree in Trp/Trp compared to Arg/Arg CD8+ T cells, suggesting that Trp-encoding SH2B3 exhibits less negative regulation of IL-12 signaling to promote IFNg production. Finally, we demonstrated that a multi-SNP model genetically predicting increased SH2B3 expression in lymphocytes is inversely associated with hypertension and hypertensive chronic kidney disease in humans.. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results suggest that the Trp encoding allele of rs3184504 is causal for BP elevation and renal dysfunction, in part through loss of SH2B3-mediated repression of T cell IL-12 signaling leading to enhanced IFNg production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. Alexander
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, VUMC, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Samuel Hank
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Bethany L. Dale
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Lauren Himmel
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, VUMC, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Xue Zhong
- Department of Medicine, Division of Genetic Medicine, VUMC, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Charles D. Smart
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Daniel J. Fehrenbach
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Yuhan Chen
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Cardiology, Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | | | | | - Megan Centrella
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mingfang Ao
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Liping Du
- Department of Biostatistics, VUMC, Nashville, TN
| | - Yu Shyr
- Department of Biostatistics, VUMC, Nashville, TN
| | - Daniel Levy
- Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA and Population Sciences Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Meena S. Madhur
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, VUMC, Nashville, TN, USA
- Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology, and Inflammation, Nashville, TN, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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Xi X, Li H, Chen S, Lv T, Ma T, Jiang R, Zhang P, Wong WH, Zhang X. Unfolding the genotype-to-phenotype black box of cardiovascular diseases through cross-scale modeling. iScience 2022; 25:104790. [PMID: 35992073 PMCID: PMC9386115 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex traits such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the results of complicated processes jointly affected by genetic and environmental factors. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified genetic variants associated with diseases but usually did not reveal the underlying mechanisms. There could be many intermediate steps at epigenetic, transcriptomic, and cellular scales inside the black box of genotype-phenotype associations. In this article, we present a machine-learning-based cross-scale framework GRPath to decipher putative causal paths (pcPaths) from genetic variants to disease phenotypes by integrating multiple omics data. Applying GRPath on CVD, we identified 646 and 549 pcPaths linking putative causal regions, variants, and gene expressions in specific cell types for two types of heart failure, respectively. The findings suggest new understandings of coronary heart disease. Our work promoted the modeling of tissue- and cell type-specific cross-scale regulation to uncover mechanisms behind disease-associated variants, and provided new findings on the molecular mechanisms of CVD. We defined one type of cross-scale genotype-to-phenotype regulation path We designed a framework GRPath to uncover putative regulation paths for diseases GRPath helped uncover molecular mechanisms for two major types of heart failure
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Xi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Bioinformatics Division, BNRIST / Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Haochen Li
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shengquan Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Bioinformatics Division, BNRIST / Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Tingting Lv
- Department of Cardiology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
| | - Tianxing Ma
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Bioinformatics Division, BNRIST / Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Rui Jiang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Bioinformatics Division, BNRIST / Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Ping Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
| | - Wing Hung Wong
- Departments of Statistics and Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Xuegong Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Bioinformatics Division, BNRIST / Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Corresponding author
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Tang Y, Jia Y, Fan L, Liu H, Zhou Y, Wang M, Liu Y, Zhu J, Pang W, Zhou J. MFN2 Prevents Neointimal Hyperplasia in Vein Grafts via Destabilizing PFK1. Circ Res 2022; 130:e26-e43. [PMID: 35450439 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.122.320846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mechanical forces play crucial roles in neointimal hyperplasia after vein grafting; yet, our understanding of their influences on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) activation remains rudimentary. METHODS A cuff mouse model was used to study vein graft hyperplasia. Fifteen percent to 1 Hz uniaxial cyclic stretch (arterial strain), 5% to 1 Hz uniaxial cyclic stretch or a static condition (venous strain) were applied to the cultured VSMCs. Metabolomics analysis, cell proliferation and migration assays, immunoblotting, co-immunoprecipitation, mutagenesis, pull-down and surface plasmon resonance assays were employed to elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms. RESULTS RNA-sequencing in vein grafts and the controls identified changes in metabolic pathways and downregulation of mitochondrial protein MFN2 (mitofusin 2) in the vein grafts. Exposure of VSMCs to 15% stretch resulted in MFN2 downregulation, mitochondrial fragmentation, metabolic shift from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis, and cell proliferation and migration, as compared with that to a static condition or 5% stretch. Metabolomics analysis indicated an increased generation of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, an intermediate in the glycolytic pathway converted by PFK1 (phosphofructokinase 1) from fructose-6-phosphate, in cells exposed to 15% stretch. Mechanistic study revealed that MFN2 physically interacts through its C-terminus with PFK1. MFN2 knockdown or exposure of cells to 15% stretch promoted stabilization of PFK1, likely through interfering the association between PFK1 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM21 (E3 ubiquitin ligase tripartite motif [TRIM]-containing protein 21), thus, decreasing the ubiquitin-protease-dependent PFK1 degradation. In addition, study of mechanotransduction utilizing pharmaceutical inhibition indicated that the MFN2 downregulation by 15% stretch was dependent on inactivation of the SP1 (specificity protein 1) and activation of the JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) and ROCK (Rho-associated protein kinase). Adenovirus-mediated MFN2 overexpression or pharmaceutical inhibition of PFK1 suppressed the 15% stretch-induced VSMC proliferation and migration and alleviated neointimal hyperplasia in vein grafts. CONCLUSIONS MFN2 is a mechanoresponsive protein that interacts with PFK1 to mediate PFK1 degradation and therefore suppresses glycolysis in VSMCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjun Tang
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,(Hemorheology Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.Z., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Peking University, China (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou)
| | - Yiting Jia
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,(Hemorheology Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.Z., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou)
| | - Linwei Fan
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,(Hemorheology Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.Z., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Peking University, China (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou)
| | - Han Liu
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,(Hemorheology Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.Z., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Peking University, China (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou)
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.Z., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China (Y.Z.)
