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Aherrahrou R, Baig F, Theofilatos K, Lue D, Beele A, Örd T, Kaikkonen MU, Aherrahrou Z, Cheng Q, Ghosh S, Karnewar S, Karnewar V, Finn A, Owens GK, Joner M, Mayr M, Civelek M. Secreted protein profiling of human aortic smooth muscle cells identifies vascular disease associations. medRxiv 2023:2023.11.10.23298351. [PMID: 37986932 PMCID: PMC10659471 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.10.23298351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Background Smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which make up the medial layer of arteries, are key cell types involved in cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. In response to microenvironment alterations, SMCs dedifferentiate from a "contractile" to a "synthetic" phenotype characterized by an increased proliferation, migration, production of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, and decreased expression of SMC-specific contractile markers. These phenotypic changes result in vascular remodeling and contribute to the pathogenesis of CVD, including coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, hypertension, and aortic aneurysms. Here, we aim to identify the genetic variants that regulate ECM secretion in SMCs and predict the causal proteins associated with vascular disease-related loci identified in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Methods Using human aortic SMCs from 123 multi-ancestry healthy heart transplant donors, we collected the serum-free media in which the cells were cultured for 24 hours and conducted Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based proteomic analysis of the conditioned media. Results We measured the abundance of 270 ECM and related proteins. Next, we performed protein quantitative trait locus mapping (pQTL) and identified 20 loci associated with secreted protein abundance in SMCs. We functionally annotated these loci using a colocalization approach. This approach prioritized the genetic variant rs6739323-A at the 2p22.3 locus, which is associated with lower expression of LTBP1 in SMCs and atherosclerosis-prone areas of the aorta, and increased risk for SMC calcification. We found that LTBP1 expression is abundant in SMCs, and its expression at mRNA and protein levels was reduced in unstable and advanced atherosclerotic plaque lesions. Conclusions Our results unravel the SMC proteome signature associated with vascular disorders, which may help identify potential therapeutic targets to accelerate the pathway to translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rédouane Aherrahrou
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
- Institute for Cardiogenetics, Universität zu Lübeck; DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Germany; University Heart Centre Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ferheen Baig
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Dillon Lue
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Alicia Beele
- CVPath Institute, Inc., 19 Firstfield Road, Gaithersburg, MD
| | - Tiit Örd
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
| | - Minna U Kaikkonen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
| | - Zouhair Aherrahrou
- Institute for Cardiogenetics, Universität zu Lübeck; DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Germany; University Heart Centre Lübeck, Germany
| | - Qi Cheng
- CVPath Institute, Inc., 19 Firstfield Road, Gaithersburg, MD
| | - Saikat Ghosh
- CVPath Institute, Inc., 19 Firstfield Road, Gaithersburg, MD
| | - Santosh Karnewar
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States of America
| | - Vaishnavi Karnewar
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States of America
| | - Aloke Finn
- CVPath Institute, Inc., 19 Firstfield Road, Gaithersburg, MD
| | - Gary K. Owens
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States of America
| | - Michael Joner
- Klinik für Herz-und Kreislauferkrankungen, Deutsches Herzzentrum München, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Manuel Mayr
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mete Civelek
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America
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Dodig-Crnković T, Hong MG, Thomas CE, Häussler RS, Bendes A, Dale M, Edfors F, Forsström B, Magnusson PKE, Schuppe-Koistinen I, Odeberg J, Fagerberg L, Gummesson A, Bergström G, Uhlén M, Schwenk JM. Facets of individual-specific health signatures determined from longitudinal plasma proteome profiling. EBioMedicine 2020; 57:102854. [PMID: 32629387 PMCID: PMC7334812 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Precision medicine approaches aim to tackle diseases on an individual level through molecular profiling. Despite the growing knowledge about diseases and the reported diversity of molecular phenotypes, the descriptions of human health on an individual level have been far less elaborate. METHODS To provide insights into the longitudinal protein signatures of well-being, we profiled blood plasma collected over one year from 101 clinically healthy individuals using multiplexed antibody assays. After applying an antibody validation scheme, we utilized > 700 protein profiles for in-depth analyses of the individuals' short-term health trajectories. FINDINGS We found signatures of circulating proteomes to be highly individual-specific. Considering technical and longitudinal variability, we observed that 49% of the protein profiles were stable over one year. We also identified eight networks of proteins in which 11-242 proteins covaried over time. For each participant, there were unique protein profiles of which some could be explained by associations to genetic variants. INTERPRETATION This observational and non-interventional study identifyed noticeable diversity among clinically healthy subjects, and facets of individual-specific signatures emerged by monitoring the variability of the circulating proteomes over time. To enable more personal hence precise assessments of health states, longitudinal profiling of circulating proteomes can provide a valuable component for precision medicine approaches. FUNDING This work was supported by the Erling Persson Foundation, the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Science for Life Laboratory, and the Swedish Research Council.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tea Dodig-Crnković
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Mun-Gwan Hong
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Cecilia Engel Thomas
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Ragna S Häussler
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Annika Bendes
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Matilda Dale
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Edfors
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden; Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Björn Forsström
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Patrik K E Magnusson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Nobels väg 12A, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Ina Schuppe-Koistinen
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden; Center for Translational Microbiome Research, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Jacob Odeberg
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden; Department of Clinical Medicine, K.G. Jebsen Thrombosis Research and Expertise Center (TREC), UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø 9010, Norway; Coagulation unit, Department of Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm 171 76, Sweden
| | - Linn Fagerberg
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden
| | - Anders Gummesson
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg 413 45, Sweden; Region Västra Götaland, Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg 413 45, Sweden
| | - Göran Bergström
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg 413 45, Sweden; Region Västra Götaland, Department of Clinical Physiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg 413 45, Sweden
| | - Mathias Uhlén
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden; Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | - Jochen M Schwenk
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Tomtebodavägen 23, Stockholm 171 65, Sweden.
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