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Bhattarai P, Gunasekaran TI, Belloy ME, Reyes-Dumeyer D, Jülich D, Tayran H, Yilmaz E, Flaherty D, Turgutalp B, Sukumar G, Alba C, McGrath EM, Hupalo DN, Bacikova D, Le Guen Y, Lantigua R, Medrano M, Rivera D, Recio P, Nuriel T, Ertekin-Taner N, Teich AF, Dickson DW, Holley S, Greicius M, Dalgard CL, Zody M, Mayeux R, Kizil C, Vardarajan BN. Rare genetic variation in fibronectin 1 (FN1) protects against APOEε4 in Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 147:70. [PMID: 38598053 PMCID: PMC11006751 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02721-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
The risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) significantly increases in individuals carrying the APOEε4 allele. Elderly cognitively healthy individuals with APOEε4 also exist, suggesting the presence of cellular mechanisms that counteract the pathological effects of APOEε4; however, these mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesized that APOEε4 carriers without dementia might carry genetic variations that could protect them from developing APOEε4-mediated AD pathology. To test this, we leveraged whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data in the National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Family Based Study (NIA-AD FBS), Washington Heights/Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP), and Estudio Familiar de Influencia Genetica en Alzheimer (EFIGA) cohorts and identified potentially protective variants segregating exclusively among unaffected APOEε4 carriers. In homozygous unaffected carriers above 70 years old, we identified 510 rare coding variants. Pathway analysis of the genes harboring these variants showed significant enrichment in extracellular matrix (ECM)-related processes, suggesting protective effects of functional modifications in ECM proteins. We prioritized two genes that were highly represented in the ECM-related gene ontology terms, (FN1) and collagen type VI alpha 2 chain (COL6A2) and are known to be expressed at the blood-brain barrier (BBB), for postmortem validation and in vivo functional studies. An independent analysis in a large cohort of 7185 APOEε4 homozygous carriers found that rs140926439 variant in FN1 was protective of AD (OR = 0.29; 95% CI [0.11, 0.78], P = 0.014) and delayed age at onset of disease by 3.37 years (95% CI [0.42, 6.32], P = 0.025). The FN1 and COL6A2 protein levels were increased at the BBB in APOEε4 carriers with AD. Brain expression of cognitively unaffected homozygous APOEε4 carriers had significantly lower FN1 deposition and less reactive gliosis compared to homozygous APOEε4 carriers with AD, suggesting that FN1 might be a downstream driver of APOEε4-mediated AD-related pathology and cognitive decline. To validate our findings, we used zebrafish models with loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in fn1b-the ortholog for human FN1. We found that fibronectin LOF reduced gliosis, enhanced gliovascular remodeling, and potentiated the microglial response, suggesting that pathological accumulation of FN1 could impair toxic protein clearance, which is ameliorated with FN1 LOF. Our study suggests that vascular deposition of FN1 is related to the pathogenicity of APOEε4, and LOF variants in FN1 may reduce APOEε4-related AD risk, providing novel clues to potential therapeutic interventions targeting the ECM to mitigate AD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prabesh Bhattarai
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tamil Iniyan Gunasekaran
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael E Belloy
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Dolly Reyes-Dumeyer
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dörthe Jülich
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Hüseyin Tayran
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elanur Yilmaz
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Delaney Flaherty
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Bengisu Turgutalp
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gauthaman Sukumar
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20817, USA
| | - Camille Alba
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20817, USA
| | - Elisa Martinez McGrath
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20817, USA
| | - Daniel N Hupalo
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20817, USA
| | - Dagmar Bacikova
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20817, USA
| | - Yann Le Guen
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Quantitative Sciences Unit, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rafael Lantigua
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University New York, New York, USA
| | - Martin Medrano
- School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, Santiago, Dominican Republic
| | - Diones Rivera
- Department of Neurology, CEDIMAT, Plaza de la Salud, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- School of Medicine, Universidad Pedro Henriquez Urena (UNPHU), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Patricia Recio
- Department of Neurology, CEDIMAT, Plaza de la Salud, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| | - Tal Nuriel
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Andrew F Teich
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Scott Holley
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Michael Greicius
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Clifton L Dalgard
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA
- The American Genome Center, Center for Military Precision Health, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Michael Zody
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, 10013, USA
| | - Richard Mayeux
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St., New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Caghan Kizil
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA.