| | - Miao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. (M.W.).,Clinical Pharmacology Center, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. (M.W.)
| | - Yuefeng Liu
- (Hemorheology Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.Z., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Peking University, China (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou)
| | - Juanjuan Zhu
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,(Hemorheology Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.Z., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Peking University, China (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou)
| | - Wei Pang
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,(Hemorheology Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.)
| | - Jing Zhou
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,(Hemorheology Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J.Z., W.P., J.Z.).,Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China (Y.T., Y.J., L.F., H.L., Y.Z., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou).,Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Receptors Research, Peking University, China (Y.T., L.F., H.L., Y.L., J. Zhu, J. Zhou)
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11
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Alsheikh AJ, Wollenhaupt S, King EA, Reeb J, Ghosh S, Stolzenburg LR, Tamim S, Lazar J, Davis JW, Jacob HJ. The landscape of GWAS validation; systematic review identifying 309 validated non-coding variants across 130 human diseases. BMC Med Genomics 2022; 15:74. [PMID: 35365203 PMCID: PMC8973751 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-022-01216-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The remarkable growth of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has created a critical need to experimentally validate the disease-associated variants, 90% of which involve non-coding variants. Methods To determine how the field is addressing this urgent need, we performed a comprehensive literature review identifying 36,676 articles. These were reduced to 1454 articles through a set of filters using natural language processing and ontology-based text-mining. This was followed by manual curation and cross-referencing against the GWAS catalog, yielding a final set of 286 articles. Results We identified 309 experimentally validated non-coding GWAS variants, regulating 252 genes across 130 human disease traits. These variants covered a variety of regulatory mechanisms. Interestingly, 70% (215/309) acted through cis-regulatory elements, with the remaining through promoters (22%, 70/309) or non-coding RNAs (8%, 24/309). Several validation approaches were utilized in these studies, including gene expression (n = 272), transcription factor binding (n = 175), reporter assays (n = 171), in vivo models (n = 104), genome editing (n = 96) and chromatin interaction (n = 33). Conclusions This review of the literature is the first to systematically evaluate the status and the landscape of experimentation being used to validate non-coding GWAS-identified variants. Our results clearly underscore the multifaceted approach needed for experimental validation, have practical implications on variant prioritization and considerations of target gene nomination. While the field has a long way to go to validate the thousands of GWAS associations, we show that progress is being made and provide exemplars of validation studies covering a wide variety of mechanisms, target genes, and disease areas. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12920-022-01216-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar J Alsheikh
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA.
| | - Sabrina Wollenhaupt
- Information Research, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, 67061, Knollstrasse, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Emily A King
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Jonas Reeb
- Information Research, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, 67061, Knollstrasse, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Sujana Ghosh
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | | | - Saleh Tamim
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Jozef Lazar
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - J Wade Davis
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
| | - Howard J Jacob
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie Inc, North Chicago, Illinois, 60064, USA
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12
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Rho kinase inhibition ameliorates vascular remodeling and blood pressure elevations in a rat model of apatinib-induced hypertension. J Hypertens 2022; 40:675-684. [PMID: 34862331 PMCID: PMC8901036 DOI: 10.1097/hjh.0000000000003060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Hypertension is one of the major adverse effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting vascular endothelial growth factors. However, the mechanism underlying TKIs-induced hypertension remains unclear. Here, we explored the role of the RhoA/Rho kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway in elevation of blood pressure (BP) induced by apatinib, a selective TKI approved in China for treatment of advanced or metastatic gastric cancer. A nonspecific ROCK inhibitor, Y27632, was then combined with apatinib and its efficacy in alleviating apatinib-induced hypertension was evaluated. METHODS Normotensive female Wistar-Kyoto rats were exposed to two different doses of apatinib, or apatinib combined with Y27632, or vehicle for 2 weeks. BP was monitored by a tail-cuff plethysmography system. The mRNA levels and protein expression in the RhoA/ROCK pathway were determined, and vascular remodeling assessed. RESULTS Administration of either a high or low dose of apatinib was associated with a rapid rise in BP, reaching a plateau after 12 days. Apatinib treatment mediated upregulation of RhoA and ROCK II in the mid-aorta, more significant in the high-dose group. However, ROCK I expression showed no statistically significant differences. Furthermore, the mRNA level of GRAF3 decreased dose-dependently. Apatinib administration was also associated with decreased levels of MLCP, and elevated endothelin-1 (ET-1) and collagen I, which were accompanied with increased mid-aortic media. However, treatment with Y27632 attenuated the above changes. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that activation of the RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway could be the underlying mechanism of apatinib-induced hypertension, while ROCK inhibitor have potential therapeutic value.
