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Deng H, Rukhlendo OS, Joshi D, Hu X, Junk P, Tuliakova A, Kholodenko BN, Schwartz MA. cSTAR analysis identifies endothelial cell cycle as a key regulator of flow-dependent artery remodeling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.24.563764. [PMID: 37961694 PMCID: PMC10634797 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.24.563764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Fluid shear stress (FSS) from blood flow is sensed by vascular endothelial cells (ECs) to determine vessel stability, remodeling and susceptibility to atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases but the regulatory networks that govern these behaviors are only partially understood. We used cSTAR, a powerful new computational method, to define EC transcriptomic states under low shear stress (LSS) that triggers vessel inward remodeling, physiological shear stress (PSS) that stabilizes vessels, high shear stress (HSS) that triggers outward remodeling, and oscillatory shear stress (OSS) that confers disease susceptibility, all in comparison to cells under static conditions (STAT). We combined these results with the LINCS database where EC transcriptomic responses to drug treatments to define a preliminary regulatory network in which the cyclin-dependent kinases CDK1/2 play a central role in promoting vessel stability. Experimental analysis showed that PSS induced a strong late G1 cell cycle arrest in which CDK2 was activated. EC deletion of CDK2 in mice resulted in inward artery remodeling and both pulmonary and systemic hypertension. These results validate use of cSTAR to determine EC state and in vivo vessel behavior, reveal unexpected features of EC phenotype under different FSS conditions, and identify CDK2 as a key element within the EC regulatory network that governs artery remodeling.
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Zhang X, He D, Xiang Y, Wang C, Liang B, Li B, Qi D, Deng Q, Yu H, Lu Z, Zheng F. DYSF promotes monocyte activation in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a DNA methylation-driven gene. Transl Res 2022; 247:19-38. [PMID: 35460889 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2022.04.001] [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] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Dysferlin (DYSF) has drawn much attention due to its involvement in dysferlinopathy and was reported to affect monocyte functions in recent studies. However, the role of DYSF in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) and the regulation mechanism of DYSF expression have not been fully studied. In this study, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) literatures were searched to find the DNA methylation-driven genes (including DYSF) of ASCVD. The hub genes related to DYSF were also identified through weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Regulation of DYSF expression through its promoter methylation status was verified using peripheral blood leucocytes (PBLs) from ASCVD patients and normal controls, and experiments on THP1 cells and Apoe-/- mice. Similarly, the expressions of DYSF related hub genes, mainly contained SELL, STAT3 and TMX1, were also validated. DYSF functions were then evaluated by phagocytosis, transwell and adhesion assays in DYSF knock-down and overexpressed THP1 cells. The results showed that DYSF promoter hypermethylation up-regulated its expression in clinical samples, THP1 cells and Apoe-/- mice, confirming DYSF as a DNA methylation-driven gene. The combination of DYSF expression and methylation status in PBLs had a considerable prediction value for ASCVD. Besides, DYSF could enhance the phagocytosis, migration and adhesion ability of THP1 cells. Among DYSF related hub genes, SELL was proven to be the downstream target of DYSF by wet experiments. In conclusion, DYSF promoter hypermethylation upregulated its expression and promoted monocytes activation, which further participated in the pathogenesis of ASCVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaokang Zhang
- Center for Gene Diagnosis and Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Dingdong He
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, China; Center for Gene Diagnosis and Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Yang Xiang
- Center for Gene Diagnosis and Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Chen Wang
- Center for Gene Diagnosis and Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Bin Liang
- Center for Gene Diagnosis and Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Boyu Li
- Center for Gene Diagnosis and Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Daoxi Qi
- Center for Gene Diagnosis and Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Qianyun Deng
- Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, 510000, China
| | - Hong Yu
- Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Developmentally Originated Disease, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Zhibing Lu
- Institute of Myocardial Injury and Repair, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Fang Zheng
- Center for Gene Diagnosis and Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
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Deleeuw V, De Clercq A, De Backer J, Sips P. An Overview of Investigational and Experimental Drug Treatment Strategies for Marfan Syndrome. J Exp Pharmacol 2021; 13:755-779. [PMID: 34408505 PMCID: PMC8366784 DOI: 10.2147/jep.s265271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a heritable connective tissue disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the gene coding for the extracellular matrix protein fibrillin-1. While the disease affects multiple organ systems, the most life-threatening manifestations are aortic aneurysms leading to dissection and rupture. Other cardiovascular complications, including mitral valve prolapse, primary cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmia, also occur more frequently in patients with MFS. The standard medical care relies on cardiovascular imaging at regular intervals, along with pharmacological treatment with β-adrenergic receptor blockers aimed at reducing the aortic growth rate. When aortic dilatation reaches a threshold associated with increased risk of dissection, prophylactic surgical aortic replacement is performed. Although current clinical management has significantly improved the life expectancy of patients with MFS, no cure is available and fatal complications still occur, underscoring the need for new treatment options. In recent years, preclinical studies have identified a number of potentially promising therapeutic targets. Nevertheless, the translation of these results into clinical practice has remained challenging. In this review, we present an overview of the currently available knowledge regarding the underlying pathophysiological processes associated with MFS cardiovascular pathology. We then summarize the treatment options that have been developed based on this knowledge and are currently in different stages of preclinical or clinical development, provide a critical review of the limitations of current studies and highlight potential opportunities for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violette Deleeuw
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
| | - Adelbert De Clercq
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
| | - Julie De Backer
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.,Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
| | - Patrick Sips
- Center for Medical Genetics, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
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