1
|
Leonard-Duke J, Agro SMJ, Csordas DJ, Bruce AC, Eggertsen TG, Tavakol TN, Barker TH, Bonham CA, Saucerman JJ, Taite LJ, Peirce SM. Multiscale computational model predicts how environmental changes and drug treatments affect microvascular remodeling in fibrotic disease. bioRxiv 2024:2024.03.15.585249. [PMID: 38559112 PMCID: PMC10979947 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.15.585249] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Investigating the molecular, cellular, and tissue-level changes caused by disease, and the effects of pharmacological treatments across these biological scales, necessitates the use of multiscale computational modeling in combination with experimentation. Many diseases dynamically alter the tissue microenvironment in ways that trigger microvascular network remodeling, which leads to the expansion or regression of microvessel networks. When microvessels undergo remodeling in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), functional gas exchange is impaired due to loss of alveolar structures and lung function declines. Here, we integrated a multiscale computational model with independent experiments to investigate how combinations of biomechanical and biochemical cues in IPF alter cell fate decisions leading to microvascular remodeling. Our computational model predicted that extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening reduced microvessel area, which was accompanied by physical uncoupling of endothelial cell (ECs) and pericytes, the cells that comprise microvessels. Nintedanib, an FDA-approved drug for treating IPF, was predicted to further potentiate microvessel regression by decreasing the percentage of quiescent pericytes while increasing the percentage of pericytes undergoing pericyte-myofibroblast transition (PMT) in high ECM stiffnesses. Importantly, the model suggested that YAP/TAZ inhibition may overcome the deleterious effects of nintedanib by promoting EC-pericyte coupling and maintaining microvessel homeostasis. Overall, our combination of computational and experimental modeling can explain how cell decisions affect tissue changes during disease and in response to treatments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Leonard-Duke
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Samuel M. J. Agro
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - David J. Csordas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Anthony C. Bruce
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Taylor G. Eggertsen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Tara N. Tavakol
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Thomas H. Barker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Catherine A. Bonham
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Jeffery J. Saucerman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Lakeshia J. Taite
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Shayn M. Peirce
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
- Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nice JB, Collins SM, Agro SMJ, Sinani A, Moros SD, Pasch LM, Brown AC. Heterogeneity of Size and Toxin Distribution in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Outer Membrane Vesicles. Toxins (Basel) 2024; 16:138. [PMID: 38535804 PMCID: PMC10974469 DOI: 10.3390/toxins16030138] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a Gram-negative bacterium associated with localized aggressive periodontitis as well as some systemic diseases. The strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans most closely associated with disease produce more of a secreted leukotoxin (LtxA) than isolates from healthy carriers, suggesting a key role for this toxin in disease progression. LtxA is released into the bacterial cytosol in a free form as well as in association with the surface of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). We previously observed that the highly leukotoxic A. actinomycetemcomitans strain JP2 produces two populations of OMVs: a highly abundant population of small (<100 nm) OMVs and a less abundant population of large (>300 nm) OMVs. Here, we have developed a protocol to isolate the OMVs produced during each specific phase of growth and used this to demonstrate that small OMVs are produced throughout growth and lack LtxA, while large OMVs are produced only during the exponential phase and are enriched with LtxA. Our results indicate that surface-associated DNA drives the selective sorting of LtxA into large OMVs. This study provides valuable insights into the observed heterogeneity of A. actinomycetemcomitans vesicles and emphasizes the importance of understanding these variations in the context of bacterial pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin B Nice
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Shannon M. Collins
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Samuel M. J. Agro
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Anxhela Sinani
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Spencer D. Moros
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Leah M. Pasch
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Angela C. Brown
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| |
Collapse
|