1
|
Johnson RT, Solanki R, Wostear F, Ahmed S, Taylor JCK, Rees J, Abel G, McColl J, Jørgensen HF, Morris CJ, Bidula S, Warren DT. Piezo1-mediated regulation of smooth muscle cell volume in response to enhanced extracellular matrix rigidity. Br J Pharmacol 2024; 181:1576-1595. [PMID: 38044463 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16294] [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: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Decreased aortic compliance is a precursor to numerous cardiovascular diseases. Compliance is regulated by the rigidity of the aortic wall and the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Extracellular matrix stiffening, observed during ageing, reduces compliance. In response to increased rigidity, VSMCs generate enhanced contractile forces that result in VSMC stiffening and a further reduction in compliance. Mechanisms driving VSMC response to matrix rigidity remain poorly defined. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Human aortic-VSMCs were seeded onto polyacrylamide hydrogels whose rigidity mimicked either healthy (12 kPa) or aged/diseased (72 kPa) aortae. VSMCs were treated with pharmacological agents prior to agonist stimulation to identify regulators of VSMC volume regulation. KEY RESULTS On pliable matrices, VSMCs contracted and decreased in cell area. Meanwhile, on rigid matrices VSMCs displayed a hypertrophic-like response, increasing in area and volume. Piezo1 activation stimulated increased VSMC volume by promoting calcium ion influx and subsequent activation of PKC and aquaporin-1. Pharmacological blockade of this pathway prevented the enhanced VSMC volume response on rigid matrices whilst maintaining contractility on pliable matrices. Importantly, both piezo1 and aquaporin-1 gene expression were up-regulated during VSMC phenotypic modulation in atherosclerosis and after carotid ligation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS In response to extracellular matrix rigidity, VSMC volume is increased by a piezo1/PKC/aquaporin-1 mediated pathway. Pharmacological targeting of this pathway specifically blocks the matrix rigidity enhanced VSMC volume response, leaving VSMC contractility on healthy mimicking matrices intact. Importantly, upregulation of both piezo1 and aquaporin-1 gene expression is observed in disease relevant VSMC phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Reesha Solanki
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Finn Wostear
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Sultan Ahmed
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - James C K Taylor
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, University of Cambridge, VPD Heart and Lung Research Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jasmine Rees
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Geraad Abel
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - James McColl
- Henry Wellcome Laboratory for Cell Imaging, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
| | - Helle F Jørgensen
- Section of Cardiorespiratory Medicine, University of Cambridge, VPD Heart and Lung Research Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chris J Morris
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stefan Bidula
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Derek T Warren
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Singh AA, Shetty DK, Jacob AG, Bayraktar S, Sinha S. Understanding genomic medicine for thoracic aortic disease through the lens of induced pluripotent stem cells. Front Cardiovasc Med 2024; 11:1349548. [PMID: 38440211 PMCID: PMC10910110 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1349548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Thoracic aortic disease (TAD) is often silent until a life-threatening complication occurs. However, genetic information can inform both identification and treatment at an early stage. Indeed, a diagnosis is important for personalised surveillance and intervention plans, as well as cascade screening of family members. Currently, only 20% of heritable TAD patients have a causative mutation identified and, consequently, further advances in genetic coverage are required to define the remaining molecular landscape. The rapid expansion of next generation sequencing technologies is providing a huge resource of genetic data, but a critical issue remains in functionally validating these findings. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are patient-derived, reprogrammed cell lines which allow mechanistic insights, complex modelling of genetic disease and a platform to study aortic genetic variants. This review will address the need for iPSCs as a frontline diagnostic tool to evaluate variants identified by genomic discovery studies and explore their evolving role in biological insight through to drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sanjay Sinha
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hamshaw I, Cominetti MMD, Lai WY, Searcey M, Mueller A. The development of potent, competitive CXCR4 antagonists for the prevention of cancer metastasis. Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 218:115921. [PMID: 37956893 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Cancer metastasis is the cause of up to 90 % of cancer related mortality. The CXCR4 receptor and its cognate ligand, CXCL12, have major roles in enabling cancer metastasis and consequently, the CXCR4 receptor has become an attractive therapeutic target for the prevention of metastasis. Despite this, CXCR4 antagonists have had limited success in clinical trials due to cellular toxicity and poor stability and efficacy. In this study, we developed a novel, competitive CXCR4 antagonist (IS4) that through copper-catalysed-azide-alkyne-cycloaddition can be clicked to other chemical moieties such as fluorescent dyes (IS4-FAM) for CXCR4-based imaging. We determined that these CXCR4 antagonists were non-toxic and could be used to specifically label the CXCR4 receptor. Furthermore, IS4 and IS4-FAM inhibited CXCL12-stimulated cancer cell migration and Ca2+ release in both adherent and suspension cell lines with similar or improved potency as compared to two literature CXCR4 antagonists. Our results highlight the potential of IS4 and IS4-FAM as research tools and as potent CXCR4 antagonists for the prevention of metastasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Hamshaw
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Wing-Yee Lai
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Mark Searcey
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Anja Mueller
