Abstract 57: The Epigenetic Enzyme Kdm6b Controls the Pro-Fibrotic Transcriptome Signature of Foam Cells

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette E Neele ◽  
Koen H Prange ◽  
Marten A Hoeksema ◽  
Saskia van der Velden ◽  
Tina Lucas ◽  
...  

Aim: Foam cells are a key hallmark of atherosclerotic lesion formation. Within the atherosclerotic lesion macrophages scavenge modified lipoproteins and thereby acquire their foam cell characteristics. Besides their foam cell phenotype, macrophages can have specific inflammation regulatory functions in atherosclerotic lesions. Epigenetic pathways are crucial for monocyte to macrophage differentiation and activation. The H3K27 demethylase Kdm6b (also known as Jmjd3) is regulated in response to various triggers and regulates several modes of macrophage activation. Given the crucial role of macrophage foam cells in atherosclerosis, we here studied Kdm6b in peritoneal foam cells in order to identify regulated pathways. Material and Methods: A myeloid deficient Kdm6b mice (LysMCre-Kdm6b fl/fl ) was generated and bone marrow of Kdm6b wt or Kdm6b del mice was transplanted to irradiated Ldlr -/- mice which were fed a high fat diet for 9 weeks to induce foam cell formation. Peritoneal foam cells from Kdm6b del or Kdm6b wt mice were isolated and used for RNA-sequencing analysis. Results: Among the list of downregulated genes many genes involving fibrosis were affected in Kdm6b deficient foam cells including Collagen genes ( Col1a1 , Col1a2 ), Alpha smooth muscle actin ( Acta2 ) and Fibronectin-1 ( Fn1 ). Pathway analysis on downregulated genes ( P -value < 0.05) indicated that pathways involved in epithelial to mesenchymaltransition (EMT) ( q- value=10 -13 ) and extracellular matrix organization ( q- value=10 -4 ) were significantly downregulated. Pro-fibrotic pathways were thus strongly suppressed in Kdm6b deleted foam cells. Analysis of published datasets of foam cells showed that foam cell formation induces these pro-fibrotic characteristics. Overlay of both data sets indicated that fibrotic genes which are induced upon foam cell formation, are reduced in the absence of Kdm6b. These data suggest that foam cell formation induces a pro-fibrotic gene signature in a Kdm6b-dependent manner. Conclusion: We identified Kdm6b as a novel regulator of the pro-fibrotic signature of peritoneal foam cells.

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Febbraio ◽  
Paul M Brown

Epidemiological evidence strongly support a link between periodontal disease & cardiovascular disease, but the mechanism(s) remains poorly understood. Using the human periodontal disease associated bacteria, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) as a model, we carried out studies in macrophages & low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) KO mice. Pg associated similarly with macrophages from wild type & CD36 KO mice, but there were differences in responses dependent on Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2. We observed decreased NFkB activation & IL1beta generation following Pg treatment in CD36 KO macrophages, despite similar levels of TLR2 expression. OxLDL strongly inhibited Pg mediated IL-1beta generation in a CD36 dependent manner. Macrophage foam cell formation as a result of incubation with oxLDL & PgLPS was increased in a CD36 dependent manner. LDLR KO & CD36/LDLR double KO mice were orally infected with Pg & fed a Western diet (12 weeks). There was a significant increase in the cemento-enamel junction of molars of infected compared with uninfected mice, demonstrating the validity of the model. Histological analysis showed inflammatory cell infiltrates in gums of infected mice after 12 weeks, supporting a chronic inflammatory process. Differences in plasma parameters & weight gain did not necessarily track with atherosclerosis burden, however blood neutrophils & cytokines were increased in infected LDLR KO mice compared with all other groups. Infected LDLR KO mice had significantly increased atherosclerotic lesion burden compared with uninfected LDLR KO mice, and all of the increased lesion was CD36-dependent. Our data suggest that atherosclerosis associated with periodontal disease is mediated by cellular inflammatory responses involving both CD36 & TLR2. Pg enhances oxLDL mediated foam cell formation in a CD36 dependent manner, and this may explain increased lesion burden. Generation of IL1beta, a key pro-atherogenic cytokine, is altered as a result of CD36 expression. Periodontal disease affects more than 20% of the population of the US/Canada, & is associated with increasing age, which is also a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Targeting CD36 may provide important supplemental therapy to current lipid lowering strategies to reduce atherosclerosis.


Author(s):  
Parimalanandhini Duraisamy ◽  
Sangeetha Ravi ◽  
Mahalakshmi Krishnan ◽  
Catherene M. Livya ◽  
Beulaja Manikandan ◽  
...  

