Hedgehog-Interacting Protein (HIP) Regulates Apoptosis Evasion and Angiogenic Function of Late Endothelial Progenitor Cells

Regulation of Endothelial Progenitor Cell Functions in Ischemic Heart Disease: New Therapeutic Targets for Cardiac Remodeling and Repair

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Ischemia and hypoxia following myocardial infarction (MI) cause subsequent cardiomyocyte (CM) loss, cardiac remodeling, and heart failure. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are involved in vasculogenesis, angiogenesis and paracrine effects and thus have important clinical value in alternative processes for repairing damaged hearts. In fact, this study showed that the endogenous repair of EPCs may not be limited to a single cell type. EPC interactions with cardiac cell populations and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in ischemic heart disease can attenuate cardiac inflammation and oxidative stress in a microenvironment, regulate cell survival and apoptosis, nourish CMs, enhance mature neovascularization, alleviate adverse ventricular remodeling after infarction and enhance ventricular function. In this review, we introduce the definition and discuss the origin and biological characteristics of EPCs and summarize the mechanisms of EPC recruitment in ischemic heart disease. We focus on the crosstalk between EPCs and endothelial cells (ECs), smooth muscle cells (SMCs), CMs, cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs), and MSCs during cardiac remodeling and repair. Finally, we discuss the translation of EPC therapy to the clinic and treatment strategies.

The Serum Concentrations of Hedgehog-Interacting Protein, a Novel Biomarker, Were Decreased in Overweight or Obese Subjects

Although it was known that obesity is an independent risk factor for metabolic disorders including diabetes, the factors that link these diseases were obscure. The Hedgehog-interacting protein (Hhip) is a negative regulator in tissue remodeling, and inhibits the proliferation of adipocytes, and promotes their differentiation. In addition, Hhip was positively associated with diabetes. However, the relationship between Hhip and obesity in the human body remains unclear. An analysis of the relationship between Hhip and normal weight, overweight, and obesity levels. Participants receiving a physical checkup were recruited. Anthropometric and biochemical data were collected. Serum Hhip levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Subjects were classified into normal-weight, overweight, and obese groups based on their body mass index (BMI). The association between Hhip and obesity was examined by multivariate linear regression analysis. In total, 294 subjects who were either of a normal weight (n = 166), overweight (n = 90), or obese (n = 38) were enrolled. Hhip concentrations were 6.51 ± 4.86 ng/mL, 5.79 ± 4.33 ng/mL, and 3.97 ± 3.4 ng/mL in normal-weight, overweight, and obese groups, respectively (p for trend = 0.032). Moreover, the regression analysis showed that BMI (β = −0.144, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.397−0.046, p = 0.013) was negatively associated with Hhip concentrations after adjusting for sex and age. Being overweight (β = −0.181, 95% CI = −3.311−0.400, p = 0.013) and obese (β = −0.311, 95% CI = −6.393−2.384, p < 0.001) were independently associated with Hhip concentrations after adjusting for sex, age, fasting plasma glucose, the insulin level, and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Our results showed that overweight and obese subjects had lower Hhip concentrations than those of normal weight. Being overweight and obese were negatively associated with Hhip concentrations. Hhip might be a link between obesity and diabetes.

Genetic overlap of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease-related traits: a large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis

BACKGROUND

A growing number of studies clearly demonstrate a substantial association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), although little is known about the shared genetics that contribute to this association.

METHODS

We conducted a large-scale cross-trait genome-wide association study to investigate genetic overlap between COPD (Ncase = 12,550, Ncontrol = 46,368) from the International COPD Genetics Consortium and four primary cardiac traits: resting heart rate (RHR) (N = 458,969), high blood pressure (HBP) (Ncase = 144,793, Ncontrol = 313,761), coronary artery disease (CAD)(Ncase = 60,801, Ncontrol = 123,504), and stroke (Ncase = 40,585, Ncontrol = 406,111) from UK Biobank, CARDIoGRAMplusC4D Consortium, and International Stroke Genetics Consortium data.