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13
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Arvanitis M, Tayeb K, Strober BJ, Battle A. Redefining tissue specificity of genetic regulation of gene expression in the presence of allelic heterogeneity. Am J Hum Genet 2022; 109:223-239. [PMID: 35085493 PMCID: PMC8874223 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2022.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Uncovering the functional impact of genetic variation on gene expression is important in understanding tissue biology and the pathogenesis of complex traits. Despite large efforts to map expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) across many human tissues, our ability to translate those findings to understanding human disease has been incomplete, and the majority of disease loci are not explained by association with expression of a target gene. Cell-type specificity and the presence of multiple independent causal variants for many eQTLs are potential confounders contributing to the apparent discrepancy with disease loci. In this study, we investigate the tissue specificity of genetic effects on gene expression and the overlap with disease loci while considering the presence of multiple causal variants within and across tissues. We find evidence of pervasive tissue specificity of eQTLs, often masked by linkage disequilibrium that misleads traditional meta-analytic approaches. We propose CAFEH (colocalization and fine-mapping in the presence of allelic heterogeneity), a Bayesian method that integrates genetic association data across multiple traits, incorporating linkage disequilibrium to identify causal variants. CAFEH outperforms previous approaches in colocalization and fine-mapping. Using CAFEH, we show that genes with highly tissue-specific genetic effects are under greater selection, enriched in differentiation and developmental processes, and more likely to be involved in human disease. Last, we demonstrate that CAFEH can efficiently leverage the widespread allelic heterogeneity in genetic regulation of gene expression to prioritize the target tissue in genome-wide association complex trait loci, thereby improving our ability to interpret complex trait genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marios Arvanitis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21211, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Karl Tayeb
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21211, USA
| | - Benjamin J Strober
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21211, USA
| | - Alexis Battle
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21211, USA; Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21211, USA; Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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14
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Liao KA, Rangarajan KV, Bai X, Taylor JM, Mack CP. The actin depolymerizing factor destrin serves as a negative feedback inhibitor of smooth muscle cell differentiation. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2021; 321:H893-H904. [PMID: 34559579 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00142.2021] [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] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We have previously shown that several components of the RhoA signaling pathway control smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype by altering serum response factor (SRF)-dependent gene expression. Because our genome-wide analyses of chromatin structure and transcription factor binding suggested that the actin depolymerizing factor, destrin (DSTN), was regulated in a SMC-selective fashion, the goals of the current study were to identify the transcription mechanisms that control DSTN expression in SMC and to test whether it regulates SMC function. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed strong and at least partially SMC-selective expression of DSTN in many mouse tissues, a result consistent with human data from the genotype-tissue expression (GTEx) consortium. We identified several regulatory regions that control DSTN expression including a SMC-selective enhancer that was activated by myocardin-related transcription factor-A (MRTF-A), recombination signal binding protein for immunoglobulin κ-J region (RBPJ), and the SMAD transcription factors. Indeed, enhancer activity and endogenous DSTN expression were upregulated by RhoA and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling and downregulated by inhibition of Notch cleavage. We also showed that DSTN expression was decreased in vivo by carotid artery injury and in cultured SMC cells by platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) treatment. siRNA-mediated depletion of DSTN significantly enhanced MRTF-A nuclear localization and SMC differentiation marker gene expression, decreased SMC migration in scratch wound assays, and decreased SMC proliferation, as measured by cell number and cyclin-E expression. Taken together our data indicate that DSTN is a negative feedback inhibitor of RhoA/SRF-dependent gene expression in SMC that coordinately promotes SMC phenotypic modulation. Interventions that target DSTN expression or activity could serve as potential therapies for atherosclerosis and restenosis.NEW & NOTEWORTHY First, DSTN is selectively expressed in SMC in RhoA/SRF-dependent manner. Second, a SMC-selective enhancer just upstream of DSTN TSS harbors functional SRF, SMAD, and Notch/RBPJ binding elements. Third, DSTN depletion increased SRF-dependent SMC marker gene expression while inhibiting SMC migration and proliferation. Taken together, our data suggest that DSTN is a critical negative feedback inhibitor of SMC differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuo An Liao
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Krsna V Rangarajan
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Xue Bai
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Joan M Taylor
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Christopher P Mack
- Department of Pathology and McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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15
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Li Q, Dibus M, Casey A, Yee CSK, Vargas SO, Luo S, Rosen SM, Madden JA, Genetti CA, Brabek J, Brownstein CA, Kazerounian S, Raby BA, Schmitz-Abe K, Kennedy JC, Fishman MP, Mullen MP, Taylor JM, Rosel D, Agrawal PB. A homozygous stop-gain variant in ARHGAP42 is associated with childhood interstitial lung disease, systemic hypertension, and immunological findings. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009639. [PMID: 34232960 PMCID: PMC8289122 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
