KLF5 mediates vascular remodeling via HIF-1α in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension

2016 ◽  
Vol 310 (4) ◽  
pp. L299-L310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochen Li ◽  
Yuanzhou He ◽  
Yongjian Xu ◽  
Xiaomin Huang ◽  
Jin Liu ◽  
...  

Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is characterized by active vasoconstriction and profound vascular remodeling. KLF5, a zinc-finger transcription factor, is involved in the excessive proliferation and apoptotic resistance phenotype associated with monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension. However, the molecular mechanisms of KLF5-mediated pathogenesis of HPH are largely undefined. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to normoxia or hypoxia (10% O2) for 4 wk. Hypoxic rats developed pulmonary arterial remodeling and right ventricular hypertrophy with significantly increased right ventricular systolic pressure. The levels of KLF5 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) were upregulated in distal pulmonary arterial smooth muscle from hypoxic rats. The knockdown of KLF5 via short-hairpin RNA attenuated chronic hypoxia-induced hemodynamic and histological changes in rats. The silencing of either KLF5 or HIF-1α prevented hypoxia-induced (5%) proliferation and migration and promoted apoptosis in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. KLF5 was immunoprecipitated with HIF-1α under hypoxia and acted as an upstream regulator of HIF-1α. The cell cycle regulators cyclin B1 and cyclin D1 and apoptosis-related proteins including bax, bcl-2, survivin, caspase-3, and caspase-9, were involved in the regulation of KLF5/HIF-1α-mediated cell survival. This study demonstrated that KLF5 plays a crucial role in hypoxia-induced vascular remodeling in an HIF-1α-dependent manner and provided a better understanding of the pathogenesis of HPH.

2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (12) ◽  
pp. H2599-H2611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Peng ◽  
Julijana Ivanovska ◽  
Crystal Kantores ◽  
Todd Van Vliet ◽  
Doreen Engelberts ◽  
...  

Sustained therapeutic hypercapnia prevents pulmonary hypertension in experimental animals, but its rescue effects on established disease have not been studied. Therapies that inhibit Rho-kinase (ROCK) and/or augment nitric oxide (NO)-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling can reverse or prevent progression of chronic pulmonary hypertension. Our objective in the present study was to determine whether sustained rescue treatment with inhaled CO2 (therapeutic hypercapnia) would improve structural and functional changes of chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. Spontaneously breathing pups were exposed to normoxia (21% O2) or hypoxia (13% O2) from postnatal days 1–21 with or without 7% CO2 (PaCO2 elevated by ∼25 mmHg) or 10% CO2 (PaCO2 elevated by ∼40 mmHg) from days 14 to 21. Compared with hypoxia alone, animals exposed to hypoxia and 10% CO2 had significantly ( P < 0.05) decreased pulmonary vascular resistance, right-ventricular systolic pressure, right-ventricular hypertrophy, and medial wall thickness of pulmonary resistance arteries as well as decreased lung phosphodiesterase (PDE) V, RhoA, and ROCK activity. Rescue treatment with 10% CO2, or treatment with a ROCK inhibitor (15 mg/kg ip Y-27632 twice daily from days 14 to 21), also increased pulmonary arterial endothelial nitric oxide synthase and lung NO content. In contrast, cGMP content and cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) activity were increased by exposure to 10% CO2, but not by ROCK inhibition with Y-27632. In vitro exposure of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells to hypercapnia suppressed serum-induced ROCK activity, which was prevented by inhibition of PKG with Rp-8-Br-PET-cGMPS. We conclude that sustained hypercapnia dose-dependently inhibited ROCK activity, augmented NO-cGMP-PKG signaling, and led to partial improvements in the hemodynamic and structural abnormalities of chronic hypoxic PHT in juvenile rats. Increased PKG content and activity appears to play a major upstream role in CO2-induced suppression of ROCK activity in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle.