: Atherosclerosis, a major contributor to cardiovascular disease is a global alarm causing mortality worldwide. Being a progressive disease in the arteries, it mainly causes recruitment of monocytes to the inflammatory sites and subside pathological conditions. Monocyte-derived macrophage mainly acts in foam cell formation by engorging the LDL molecules, oxidizes it into Ox-LDL and leads to plaque deposit development. Macrophages in general differentiate, proliferate and undergo apoptosis at the inflammatory site. Frequently two subtypes of macrophages M1 and M2 has to act crucially in balancing the micro-environmental conditions of endothelial cells in arteries. The productions of proinflammatory mediators like IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α by M1 macrophage has atherogenic properties majorly produced during the early progression of atherosclerotic plaques. To counteract cytokine productions and M1-M2 balance, secondary metabolites (phytochemicals) from plants act as a therapeutic agent in alleviating atherosclerosis progression. This review summarizes the fundamental role of the macrophage in atherosclerotic lesion formation along with its plasticity characteristic as well as recent therapeutic strategies using herbal components and anti-inflammatory cytokines as potential immunomodulators.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2529
Author(s):  
Amin Javadifar ◽  
Sahar Rastgoo ◽  
Maciej Banach ◽  
Tannaz Jamialahmadi ◽  
Thomas P. Johnston ◽  
...  

Atherosclerosis is a major cause of human cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of mortality around the world. Various physiological and pathological processes are involved, including chronic inflammation, dysregulation of lipid metabolism, development of an environment characterized by oxidative stress and improper immune responses. Accordingly, the expansion of novel targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis is necessary. In this study, we focus on the role of foam cells in the development of atherosclerosis. The specific therapeutic goals associated with each stage in the formation of foam cells and the development of atherosclerosis will be considered. Processing and metabolism of cholesterol in the macrophage is one of the main steps in foam cell formation. Cholesterol processing involves lipid uptake, cholesterol esterification and cholesterol efflux, which ultimately leads to cholesterol equilibrium in the macrophage. Recently, many preclinical studies have appeared concerning the role of non-encoding RNAs in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Non-encoding RNAs, especially microRNAs, are considered regulators of lipid metabolism by affecting the expression of genes involved in the uptake (e.g., CD36 and LOX1) esterification (ACAT1) and efflux (ABCA1, ABCG1) of cholesterol. They are also able to regulate inflammatory pathways, produce cytokines and mediate foam cell apoptosis. We have reviewed important preclinical evidence of their therapeutic targeting in atherosclerosis, with a special focus on foam cell formation.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia V. Poznyak ◽  
Wei-Kai Wu ◽  
Alexandra A. Melnichenko ◽  
Reinhard Wetzker ◽  
Vasily Sukhorukov ◽  
...  

Atherosclerosis is associated with acute cardiovascular conditions, such as ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke, and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Our understanding of atherosclerosis and the processes triggering its initiation is constantly improving, and, during the last few decades, many pathological processes related to this disease have been investigated in detail. For example, atherosclerosis has been considered to be a chronic inflammation triggered by the injury of the arterial wall. However, recent works showed that atherogenesis is a more complex process involving not only the immune system, but also resident cells of the vessel wall, genetic factors, altered hemodynamics, and changes in lipid metabolism. In this review, we focus on foam cells that are crucial for atherosclerosis lesion formation. It has been demonstrated that the formation of foam cells is induced by modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The beneficial effects of the majority of therapeutic strategies with generalized action, such as the use of anti-inflammatory drugs or antioxidants, were not confirmed by clinical studies. However, the experimental therapies targeting certain stages of atherosclerosis, among which are lipid accumulation, were shown to be more effective. This emphasizes the relevance of future detailed investigation of atherogenesis and the importance of new therapies development.


2011 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 763-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ine Wolfs ◽  
Marjo Donners ◽  
Menno de Winther

SummaryThe phenotype of macrophages in atherosclerotic lesions can vary dramatically, from a large lipid laden foam cell to a small inflammatory cell. Classically, the concept of macrophage heterogeneity discriminates between two extremes called either pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages or anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. Polarisation of plaque macrophages is predominantly determined by the local micro-environment present in the atherosclerotic lesion and is rather more complex than typically described by the M1/M2 paradigm. In this review we will discuss the role of various polarising factors in regulating the phenotypical state of plaque macrophages. We will focus on two main levels of phenotype regulation, one determined by differentiation factors produced in the lesion and the other determined by T-cell-derived polarising cytokines. With foam cell formation being a key characteristic of macrophages during atherosclerosis initiation and progression, these polarisation factors will also be linked to lipid handling of macrophages.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Kopecky ◽  
Elvis Pandzic ◽  
Arvind Parmar ◽  
Jeremy Szajer ◽  
Victoria Lee ◽  
...  