ARHGAP42 encodes Rho GTPase activating protein 42 that belongs to a member of the GTPase Regulator Associated with Focal Adhesion Kinase (GRAF) family. ARHGAP42 is involved in blood pressure control by regulating vascular tone. Despite these findings, disorders of human variants in the coding part of ARHGAP42 have not been reported. Here, we describe an 8-year-old girl with childhood interstitial lung disease (chILD), systemic hypertension, and immunological findings who carries a homozygous stop-gain variant (c.469G>T, p.(Glu157Ter)) in the ARHGAP42 gene. The family history is notable for both parents with hypertension. Histopathological examination of the proband lung biopsy showed increased mural smooth muscle in small airways and alveolar septa, and concentric medial hypertrophy in pulmonary arteries. ARHGAP42 stop-gain variant in the proband leads to exon 5 skipping, and reduced ARHGAP42 levels, which was associated with enhanced RhoA and Cdc42 expression. This is the first report linking a homozygous stop-gain variant in ARHGAP42 with a chILD disorder, systemic hypertension, and immunological findings in human patient. Evidence of smooth muscle hypertrophy on lung biopsy and an increase in RhoA/ROCK signaling in patient cells suggests the potential mechanistic link between ARHGAP42 deficiency and the development of chILD disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qifei Li
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Michal Dibus
- Department of Cell Biology, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Cell Biology, Biotechnology and Biomedicine Centre of the Academy of Sciences and Charles University (BIOCEV), Průmyslová 595, Vestec u Prahy, Czech Republic
| | - Alicia Casey
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Christina S. K. Yee
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sara O. Vargas
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Shiyu Luo
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Samantha M. Rosen
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jill A. Madden
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Casie A. Genetti
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jan Brabek
- Department of Cell Biology, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Cell Biology, Biotechnology and Biomedicine Centre of the Academy of Sciences and Charles University (BIOCEV), Průmyslová 595, Vestec u Prahy, Czech Republic
| | - Catherine A. Brownstein
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Shideh Kazerounian
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Benjamin A. Raby
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Klaus Schmitz-Abe
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - John C. Kennedy
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Martha P. Fishman
- Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Mary P. Mullen
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Joan M. Taylor
- Dept. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Daniel Rosel
- Department of Cell Biology, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Cell Biology, Biotechnology and Biomedicine Centre of the Academy of Sciences and Charles University (BIOCEV), Průmyslová 595, Vestec u Prahy, Czech Republic
| | - Pankaj B. Agrawal
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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16
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Sun H, Hodgkinson CP, Pratt RE, Dzau VJ. CRISPR/Cas9 Mediated Deletion of the Angiotensinogen Gene Reduces Hypertension: A Potential for Cure? Hypertension 2021; 77:1990-2000. [PMID: 33813849 PMCID: PMC9896968 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.120.16870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Hualing Sun
- Mandel Center and the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Conrad P. Hodgkinson
- Mandel Center and the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Richard E. Pratt
- Mandel Center and the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Victor J. Dzau
- Mandel Center and the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710
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17
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Tseng CC, Wong MC, Liao WT, Chen CJ, Lee SC, Yen JH, Chang SJ. Genetic Variants in Transcription Factor Binding Sites in Humans: Triggered by Natural Selection and Triggers of Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22084187. [PMID: 33919522 PMCID: PMC8073710 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22084187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Variants of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) constitute an important part of the human genome. Current evidence demonstrates close links between nucleotides within TFBSs and gene expression. There are multiple pathways through which genomic sequences located in TFBSs regulate gene expression, and recent genome-wide association studies have shown the biological significance of TFBS variation in human phenotypes. However, numerous challenges remain in the study of TFBS polymorphisms. This article aims to cover the current state of understanding as regards the genomic features of TFBSs and TFBS variants; the mechanisms through which TFBS variants regulate gene expression; the approaches to studying the effects of nucleotide changes that create or disrupt TFBSs; the challenges faced in studies of TFBS sequence variations; the effects of natural selection on collections of TFBSs; in addition to the insights gained from the study of TFBS alleles related to gout, its associated comorbidities (increased body mass index, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, hyperuricemia, osteoporosis, and prostate cancer), and the treatment responses of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Chun Tseng
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (J.-H.Y.)
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
| | - Man-Chun Wong
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
| | - Wei-Ting Liao
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (W.-T.L.); (S.-J.C.); Tel.: +886-7-3121101 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5916679 (S.-J.C.); Fax:+886-7-3125339 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5919264 (S.-J.C.)
| | - Chung-Jen Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung 80145, Taiwan;
| | - Su-Chen Lee
- Laboratory Diagnosis of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan;
| | - Jeng-Hsien Yen
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan; (C.-C.T.); (J.-H.Y.)
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao-Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Jen Chang
- Department of Kinesiology, Health and Leisure Studies, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung 81148, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (W.-T.L.); (S.-J.C.); Tel.: +886-7-3121101 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5916679 (S.-J.C.); Fax:+886-7-3125339 (W.-T.L.); +886-7-5919264 (S.-J.C.)