2015 ◽  
Vol 309 (10) ◽  
pp. L1164-L1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiel Alexander de Raaf ◽  
Yvet Kroeze ◽  
Anthonieke Middelman ◽  
Frances S. de Man ◽  
Helma de Jong ◽  
...  

Increased serotonin serum levels have been proposed to play a key role in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) by regulating vessel tone and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. An intact serotonin system, which critically depends on a normal function of the serotonin transporter (SERT), is required for the development of experimental pulmonary hypertension in rodents exposed to hypoxia or monocrotaline. While these animal models resemble human PAH only with respect to vascular media remodeling, we hypothesized that SERT is likewise required for the presence of lumen-obliterating intima remodeling, a hallmark of human PAH reproduced in the Sugen hypoxia (SuHx) rat model of severe angioproliferative pulmonary hypertension. Therefore, SERT wild-type (WT) and knockout (KO) rats were exposed to the SuHx protocol. SERT KO rats, while completely lacking SERT, were hemodynamically indistinguishable from WT rats. After exposure to SuHx, similar degrees of severe angioproliferative pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy developed in WT and KO rats (right ventricular systolic pressure 60 vs. 55 mmHg, intima thickness 38 vs. 30%, respectively). In conclusion, despite its implicated importance in PAH, SERT does not play an essential role in the pathogenesis of severe angioobliterative pulmonary hypertension in rats exposed to SuHx.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyang Tang ◽  
Yali Gu ◽  
Ramon Aryon ◽  
Shanshan Song ◽  
Ruby A Fernandez ◽  
...  

Rationale: Sustained pulmonary vasoconstriction and excessive vascular remodeling are major causes of elevated pulmonary vascular resistance which leads to increased pulmonary arterial pressure in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Hypoxic-inducible factor (HIF) and its upstream regulators have been linked to the hypoxia response in vascular remodeling and the development of pulmonary hypertension. In this study, we aimed at defining whether increased HIF1α and/or HIF2α, due to endothelial cell specific deletion of prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (PHD2) under normoxic condition are involved in or required for the initiation and progression of pulmonary hypertension. Methods: PHD2, HIF1α and HIF2α conditional knockout mice were created. Right ventricle systolic pressures (RVSP), right ventricular hypertrophy by RV/(LV+S) ratios, and small pulmonary artery smooth muscle layer thickness were measured. Pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) were isolated from wild type (WT) or knockout (KO) mice, followed with cell-based assays. Results: We report here that mice with targeted deletion of PHD2 developed severe pulmonary hypertension under normoxic condition. Conditional and inducible deletion of HIF2α in endothelial cells, but not smooth muscle cells, dramatically protected mice from hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension. HIF2α KO mice had significantly lower RVSP, RV/(LV+S) ratios, and displayed less pulmonary vascular remodeling when exposed to hypoxia compared to their WT mice. Conclusion: This work shows that the endothelium is responsible for the development of pulmonary hypertension and it demonstrates a crucial role of PHD2/HIF signaling for hypoxic response in pulmonary hypertension. These findings unveil temporally and spatially distinct functions for HIFs in the development of pulmonary hypertension.


1993 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 1615-1623 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Klinger ◽  
R. D. Petit ◽  
R. R. Warburton ◽  
D. S. Wrenn ◽  
F. Arnal ◽  
...  