RESULTS

RHR and HBP had modest genetic correlation, and CAD had borderline evidence with COPD at a genome-wide level. We found evidence of local genetic correlation with particular regions of the genome. Cross-trait meta-analysis of COPD identified 21 loci jointly associated with RHR, 22 loci with HBP, and 3 loci with CAD. Functional analysis revealed that shared genes were enriched in smoking-related pathways and in cardiovascular, nervous, and immune system tissues. An examination of smoking-related genetic variants identified SNPs located in 15q25.1 region associated with cigarettes per day, with effects on RHR and CAD. A Mendelian randomization analysis showed a significant positive causal effect of COPD on RHR (causal estimate = 0.1374, P = 0.008).

CONCLUSION

In a set of large-scale GWAS, we identify evidence of shared genetics between COPD and cardiac traits.

NQO1 is Required for β-Lapachone-Mediated Downregulation of Breast-Cancer Stem-Cell Activity

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) exhibit self-renewal activity and give rise to other cell types in tumors. Due to the infinite proliferative potential of CSCs, drugs targeting these cells are necessary to completely inhibit cancer development. The β-lapachone (bL) compound is widely used to treat cancer development; however, its effect on cancer stem cells remain elusive. Thus, we investigated the effect of bL on mammosphere formation using breast-cancer stem-cell (BCSC) marker-positive cells, MDA-MB-231. MDA-MB-231 cells, which are negative for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H):quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) expression, were constructed to stably express NQO1 (NQO1 stable cells). The effect of bL on these cells was evaluated by wound healing and Transwell cell-culture chambers, ALDEFLUOR assay, and mammosphere formation assay. Here, we show that bL inhibited the proliferative ability of mammospheres derived from BCSC marker-positive cells, MDA-MB-231, in an NQO1-dependent manner. The bL treatment efficiently downregulated the expression level of BCSC markers cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1 (ALDH1A1), and discs large (DLG)-associated protein 5 (DLGAP5) that was recently identified as a stem-cell proliferation marker in both cultured cells and mammosphered cells. Moreover, bL efficiently downregulated cell proliferation and migration activities. These results strongly suggest that bL could be a therapeutic agent for targeting breast-cancer stem-cells with proper NQO1 expression.

Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Pathway in Endothelial Progenitor Cell Biology for Vascular Medicine

The Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway plays an important role in embryonic and postnatal vascular development and in maintaining the homeostasis of organs. Under physiological conditions, Sonic Hedgehog (SHH), a secreted protein belonging to the HH family, regulates endothelial cell growth, promotes cell migration and stimulates the formation of new blood vessels. The present review highlights recent advances made in the field of SHH signaling in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). The canonical and non-canonical SHH signaling pathways in EPCs and endothelial cells (ECs) related to homeostasis, SHH signal transmission by extracellular vesicles (EVs) or exosomes containing single-strand non-coding miRNAs and impaired SHH signaling in cardiovascular diseases are discussed. As a promising therapeutic tool, the possibility of using the SHH signaling pathway for the activation of EPCs in patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases is further explored.

IFN-γ enhances the wound healing effect of late EPCs (LEPCs) via BST2-mediated adhesion to endothelial cells

Circulating late endothelial progenitor cells (LEPCs) home to injured vessels, initiating blood vessel regeneration. This process requires the initial adhesion of LEPCs to endothelial cells within the wounded site. In this study, treating LEPCs with IFN-γ enhanced wound healing through BST2-mediated adhesion to endothelial cells. We found that IFN-γ significantly upregulated BST2 expression in both LEPCs and ECs and increased tube formation in LEPCs. Upregulated BST2 increased LEPC adhesion to ECs through a tight homophilic interaction of its extracellular domain. Finally, when the IFN-γ-treated LEPCs were injected into the wounded mouse tail vein, superior therapeutic effects of wound closure were observed. This study provides a useful application to enhance the adhesion of LEPCs for vessel regeneration and wound closure.