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18
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Vohra M, Sharma AR, Prabhu B N, Rai PS. SNPs in Sites for DNA Methylation, Transcription Factor Binding, and miRNA Targets Leading to Allele-Specific Gene Expression and Contributing to Complex Disease Risk: A Systematic Review. Public Health Genomics 2020; 23:155-170. [PMID: 32966991 DOI: 10.1159/000510253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The complex genetic diversity among human populations results from an assortment of factors acting at various sequential levels, including mutations, population migrations, genetic drift, and selection. Although there are a plethora of DNA sequence variations identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the challenge remains to explain the mechanisms underlying interindividual phenotypic disparity accounting for disease susceptibility. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) present in the sites for DNA methylation, transcription factor (TF) binding, or miRNA targets can alter the gene expression. The systematic review aimed to evaluate the complex crosstalk among SNPs, miRNAs, DNA methylation, and TFs for complex multifactorial disease risk. METHODS PubMed and Scopus databases were used from inception until May 15, 2019. Initially, screening of articles involved studies assessing the interaction of SNPs with TFs, DNA methylation, or miRNAs resulting in allele-specific gene expression in complex multifactorial diseases. We also included the studies which provided experimental validation of the interaction of SNPs with each of these factors. The results from various studies on multifactorial diseases were assessed. RESULTS A total of 11 articles for SNPs interacting with DNA methylation, 30 articles for SNPs interacting with TFs, and 11 articles for SNPs in miRNA binding sites were selected. The interactions of SNPs with epigenetic factors were found to be implicated in different types of cancers, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and asthma. CONCLUSION The systematic review provides evidence for the interplay between genetic and epigenetic risk factors through allele-specific gene expression in various complex multifactorial diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manik Vohra
- Department of Biotechnology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Anu Radha Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Navya Prabhu B
- Department of Biotechnology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Padmalatha S Rai
- Department of Biotechnology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India,
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19
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Teodorescu P, Pasca S, Jurj A, Gafencu G, Joelsson JP, Selicean S, Moldovan C, Munteanu R, Onaciu A, Tigu AB, Buse M, Zimta AA, Stiufiuc R, Petrushev B, Desmirean M, Dima D, Vlad C, Bergthorsson JT, Berce C, Ciurea S, Ghiaur G, Tomuleasa C. Transforming growth factor β-mediated micromechanics modulates disease progression in primary myelofibrosis. J Cell Mol Med 2020; 24:11100-11110. [PMID: 32889753 PMCID: PMC7576271 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.15526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a Ph‐negative myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN), characterized by advanced bone marrow fibrosis and extramedullary haematopoiesis. The bone marrow fibrosis results from excessive proliferation of fibroblasts that are influenced by several cytokines in the microenvironment, of which transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) is the most important. Micromechanics related to the niche has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we hypothesized that mechanical stress modulates TGF‐β signalling leading to further activation and subsequent proliferation and invasion of bone marrow fibroblasts, thus showing the important role of micromechanics in the development and progression of PMF, both in the bone marrow and in extramedullary sites. Using three PMF‐derived fibroblast cell lines and transforming growth factor‐β receptor (TGFBR) 1 and 2 knock‐down PMF‐derived fibroblasts, we showed that mechanical stress does stimulate the collagen synthesis by the fibroblasts in patients with myelofibrosis, through the TGFBR1, which however seems to be activated through alternative pathways, other than TGFBR2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patric Teodorescu
- Department of Hematology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania.,Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Clinical Cancer Center, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Sergiu Pasca
- Department of Hematology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Ancuta Jurj
- Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Grigore Gafencu
- Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania.,Molecular Haematology Unit - Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jon-Petur Joelsson
- Stem Cell Research Unit, Biomedical Center, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.,Department of Laboratory Hematology, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Sonia Selicean
- Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania.,Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, Universität Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Cristian Moldovan
- Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Raluca Munteanu
- Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Anca Onaciu
- Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Adrian-Bogdan Tigu
- Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Mihail Buse
- Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Alina-Andreea Zimta
- Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Rares Stiufiuc
- Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Bobe Petrushev
- Medfuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Minodora Desmirean
- Department of Hematology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania.,Department of Pathology, Constantin Papilian Military Hospital, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Delia Dima
- Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Clinical Research Center, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Cristina Vlad
- Department of Cardiology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania.,Department of Cardiology, Rehabilitation Hospital, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Jon Thor Bergthorsson
- Stem Cell Research Unit, Biomedical Center, School of Health Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.,Department of Laboratory Hematology, Landspitali, University Hospital, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Cristian Berce
- Animal Facility, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Stefan Ciurea
- Department of Cellular Therapies and Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabriel Ghiaur
- Department of Leukemia, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ciprian Tomuleasa
- Department of Hematology, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania.,Department of Hematology, Ion Chiricuta Clinical Cancer Center, Cluj Napoca, Romania.,Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania
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20
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Bai X, Mangum K, Kakoki M, Smithies O, Mack CP, Taylor JM. GRAF3 serves as a blood volume-sensitive rheostat to control smooth muscle contractility and blood pressure. Small GTPases 2020; 11:194-203. [PMID: 29099324 PMCID: PMC7549679 DOI: 10.1080/21541248.2017.1375602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular resistance is a major determinant of BP and is controlled, in large part, by RhoA-dependent smooth muscle cell (SMC) contraction within small peripheral arterioles and previous studies from our lab indicate that GRAF3 is a critical regulator of RhoA in vascular SMC. The elevated contractile responses we observed in GRAF3 deficient vessels coupled with the hypertensive phenotype provided a mechanistic link for the hypertensive locus recently identified within the GRAF3 gene. On the basis of our previous findings that the RhoA signaling axis also controls SMC contractile gene expression and that GRAF3 expression was itself controlled by this pathway, we postulated that GRAF3 serves as an important counter-regulator of SMC phenotype. Indeed, our new findings presented herein indicate that GRAF3 expression acts as a pressure-sensitive rheostat to control vessel tone by both reducing calcium sensitivity and restraining expression of the SMC-specific contractile proteins that support this function. Collectively, these studies highlight the potential therapeutic value of GRAF3 in the control of human hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Bai
- Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kevin Mangum
- Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Masao Kakoki
- Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Oliver Smithies
- Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Christopher P. Mack
- Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Joan M. Taylor
- Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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21
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Molecular Regulation of the RhoGAP GRAF3 and Its Capacity to Limit Blood Pressure In Vivo. Cells 2020; 9:cells9041042. [PMID: 32331391 PMCID: PMC7226614 DOI: 10.3390/cells9041042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Anti-hypertensive therapies are usually prescribed empirically and are often ineffective. Given the prevalence and deleterious outcomes of hypertension (HTN), improved strategies are needed. We reported that the Rho-GAP GRAF3 is selectively expressed in smooth muscle cells (SMC) and controls blood pressure (BP) by limiting the RhoA-dependent contractility of resistance arterioles. Importantly, genetic variants at the GRAF3 locus controls BP in patients. The goal of this study was to validate GRAF3 as a druggable candidate for future anti-HTN therapies. Importantly, using a novel mouse model, we found that modest induction of GRAF3 in SMC significantly decreased basal and vasoconstrictor-induced BP. Moreover, we found that GRAF3 protein toggles between inactive and active states by processes controlled by the mechano-sensing kinase, focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Using resonance energy transfer methods, we showed that agonist-induced FAK-dependent phosphorylation at Y376GRAF3 reverses an auto-inhibitory interaction between the GAP and BAR-PH domains. Y376 is located in a linker between the PH and GAP domains and is invariant in GRAF3 homologues and a phosphomimetic E376GRAF3 variant exhibited elevated GAP activity. Collectively, these data provide strong support for the future identification of allosteric activators of GRAF3 for targeted anti-hypertensive therapies.