Neutral endopeptidase (NEP) inhibition is thought to blunt hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by reducing atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) metabolism, but this hypothesis has not been confirmed. We measured NEP activity, guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) production, plasma ANP levels, and cardiac ANP synthesis in rats given an orally active NEP inhibitor (SCH-34826) during 3 wk of hypoxia. Under normoxic conditions, SCH-34826 had no effect on plasma ANP levels but reduced pulmonary and renal NEP activity by 50% and increased urinary cGMP levels (60 +/- 6 vs. 22 +/- 4 pg/mg creatinine; P < 0.05). Under hypoxic conditions, SCH-34826-treated rats had lower plasma ANP levels (1,259 +/- 361 vs. 2,101 +/- 278 pg/ml; P < 0.05), lower right ventricular systolic pressure (53 +/- 5 vs. 73 +/- 2 mmHg; P < 0.05), lower right ventricle weight-to-left ventricle+septum weight ratio (0.47 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.53 +/- 0.03; P < 0.05), and less muscularization and percent medial wall thickness of peripheral pulmonary arteries (22 +/- 5 vs. 45 +/- 8% and 17 +/- 1 vs. 25 +/- 1%, respectively; P < 0.05 for all values) than did rats treated with vehicle alone. These values were not affected by SCH-34826 under normoxic conditions. SCH-34826 decreased right ventricular ANP tissue levels in hypoxic rats (27 +/- 10 vs. 8 +/- 1 ng/mg protein; P < 0.05) but did not affect steady-state ANP mRNA levels. We conclude that NEP inhibition blunts pulmonary hypertension without increasing plasma ANP levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (6) ◽  
pp. H1854-H1864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Z. Xu ◽  
Crystal Kantores ◽  
Julijana Ivanovska ◽  
Doreen Engelberts ◽  
Brian P. Kavanagh ◽  
...  

Chronic pulmonary hypertension in infancy and childhood is characterized by a fixed and progressive increase in pulmonary arterial pressure and resistance, pulmonary arterial remodeling, and right ventricular hypertrophy and systolic dysfunction. These abnormalities are replicated in neonatal rats chronically exposed to hypoxia from birth in which increased activity of Rho-kinase (ROCK) is critical to injury, as evidenced by preventive effects of ROCK inhibitors. Our objective in the present study was to examine the reversing effects of a late or rescue approach to treatment with a ROCK inhibitor on the pulmonary and cardiac manifestations of established chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. Rat pups were exposed to air or hypoxia (13% O2) from postnatal day 1 and were treated with Y-27632 (15 mg/kg) or saline vehicle by twice daily subcutaneous injection commencing on day 14, for up to 7 days. Treatment with Y-27632 significantly attenuated right ventricular hypertrophy, reversed arterial wall remodeling, and completely normalized right ventricular systolic function in hypoxia-exposed animals. Reversal of arterial wall remodeling was accompanied by increased apoptosis and attenuated content of endothelin (ET)-1 and ETA receptors. Treatment of primary cultured juvenile rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells with Y-27632 attenuated serum-stimulated ROCK activity and proliferation and increased apoptosis. Smooth muscle apoptosis was also induced by short interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of ROCK-II, but not of ROCK-I. We conclude that sustained rescue treatment with a ROCK inhibitor reversed both the hemodynamic and structural abnormalities of chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in juvenile rats and normalized right ventricular systolic function. Attenuated expression and activity of ET-1 and its A-type receptor on pulmonary arterial smooth muscle was a likely contributor to the stimulatory effects of ROCK inhibition on apoptosis. In addition, our data suggest that ROCK-II may be dominant in enhancing survival of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 204589401987859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guosen Yan ◽  
Jinxia Wang ◽  
Tao Yi ◽  
Junfen Cheng ◽  
Haixu Guo ◽  
...  