Background: Atherosclerosis is characterized by lipid deposition, monocyte infiltration and foam cell formation in the artery wall. Translocator protein (TSPO) is abundantly expressed in lipid rich tissues. Recently, TSPO has been identified as a potential diagnostic tool in cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to determine if the TSPO ligand, 18F-PBR111, can identify early atherosclerotic lesions and if TSPO expression can be used to identify distinct macrophage populations during lesion progression. Methods and Results: ApoE-/- mice were maintained on a high-fat diet for 3 or 12 weeks. C57BL/6J mice maintained on chow diet served as controls. Mice were administered 18F-PBR111 intravenously and PET/CT imaged. After euthanasia, aortas were isolated, fixed and optically cleared. Cleared aortas were immunostained with DAPI, and fluorescently labelled with antibodies to-TSPO, the tissue resident macrophage marker F4/80 and the monocyte-derived macrophage marker CD11b. TSPO expression and the macrophage markers were visualised in fatty streaks and mature lesions by light sheet microscopy. While tissue resident F4/80+ macrophages were evident in the arteries of animals without atherosclerosis, no CD11b+ macrophages were observed in these animals. In contrast, mature plaques had high CD11b and low F4/80 expression. A ~3-fold increase in the uptake of 18F-PBR111 was observed in the aortas of atherosclerotic mice relative to controls. Conclusions: Imaging of TSPO expression is a new approach for studying atherosclerotic lesion progression and inflammatory cell infiltration. The TSPO ligand, 18F-PBR111, is a potential clinical diagnostic tool for the detection and quantification of atherosclerotic lesion progression in humans.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengyu Zong ◽  
Jianlin Feng ◽  
Zhichao Yue ◽  
Albert S. Yu ◽  
Yasuo Mori ◽  
...  

Atherosclerosis is the major cause of ischemic heart diseases and ischemic brain stroke, which are the leading causes of mortality worldwide. The central pathological features of atherosclerosis include macrophage infiltration and foam cell formation. However, the detailed mechanisms regulating these two processes remain unclear. Here we show that oxidative stress-activated Ca2+-permeable TRPM2 plays a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Trpm2 deletion produces a potent protective effect against atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD), as evidenced by reduced atherosclerotic plaque burden, decreased macrophage load and suppressed inflammasome activation in the vessel wall. Moreover, we show that Trpm2 deletion or inhibition reduces oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) uptake by macrophages, suppresses macrophage infiltration induced by monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1), and prevents the impairment of macrophage emigration caused by oxLDL. Intriguingly, we uncover that activation of CD36, an oxLDL receptor, can promote the activation of TRPM2, and vice versa, the CD36-mediated inflammatory cascade in atherosclerosis is dependent on TRPM2. In transfected HEK293T cells, CD36 ligands oxLDL and TSP1 induce TRPM2 activation in a CD36-dependent manner. Deleting Trpm2 or inhibiting TRPM2 activity in cultured macrophages suppresses the CD36 signaling cascade induced by oxLDL and TSP1. Our studies establish TRPM2-CD36 axis as a new mechanism underlying atherogenesis, and suggest TRPM2 as an effective therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Kumar ◽  
Priya Gupta ◽  
Minakshi Rana ◽  
Tulika Chandra ◽  
Madhu Dikshit ◽  
...  

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) links metabolic and inflammatory dysfunction in atherosclerotic coronary artery disease; however, its role in oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL)-induced macrophage foam cell formation and inflammation is unknown and therefore was studied. In recombinant mouse granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-differentiated murine bone marrow-derived macrophages, early (1–6 h) Ox-LDL treatment induced PKM2 tyrosine 105 phosphorylation and promotes its nuclear localization. PKM2 regulates aerobic glycolysis and inflammation because PKM2 shRNA or Shikonin abrogated Ox-LDL-induced hypoxia-inducible factor-1α target genes lactate dehydrogenase, glucose transporter member 1, interleukin 1β (IL-1β) mRNA expression, lactate, and secretory IL-1β production. PKM2 inhibition significantly increased Ox-LDL-induced ABCA1 and ABCG1 protein expression and NBD-cholesterol efflux to apoA1 and HDL. PKM2 shRNA significantly inhibited Ox-LDL-induced CD36, FASN protein expression, DiI-Ox-LDL binding and uptake, and cellular total cholesterol, free cholesterol, and cholesteryl ester content. Therefore, PKM2 regulates lipid uptake and efflux. DASA-58, a PKM2 activator, downregulated LXR-α, ABCA1, and ABCG1, and augmented FASN and CD36 protein expression. Peritoneal macrophages showed similar results. Ox-LDL induced PKM2- SREBP-1 interaction and FASN expression in a PKM2-dependent manner. Therefore, this study suggests a role for PKM2 in Ox-LDL-induced aerobic glycolysis, inflammation, and macrophage foam cell formation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shutong Yao ◽  
Hua Tian ◽  
Cheng Miao ◽  
Li Zhao ◽  
Peng Jiao ◽  
...  