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Badri N Vardarajan
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University New York, New York, NY, USA.
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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Wang YK, Weng HK, Mo FE. The regulation and functions of the matricellular CCN proteins induced by shear stress. J Cell Commun Signal 2023:10.1007/s12079-023-00760-z. [PMID: 37191841 DOI: 10.1007/s12079-023-00760-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Shear stress is a frictional drag generated by the flow of fluid, such as blood or interstitial fluid, and plays a critical role in regulating cellular gene expression and functional phenotype. The matricellular CCN family proteins are dynamically regulated by shear stress of different flow patterns, and their expression significantly alters the microenvironment of cells. Secreted CCN proteins mainly bind to several cell surface integrin receptors to mediate their diverse functions in regulating cell survival, function, and behavior. Gene-knockout studies indicate major functions of CCN proteins in the cardiovascular and skeletal systems, the two primary systems in which CCN expressions are regulated by shear stress. In the cardiovascular system, the endothelium is directly exposed to vascular shear stress. Unidirectional laminar blood flow generates laminar shear stress, which promotes a mature endothelial phenotype and upregulates anti-inflammatory CCN3 expression. In contrast, disturbed flow generates oscillatory shear stress, which induces endothelial dysfunction through the induction of CCN1 and CCN2. Shear-induced CCN1 binds to integrin α6β1 and promotes superoxide production, NF-κB activation, and inflammatory gene expression in endothelial cells. Although the interaction between shear stress and CCN4-6 is not clear, CCN 4 exhibits a proinflammatory property and CCN5 inhibits vascular cell growth and migration. The crucial roles of CCN proteins in cardiovascular development, homeostasis, and disease are evident but not fully understood. In the skeletal system, mechanical loading on bone generates shear stress from interstitial fluid in the lacuna-canalicular system and promotes osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. CCN1 and CCN2 are induced and potentially mediate fluid shear stress mechanosensing in osteocytes. However, the exact roles of interstitial shear stress-induced CCN1 and CCN2 in bone are still not clear. In contrast to other CCN family proteins, CCN3 inhibits osteoblast differentiation, although its regulation by interstitial shear stress in osteocytes has not been reported. The induction of CCN proteins by shear stress in bone and their functions remain largely unknown and merit further investigation. This review discusses the expression and functions of CCN proteins regulated by shear stress in physiological conditions, diseases, and cell culture models. The roles between CCN family proteins can be compensatory or counteractive in tissue remodeling and homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang-Kao Wang
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Kai Weng
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
- Department of Orthopedics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Fan-E Mo
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan.
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan.