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rapidly progressive and often fatal disease. As the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension remains unclear, there is currently no good drug for pulmonary arterial hypertension and new therapy is desperately needed. This study investigated the effects and mechanism of baicalin on vascular remodeling in rats with pulmonary arterial hypertension. A rat pulmonary arterial hypertension model was constructed using intraperitoneal injection of monocrotaline, and different doses of baicalin were used to treat these rats. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) were measured with a right heart catheter. Moreover, the hearts were dissected to determine the right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI). The lung tissues were stained with H&E and Masson's staining to estimate the pulmonary vascular remodeling and collagen fibrosis, and the expression of proteins in the AKT, ERK, and NF-κB p65 phosphorylation (p-AKT, p-ERK, p-p65) was examined by Western blot analysis. We found that compared with untreated pulmonary arterial hypertension rats, baicalin ameliorated pulmonary vascular remodeling and cardiorespiratory injury, inhibited p-p65 and p-ERK expression, and promoted p-AKT and p-eNOS expression. In conclusion, baicalin interfered with pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary arterial hypertension development in rats through the AKT/eNOS, ERK and NF-κB signaling pathways.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (1) ◽  
pp. L50-L59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl-Otto Larsen ◽  
Arne Yndestad ◽  
Ivar Sjaastad ◽  
Else Marit Løberg ◽  
Ingeborg Løstegaard Goverud ◽  
...  

The chemokine receptor CCR7 regulates lymphocyte trafficking, and CCR7 deficiency induces infiltration of T and B cells adjacent to vessels in mouse lungs. Perivascular infiltration of T and B cells has also been found in human pulmonary arterial hypertension, and downregulation of the CCR7 receptor in circulating leukocytes of such patients has been observed. To investigate whether changes in the CCR7 system contribute to the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension, we utilized mice deficient of the CCR7 receptor. The cardiopulmonary and inflammatory responses of CCR7 depletion were evaluated in CCR7-deficient and wild-type mice. Measurements of cytokines upregulated in the animal model were also performed in patients with pulmonary hypertension and controls and in vascular smooth muscle cells. We found that mice lacking CCR7 had increased right ventricular systolic pressure, reduced pulmonary artery acceleration time, increased right ventricular/tibial length ratio, Rho kinase-mediated pulmonary vasoconstriction, and increased muscularization of distal arteries, indicating pulmonary hypertension. These mice also showed increased perivascular infiltration of leukocytes, consisting mainly of T and B cells, and increased mRNA levels of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-12 and CX3CL1 within pulmonary tissue. Increased serum levels of interleukin-12 and CX3CL1 were also observed in patients with pulmonary hypertension, particularly in those with pulmonary hypertension associated with connective tissue disorder. In smooth muscle cells, interleukin-12 induced secretion of the angiogenic cytokine interleukin-8. We conclude that these results suggest a role for CCR7 in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension, at least in some subgroups, possibly via pulmonary infiltration of lymphocytes and secretion of interleukin-12 and CX3CL1.


2011 ◽  
Vol 300 (5) ◽  
pp. L753-L761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiro Mizuno ◽  
Herman J. Bogaard ◽  
Donatas Kraskauskas ◽  
Aysar Alhussaini ◽  
Jose Gomez-Arroyo ◽  
...  

Chronic hypoxia induces pulmonary arterial remodeling, resulting in pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy. Hypoxia has been implicated as a physiological stimulus for p53 induction and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). However, the subcellular interactions between hypoxic exposure and expression of p53 and HIF-1α remain unclear. To examine the role of p53 and HIF-1α expression on hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial remodeling, wild-type (WT) and p53 knockout (p53KO) mice were exposed to either normoxia or hypoxia for 8 wk. Following chronic hypoxia, both genotypes demonstrated elevated right ventricular pressures, right ventricular hypertrophy as measured by the ratio of the right ventricle to the left ventricle plus septum weights, and vascular remodeling. However, the right ventricular systolic pressures, the ratio of the right ventricle to the left ventricle plus septum weights, and the medial wall thickness of small vessels were significantly greater in the p53KO mice than in the WT mice. The p53KO mice had lower levels of p21 and miR34a expression, and higher levels of HIF-1α, VEGF, and PDGF expression than WT mice following chronic hypoxic exposure. This was associated with a higher proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression of pulmonary artery in p53KO mice. We conclude that p53 plays a critical role in the mitigation of hypoxia-induced small pulmonary arterial remodeling. By interacting with p21 and HIF-1α, p53 may suppress hypoxic pulmonary arterial remodeling and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation under hypoxia.


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