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22
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Mangum KD, Freeman EJ, Magin JC, Taylor JM, Mack CP. Transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of the SMC-selective blood pressure-associated gene, ARHGAP42. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2020; 318:H413-H424. [PMID: 31886719 PMCID: PMC7052622 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00143.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We previously showed that ARHGAP42 is a smooth muscle cell (SMC)-selective, RhoA-specific GTPase activating protein that regulates blood pressure and that a minor allele single nucleotide variation within a DNAse hypersensitive regulatory element in intron1 (Int1DHS) increased ARHGAP42 expression by promoting serum response factor binding. The goal of the current study was to identify additional transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms that control ARHGAP42 expression. Using deletion/mutation, gel shift, and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments, we showed that recombination signal binding protein for immunoglobulin κ-J region (RBPJ) and TEA domain family member 1 (TEAD1) binding to a conserved core region was required for full IntDHS transcriptional activity. Importantly, overexpression of the notch intracellular domain (NICD) or plating SMCs on recombinant jagged-1 increased IntDHS activity and endogenous ARHGAP42 expression while siRNA-mediated knockdown of TEAD1 inhibited ARHGAP42 mRNA levels. Re-chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that RBPJ and TEAD1 were bound to the Int1DHS enhancer at the same time, and coimmunoprecipitation assays indicated that these factors interacted physically. Our results also suggest TEAD1 and RBPJ bound cooperatively to the Int1DHS and that the presence of TEAD1 promoted the recruitment of NICD by RBPJ. Finally, we showed that ARHGAP42 expression was inhibited by micro-RNA 505 (miR505) which interacted with the ARHGAP42 3'-untranslated region (UTR) to facilitate its degradation and by AK124326, a long noncoding RNA that overlaps with the ARHGAP42 transcription start site on the opposite DNA strand. Since siRNA-mediated depletion of AK124326 was associated with increased H3K9 acetylation and RNA Pol-II binding at the ARHGAP42 gene, it is likely that AK124326 inhibits ARHGAP42 transcription.NEW & NOTEWORTHY First, RBPJ and TEAD1 converge at an intronic enhancer to regulate ARHGAP42 expression in SMCs. Second, TEAD1 and RBPJ interact physically and bind cooperatively to the ARHGAP42 enhancer. Third, miR505 interacts with the ARHGAP42 3'-UTR to facilitate its degradation. Finally, LncRNA, AK124326, inhibits ARHGAP42 transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin D Mangum
- Department of Pathology and the McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Emily J Freeman
- Department of Pathology and the McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Justin C Magin
- Department of Pathology and the McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Joan M Taylor
- Department of Pathology and the McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Christopher P Mack
- Department of Pathology and the McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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23
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Mishra MK, Liang EY, Geurts AM, Auer PWL, Liu P, Rao S, Greene AS, Liang M, Liu Y. Comparative and Functional Genomic Resource for Mechanistic Studies of Human Blood Pressure-Associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Hypertension 2020; 75:859-868. [PMID: 31902252 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.14109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The objective of the current study is to use comparative and functional genomic analysis to help to understand the biological mechanism mediating the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on blood pressure. We mapped 26 585 SNPs that are in linkage disequilibrium with 1071 human blood pressure-associated sentinel SNPs to 9447 syntenic regions in the mouse genome. Approximately 21.8% of the 1071 linkage disequilibrium regions are located at least 10 kb from any protein-coding gene. Approximately 300 blood pressure-associated SNPs are expression quantitative trait loci for a few dozen known blood pressure physiology genes in tissues including specific kidney regions. Blood pressure-associated sentinel SNPs are significantly enriched for expression quantitative trait loci for blood pressure physiology genes compared with randomly selected SNPs (P<0.00023, Fisher exact test). Using a newly developed deep learning method and other methods, we identified SNPs that were predicted to influence the conservation of CTCF (CCCTC-binding factor) binding across cell types, transcription factor binding, mRNA splicing, or secondary structures of RNA including long noncoding RNA. The SNPs were more likely to be located in CTCF-binding regions than what would be expected from the whole genome (P=4.90×10-7, Pearson χ2 test). One example synonymous SNP rs9337951 was predicted to influence the secondary structure of its host mRNA JCAD (junctional cadherin 5 associated) and was experimentally validated to influence JCAD protein expression. These findings provide an extensive comparative and functional genomic resource for developing experiments to test the functional significance of human blood pressure-associated SNPs in human cells and animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoj K Mishra
- From the Department of Physiology, Center of Systems Molecular Medicine (M.K.M., E.Y.L., A.M.G., P.L., A.S.G., M.L., Y.L.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
| | - Eugene Y Liang
- From the Department of Physiology, Center of Systems Molecular Medicine (M.K.M., E.Y.L., A.M.G., P.L., A.S.G., M.L., Y.L.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
| | - Aron M Geurts
- From the Department of Physiology, Center of Systems Molecular Medicine (M.K.M., E.Y.L., A.M.G., P.L., A.S.G., M.L., Y.L.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
| | - Paul W L Auer
- Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (P.W.L.A.)
