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Warthi G, Faulkner JL, Doja J, Ghanam AR, Gao P, Yang AC, Slivano OJ, Barris CT, Kress TC, Zawieja SD, Griffin SH, Xie X, Ashworth A, Christie CK, Bryant WB, Kumar A, Davis MJ, Long X, Gan L, de Chantemèle EJB, Lyu Q, Miano JM. Generation and Comparative Analysis of an Itga8-CreER T2 Mouse with Preferential Activity in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells. Nat Cardiovasc Res 2022; 1:1084-1100. [PMID: 36424917 PMCID: PMC9681021 DOI: 10.1038/s44161-022-00162-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
All current smooth muscle cell (SMC) Cre mice similarly recombine floxed alleles in vascular and visceral SMCs. Here, we present an Itga8-CreER T2 knock-in mouse and compare its activity with a Myh11-CreER T2 mouse. Both Cre drivers demonstrate equivalent recombination in vascular SMCs. However, Myh11-CreER T2 mice, but not Itga8-CreER T2 mice, display high activity in visceral SMC-containing tissues such as intestine, show early tamoxifen-independent activity, and produce high levels of CreERT2 protein. Whereas Myh11-CreER T2 -mediated knockout of serum response factor (Srf) causes a lethal intestinal phenotype precluding analysis of the vasculature, loss of Srf with Itga8-CreER T2 (Srf Itga8 ) yields viable mice with no evidence of intestinal pathology. Male and female Srf Itga8 mice exhibit vascular contractile incompetence, and angiotensin II causes elevated blood pressure in wild type, but not Srf Itga8 , male mice. These findings establish the Itga8-CreER T2 mouse as an alternative to existing SMC Cre mice for unfettered phenotyping of vascular SMCs following selective gene loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganesh Warthi
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Jessica L. Faulkner
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Jaser Doja
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Amr R. Ghanam
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Pan Gao
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Allison C. Yang
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Orazio J. Slivano
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Candee T. Barris
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Taylor C. Kress
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Scott D. Zawieja
- Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO 65212
| | - Susan H. Griffin
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Xiaoling Xie
- Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Alan Ashworth
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158
| | - Christine K. Christie
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642
| | - William B. Bryant
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Ajay Kumar
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Michael J. Davis
- Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO 65212
| | - Xiaochun Long
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | - Lin Gan
- Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
| | | | - Qing Lyu
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
- Biomedical and Health Institute, Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligence Technology, Chongqing, China 400714
- Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China 401147
| | - Joseph M. Miano
- Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia 30912
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Cremona TP, Hartner A, Schittny JC. The Development of Integrin Alpha-8 Deficient Lungs Shows Reduced and Altered Branching and a Correction of the Phenotype During Alveolarization. Front Physiol 2021; 11:530635. [PMID: 33408636 PMCID: PMC7779808 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.530635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung development involves epithelial–mesenchymal interactions and integrins represent one of the key elements. These extracellular matrix receptors form hetero-dimers of alpha and beta subunits. The integrin α8β1 is highly expressed in mouse tissues, including lung. It forms a cellular receptor for fibronectin, vitronectin, osteopontin, nephronectin, and tenascin-C. This study aims to investigate the role of the integrin α8-subunit (α8) during lung development. Wild type and α8-deficient lungs were explanted at embryonic days 11.5/12.5. After 24–73 h in culture α8-deficient lung explants displayed reduced growth, reduced branching, enlarged endbuds, altered branching patterns, and faster spontaneous contractions of the airways as compared to wild type. Postnatally, a stereological investigation revealed that lung volume, alveolar surface area, and the length of the free septal edge were significantly reduced in α8-deficient lungs at postnatal days P4 and P7. An increased formation of new septa in α8-deficient lungs rescued the phenotype. At day P90 α8-deficient lungs were comparable to wild type. We conclude that α8β1 takes not only part in the control of branching, but also possesses a morphogenic effect on the pattern and size of the future airways. Furthermore, we conclude that the phenotype observed at day P4 is caused by reduced branching and is rescued by a pronounced formation of the new septa throughout alveolarization. More studies are needed to understand the mechanism responsible for the formation of new septa in the absence of α8β1 in order to be of potential therapeutic benefit for patients suffering from structural lung diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana P Cremona
- Institute of Anatomy, Department of Preclinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Hartner
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Hospital of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johannes C Schittny
- Institute of Anatomy, Department of Preclinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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