- School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kurata A, Harada Y, Fujita K, Ohno SI, Takanashi M, Yoshizawa S, Nagashima Y, Nagao T, Yamaguchi J, Kuroda M. Smooth muscle differentiation of coronary intima in autopsy tissues after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation. Cardiovasc Pathol 2023; 66:107554. [PMID: 37321466 DOI: 10.1016/j.carpath.2023.107554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In coronary atherosclerotic disease, the proliferation of intimal smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is regarded as beneficial with respect to stable and unstable plaques, but is thought detrimental in discussions on coronary stent restenosis. To resolve this discrepancy, we focused on the quality, not quantity, of intimal SMCs in coronary atherosclerotic disease. METHODS Autopsied coronary artery specimens from seven patients implanted with bare metal stents (BMS), three with paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES), and 10 with sirolimus (rapamycin)-eluting stents (SES) were immunostained for SMC markers. Cultured human coronary artery SMCs were also treated with sirolimus and paclitaxel. RESULTS Intimal SMC differentiation, estimated by the ratio of h-caldesmon+ cells to α-smooth muscle actin+ (α-SMA+) cells, was significantly increased whereas dedifferentiation, estimated from the ratio of fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAPα)+ cells to α-SMA+ cells, was significantly decreased, in tissues of SES compared with BMS cases. No difference in the degree of differentiation was found between PES and BMS cases or between the three groups in nonstented arteries used as controls. Correlation analyses for each field of view revealed a significant positive correlation between h-caldesmon and calponin staining but significant negative correlations with FAPα staining in α-SMA+ cells. Cultured SMCs were shorter (dedifferentiated) and showed an increased FAPα/α-SMA protein when treated with paclitaxel, whereas they became elongated (differentiated) and showed increased calponin/α-SMA proteins with sirolimus. CONCLUSIONS The SMCs of the coronary intima may differentiate after SES implantation. SMC differentiation may explain both the plaque stabilization and reduced risk of reintervention associated with SES.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Kurata
- Department of Pathology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Yuichiro Harada
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koji Fujita
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichiro Ohno
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masakatsu Takanashi
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Saeko Yoshizawa
- Department of Surgical Pathology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoji Nagashima
- Department of Surgical Pathology, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshitaka Nagao
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Junichi Yamaguchi
- Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahiko Kuroda
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Flanary SM, Barocas VH. A structural bio-chemo-mechanical model for vascular smooth muscle cell traction force microscopy. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2023; 22:1221-1238. [PMID: 37004657 PMCID: PMC10603623 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-023-01713-6] [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: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023]
Abstract
Altered vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) contractility is both a response to and a driver for impaired arterial function, and the leading experimental technique for quantifying VSMC contraction is traction force microscopy (TFM). TFM involves the complex interaction among several chemical, biological, and mechanical mechanisms, making it difficult to translate TFM results into tissue-scale behavior. Here, a computational model capturing each of the major aspects of the cell traction process is presented. The model incorporates four interacting components: a biochemical signaling network, individual actomyosin fiber bundle contraction, a cytoskeletal network of interconnected fibers, and elastic substrate displacement due to cytoskeletal force. The synthesis of these four components leads to a broad, flexible framework for describing TFM and linking biochemical and biomechanical phenomena on the single-cell level. The model recapitulated available data on VSMCs following biochemical, geometric, and mechanical perturbations. The structural bio-chemo-mechanical model offers a tool to interpret TFM data in new, more mechanistic ways, providing a framework for the evaluation of new biological hypotheses, interpolation of new data, and potential translation from single-cell experiments to multi-scale tissue models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shannon M Flanary
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Victor H Barocas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Nils Hasselmo Hall, Room 7-115, 312 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wang QW, Xu JY, Li HX, Su YD, Song JW, Song ZP, Song SS, Dong B, Wang SX, Li B. A simple and accurate method to quantify real-time contraction of vascular smooth muscle cell in vitro. Vascul Pharmacol 2023; 149:107146. [PMID: 36724828 DOI: 10.1016/j.vph.2023.107146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) constitute the medial layer of the blood vessel wall. Their contractile state regulates blood flow in physiological and pathological conditions. Current methods for assessing the contractility of VSMCs are not amenable to the high-throughput screening of pharmaceutical compounds. This study aimed to develop a method to address this shortcoming in the field. Real-time contraction was visualized in living VSMCs using the exogenous expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP). Image-Pro Plus software (IPPS) was used to measure various morphological cell indices. In phenylephrine-treated VSMCs, GFP fluorescence imaging was more accurate than brightfield imaging or phalloidin staining in representing VSMC morphology, as measured using IPPS. Among the multiple indices of VSMC shape, area and mean-diameter were more sensitive than length in reflecting the morphological changes in VSMC. We developed a new index, compound length, by combining the mean-diameter and length to differentiate contracted and uncontracted VSMCs. Based on the compound length, we further generated a contraction index to define a single-VSMC contractile status as single-VSMC contraction-index (SVCI). Finally, compound length and SVCI were validated to effectively assess cell contraction in VSMCs challenged with U46619 and KCl. In conclusion, GFP-based indices of compound length and SVCI can accurately quantify the real-time contraction of VSMCs. In future, the new method will be applied to high-throughput drug screening or basic cardiovascular research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qian-Wen Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jia-Yao Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Hui-Xin Li
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yu-Dong Su
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jia-Wen Song
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Zhi-Peng Song
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Sha-Sha Song
- Rehabilitation Center, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Bo Dong
- Department of Cardiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Shuang-Xi Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, Chinese National Health Commission and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, The State and Shandong Province Joint Key Laboratory of Translational Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China; Department of Cardiology, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
| | - Bin Li
- Department of Cardiology, Jinan Central Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wang Q, Dai X, MacRae VE, Song P. Editorial: Vascular smooth muscle cell fate and vascular remodeling: Mechanisms, therapeutic targets, and drugs, volume I. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:989689. [PMID: 36052123 PMCID: PMC9425098 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.989689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Qilong Wang
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- *Correspondence: Qilong Wang, ; Ping Song,
| | - Xiaoyan Dai
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, the NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Vicky E. MacRae
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)VS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, United Kingdom
| | - Ping Song
- Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- *Correspondence: Qilong Wang, ; Ping Song,
| |
Collapse
|