| | - Pengyuan Liu
- From the Department of Physiology, Center of Systems Molecular Medicine (M.K.M., E.Y.L., A.M.G., P.L., A.S.G., M.L., Y.L.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.,Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, China (P.L.)
| | - Sridhar Rao
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy, and Department of Pediatrics (S.R.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.,Blood Research Institute, Versiti, Milwaukee, WI (S.R.)
| | - Andrew S Greene
- From the Department of Physiology, Center of Systems Molecular Medicine (M.K.M., E.Y.L., A.M.G., P.L., A.S.G., M.L., Y.L.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.,Department of Biomedical Engineering (A.S.G.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
| | - Mingyu Liang
- From the Department of Physiology, Center of Systems Molecular Medicine (M.K.M., E.Y.L., A.M.G., P.L., A.S.G., M.L., Y.L.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
| | - Yong Liu
- From the Department of Physiology, Center of Systems Molecular Medicine (M.K.M., E.Y.L., A.M.G., P.L., A.S.G., M.L., Y.L.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
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24
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Cabrera CP, Ng FL, Nicholls HL, Gupta A, Barnes MR, Munroe PB, Caulfield MJ. Over 1000 genetic loci influencing blood pressure with multiple systems and tissues implicated. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 28:R151-R161. [PMID: 31411675 PMCID: PMC6872427 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
High blood pressure (BP) remains the major heritable and modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Persistent high BP, or hypertension, is a complex trait with both genetic and environmental interactions. Despite swift advances in genomics, translating new discoveries to further our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms remains a challenge. More than 500 loci implicated in the regulation of BP have been revealed by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 2018 alone, taking the total number of BP genetic loci to over 1000. Even with the large number of loci now associated to BP, the genetic variance explained by all loci together remains low (~5.7%). These genetic associations have elucidated mechanisms and pathways regulating BP, highlighting potential new therapeutic and drug repurposing targets. A large proportion of the BP loci were discovered and reported simultaneously by multiple research groups, creating a knowledge gap, where the reported loci to date have not been investigated in a harmonious way. Here, we review the BP-associated genetic variants reported across GWAS studies and investigate their potential impact on the biological systems using in silico enrichment analyses for pathways, tissues, gene ontology and genetic pleiotropy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia P Cabrera
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- NIHR Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- Centre for Translational Bioinformatics, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Fu Liang Ng
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- NIHR Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Hannah L Nicholls
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- Centre for Translational Bioinformatics, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Ajay Gupta
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- NIHR Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Michael R Barnes
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- NIHR Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- Centre for Translational Bioinformatics, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Patricia B Munroe
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- NIHR Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Mark J Caulfield
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
- NIHR Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK
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25
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Fjorder AS, Rasmussen MB, Mehrjouy MM, Nazaryan-Petersen L, Hansen C, Bak M, Grarup N, Nørremølle A, Larsen LA, Vestergaard H, Hansen T, Tommerup N, Bache I. Haploinsufficiency of ARHGAP42 is associated with hypertension. Eur J Hum Genet 2019; 27:1296-1303. [PMID: 30903111 PMCID: PMC6777610 DOI: 10.1038/s41431-019-0382-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Family studies have established that the heritability of blood pressure is significant and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous susceptibility loci, including one within the non-coding part of Rho GTPase-activating protein 42 gene (ARHGAP42) on chromosome 11q22.1. Arhgap42-deficient mice have significantly elevated blood pressure, but the phenotypic effects of human variants in the coding part of the gene are unknown. In a Danish cohort of carriers with apparently balanced chromosomal rearrangements, we identified a family where a reciprocal translocation t(11;18)(q22.1;q12.2) segregated with hypertension and obesity. Clinical re-examination revealed that four carriers (age 50-77 years) have had hypertension for several years along with an increased body mass index (34-43 kg/m2). A younger carrier (age 23 years) had normal blood pressure and body mass index. Mapping of the chromosomal breakpoints with mate-pair and Sanger sequencing revealed truncation of ARHGAP42. A decreased expression level of ARHGAP42 mRNA in the blood was found in the translocation carriers relative to controls and allele-specific expression analysis showed monoallelic expression in the translocation carriers, confirming that the truncated allele of ARHGAP42 was not expressed. These findings support that haploinsufficiency of ARHGAP42 leads to an age-dependent hypertension. The other breakpoint truncated a regulatory domain of the CUGBP Elav-like family member 4 (CELF4) gene on chromosome 18q12.2 that harbours several GWAS signals for obesity. We thereby provide additional support for an obesity locus in the CELF4 domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda S Fjorder
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
| | - Malene B Rasmussen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen O, 2100, Denmark
| | - Mana M Mehrjouy
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
| | - Lusine Nazaryan-Petersen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
| | - Claus Hansen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
| | - Mads Bak
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen O, 2100, Denmark
| | - Niels Grarup
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark
| | - Anne Nørremølle
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
| | - Lars A Larsen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
| | - Henrik Vestergaard
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark
- Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Gentofte, 2820, Denmark
| | - Torben Hansen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark
| | - Niels Tommerup
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark
| | - Iben Bache
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen N, 2200, Denmark.