Objective: D-4F, an apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) mimetic peptide, exerts a variety of atheroprotective functions similar to apoA-I, the major protein component of high density lipoprotein (HDL), including acting as an antioxidant, mediating cholesterol efflux from foam cells and direct anti-inflammatory effects. Our previous studies have demonstrated that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress promotes macrophage-derived foam cell formation by upregulating CD36 expression and mediates oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced macrophage apoptosis. The goal of this study was to investigate the protective effect of D-4F on ox-LDL-induced macrophage cytotoxicity and specifically the ER stress-C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) pathway-mediated apoptosis. Methods and Results: Treatment with D-4F (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/L) attenuated ox-LDL (100 mg/L)-induced cholesterol accumulation in RAW264.7 macrophages and foam cell formation in a dose-dependent manner. Similar to tunicamycin (TM), a classical ER stress inducer, ox-LDL reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis in RAW264.7 macrophages. The cytotoxic effects of ox-LDL (100 mg/L) and TM (5 mg/L) were remarkably inhibited by D-4F treatment. Interestingly, we found that D-4F also significantly suppressed the ox-LDL- and TM-induced CD36 upregulation and activation of ER stress signaling events, including the phosphorylation of inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) and nuclear translocation of activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6). In addition, exposure of RAW264.7 macrophages to ox-LDL or TM resulted in a significant increase in the expression of CHOP, a proapoptotic transcription factor regulated by IRE1 and ATF6 under conditions of ER stress. D-4F blocked these effects in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, administration of apoE –/– mice with D-4F (1 mg/kg per day) suppressed apoptosis and the upregulation of CD36, phospho-IRE1, GRP78 and CHOP in macrophage-dense atherosclerotic lesions. Conclusion: These data indicate that D-4F can protect macrophages from ox-LDL-induced apoptosis and that the mechanism at least partially involves its ability to inhibit the ER stress-CHOP signaling pathway.


2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Huan Tao ◽  
Patricia G Yancey ◽  
John L Blakemore ◽  
Youmin Zhang ◽  
Lei Ding ◽  
...  

Background: Autophagy modulates vascular cell lipid metabolism, lipid droplet turnover, foam cell formation, cell survival and death, and inflammation. Scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) deficiency causes impaired lysosome function in macrophages and erythrocytes. Methods and Results: Bone marrow transplantation studies were performed in ApoE and LDLR deficient mice to examine the effects of hematopoietic SR-BI deletion on atherosclerotic lesion autophagy. In addition, in vitro studies compared WT versus SR-BI -/- macrophages. Under conditions of cholesterol induced stress, the mRNA and protein levels of critical autophagy players including ATG5, ATG6/Belcin-1, ATG7 and LC3II were decreased by 37.8% to 84.6% (P<0.05 to 0.01) in SR-B1 -/- macrophages and atherosclerotic aortic tissue compared to controls. Electron microscopic analysis showed that SR-BI -/- versus WT macrophages had 80% fewer (P<0.05) autophagsomes in response to cholesterol enrichment. Macrophage SR-BI deficiency led to 1.8-fold (P<0.05) more lipid deposition and 2.5-fold more (P<0.01) apoptosis in response to oxidized LDL. Furthermore, hematopoietic SR-BI deletion caused 2.3 fold (P<0.05) more cell death in aortic atherosclerotic lesions compared to the WT control. Pharmacologic activation of autophagy did not reduce the levels of lipid droplets or cell apoptosis in SR-BI null macrophages vs WT control. WT peritoneal macrophages were used to examine SR-BI subcellular distribution and its interaction with VPS34/Beclin-1. In response to induction of autophagy, macrophage SR-BI was expressed in lysosomes and co-localized with LC3-II. Furthermore, we found that SR-BI directly interacted with the VPS34/Beclin-1 complex. Conclusions: SR-BI deficiency leads to defective autophagy and accelerates macrophage foam cell formation and apoptosis in experimental mouse atherosclerotic lesions. Macrophage SR-BI regulates expression of critical autophagy players and directly modulates autophagy via the VPS34/Beclin-1 pathway, identifying novel targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis.


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