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Höltke C, Enders L, Stölting M, Geyer C, Masthoff M, Kuhlmann MT, Wildgruber M, Helfen A. Detection of Early Endothelial Dysfunction by Optoacoustic Tomography. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108627. [PMID: 37239972 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Variations in vascular wall shear stress are often presumed to result in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions at specific arterial regions, where continuous laminar flow is disturbed. The influences of altered blood flow dynamics and oscillations on the integrity of endothelial cells and the endothelial layer have been extensively studied in vitro and in vivo. Under pathological conditions, the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif binding integrin αvβ3 has been identified as a relevant target, as it induces endothelial cell activation. Animal models for in vivo imaging of endothelial dysfunction (ED) mainly rely on genetically modified knockout models that develop endothelial damage and atherosclerotic plaques upon hypercholesterolemia (ApoE-/- and LDLR-/-), thereby depicting late-stage pathophysiology. The visualization of early ED, however, remains a challenge. Therefore, a carotid artery cuff model of low and oscillating shear stress was applied in CD-1 wild-type mice, which should be able to show the effects of altered shear stress on a healthy endothelium, thus revealing alterations in early ED. Multispectral optoacoustic tomography (MSOT) was assessed as a non-invasive and highly sensitive imaging technique for the detection of an intravenously injected RGD-mimetic fluorescent probe in a longitudinal (2-12 weeks) study after surgical cuff intervention of the right common carotid artery (RCCA). Images were analyzed concerning the signal distribution upstream and downstream of the implanted cuff, as well as on the contralateral side as a control. Subsequent histological analysis was applied to delineate the distribution of relevant factors within the carotid vessel walls. Analysis revealed a significantly enhanced fluorescent signal intensity in the RCCA upstream of the cuff compared to the contralateral healthy side and the downstream region at all time points post-surgery. The most obvious differences were recorded at 6 and 8 weeks after implantation. Immunohistochemistry revealed a high degree of αv-positivity in this region of the RCCA, but not in the left common carotid artery (LCCA) or downstream of the cuff. In addition, macrophages could be detected by CD68 immunohistochemistry in the RCCA, showing ongoing inflammatory processes. In conclusion, MSOT is capable of delineating alterations in endothelial cell integrity in vivo in the applied model of early ED, where an elevated expression of integrin αvβ3 was detected within vascular structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Höltke
- Clinic for Radiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Leonie Enders
- Clinic for Radiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Miriam Stölting
- Clinic for Radiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Christiane Geyer
- Clinic for Radiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Max Masthoff
- Clinic for Radiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Michael T Kuhlmann
- European Institute for Molecular Imaging, WWU Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Moritz Wildgruber
- Clinic for Radiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Anne Helfen
- Clinic for Radiology, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
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Zhou W, Wang F, Qian X, Luo S, Wang Z, Gao X, Kong X, Zhang J, Chen S. Quercetin protects endothelial function from inflammation induced by localized disturbed flow by inhibiting NRP2 -VEGFC complex. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 116:109842. [PMID: 36764279 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.109842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a focal chronic inflammatory disease, the initial pathogenic event of which is endothelial dysfunction, and disturbed flow (DF) is the primary and vital factor underlying endothelial dysfunction. The present research aims to elucidate the mechanism underlying the regulation of Neuropilin (NRP)2 under DF in endothelial cells (ECs) in an inflammatory state. We observed that NRP2 expression was significantly upregulated in DF-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Knockdown of NRP2 in HUVECs significantly ameliorated cell inflammation induced by DF. In addition, quercetin inhibited NRP2 expression as well as endothelial inflammation. Animal experiments suggested that NRP2 knockdown or intraperitoneal injection of quercetin affected the expression of inflammation-related genes. Moreover, the upstream transcription factor GATA2 was found to regulate NRP2 transcription by binding to the -1100 to +100 bp region of the NRP2 promoter. Further studies showed that quercetin inhibited NRP2-VEGFC complex formation induced by disturbed flow, although did not inhibit GATA2 expression. These findings suggest that NRP2 plays an important role in promoting inflammation. Quercetin antagonizes atherosclerosis by inhibiting NRP2 and the formation of NRP2-VEGFC complex by inhibiting the inflammatory effects induced by disordered flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenying Zhou
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University 210029, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University 210029, China
| | - Xuesong Qian
- Department of Cardiology, The First People's Hospital of Zhangjiagang, Zhangjiagang, China
| | - Shuai Luo
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University 210029, China
| | - Zhimei Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University 210029, China
| | - Xiaofei Gao
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University 210029, China; Department of Cardiology, Nanjing Heart Centre, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiangquan Kong
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University 210029, China; Department of Cardiology, Nanjing Heart Centre, Nanjing, China
| | - Junjie Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University 210029, China; Department of Cardiology, Nanjing Heart Centre, Nanjing, China.
| | - Shaoliang Chen
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University 210029, China; Department of Cardiology, Nanjing Heart Centre, Nanjing, China.
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