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen O, 2100, Denmark.
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Mopidevi B, Kaw MK, Sivankutty I, Jain S, Perla SK, Kumar A. A polymorphism in intron I of the human angiotensinogen gene ( hAGT) affects binding by HNF3 and hAGT expression and increases blood pressure in mice. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:11829-11839. [PMID: 31201268 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.007715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Angiotensinogen (AGT) is the precursor of one of the most potent vasoconstrictors, peptide angiotensin II. Genome-wide association studies have shown that two A/G polymorphisms (rs2493134 and rs2004776), located at +507 and +1164 in intron I of the human AGT (hAGT) gene, are associated with hypertension. Polymorphisms of the AGT gene result in two main haplotypes. Hap-I contains the variants -217A, -6A, +507G, and +1164A and is pro-hypertensive, whereas Hap-II contains the variants -217G, -6G, +507A, and +1164G and does not affect blood pressure. The nucleotide sequence of intron I of the hAGT gene containing the +1164A variant has a stronger homology with the hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 (HNF3)-binding site than +1164G. Here we found that an oligonucleotide containing +1164A binds HNF3β more strongly than +1164G and that Hap-I-containing reporter gene constructs have increased basal and HNF3- and glucocorticoid-induced promoter activity in transiently transfected liver and kidney cells. Using a knock-in approach at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus, we generated a transgenic mouse model containing the human renin (hREN) gene and either Hap-I or Hap-II. We show that transgenic animals containing Hap-I have increased blood pressure compared with those containing Hap-II. Moreover, the transcription factors glucocorticoid receptor, CCAAT enhancer-binding protein β, and HNF3β bound more strongly to chromatin obtained from the liver of transgenic animals containing Hap-I than to liver chromatin from Hap-II-containing animals. These findings suggest that, unlike Hap-II variants, Hap-I variants of the hAGT gene have increased transcription rates, resulting in elevated blood pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Meenakshi K Kaw
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio 43614
| | - Indu Sivankutty
- Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595
| | - Sudhir Jain
- Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595
| | - Sravan Kumar Perla
- Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595
| | - Ashok Kumar
- Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York 10595
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Dee RA, Mangum KD, Bai X, Mack CP, Taylor JM. Druggable targets in the Rho pathway and their promise for therapeutic control of blood pressure. Pharmacol Ther 2019; 193:121-134. [PMID: 30189292 PMCID: PMC7235948 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) has steadily increased over the last few decades. Known as a silent killer, hypertension increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and associated sequela. While numerous hypertensive therapies are currently available, it is estimated that only half of medicated patients exhibit blood pressure control. This signifies the need for a better understanding of the underlying cause of disease and for more effective therapies. While blood pressure homeostasis is very complex and involves the integrated control of multiple body systems, smooth muscle contractility and arterial resistance are important contributors. Strong evidence from pre-clinical animal models and genome-wide association studies indicate that smooth muscle contraction and BP homeostasis are governed by the small GTPase RhoA and its downstream target, Rho kinase. In this review, we summarize the signaling pathways and regulators that impart tight spatial-temporal control of RhoA activity in smooth muscle cells and discuss current therapeutic strategies to target these RhoA pathway components. We also discuss known allelic variations in the RhoA pathway and consider how these polymorphisms may affect genetic risk for hypertension and its clinical manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A Dee
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kevin D Mangum
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Xue Bai
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Christopher P Mack
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Joan M Taylor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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Azam AB, Azizan EAB. Brief Overview of a Decade of Genome-Wide Association Studies on Primary Hypertension. Int J Endocrinol 2018; 2018:7259704. [PMID: 29666641 PMCID: PMC5831899 DOI: 10.1155/2018/7259704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary hypertension is widely believed to be a complex polygenic disorder with the manifestation influenced by the interactions of genomic and environmental factors making identification of susceptibility genes a major challenge. With major advancement in high-throughput genotyping technology, genome-wide association study (GWAS) has become a powerful tool for researchers studying genetically complex diseases. GWASs work through revealing links between DNA sequence variation and a disease or trait with biomedical importance. The human genome is a very long DNA sequence which consists of billions of nucleotides arranged in a unique way. A single base-pair change in the DNA sequence is known as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). With the help of modern genotyping techniques such as chip-based genotyping arrays, thousands of SNPs can be genotyped easily. Large-scale GWASs, in which more than half a million of common SNPs are genotyped and analyzed for disease association in hundreds of thousands of cases and controls, have been broadly successful in identifying SNPs associated with heart diseases, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and psychiatric disorders. It is however still debatable whether GWAS is the best approach for hypertension. The following is a brief overview on the outcomes of a decade of GWASs on primary hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afifah Binti Azam
- Department of Medicine, The National University of Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Elena Aisha Binti Azizan
- Department of Medicine, The National University of Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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