NKRF in Cardiac Fibroblasts Protects against Cardiac Remodeling Post-Myocardial Infarction via Human Antigen R.

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are abundant in the heart and are responsible for cardiac repair post-MI. NF-κB-repressing factor (NKRF) plays a significant role in the transcriptional inhibition of various specific genes. However, the NKRF action mechanism in CFs remains unclear in cardiac repair post-MI. This study investigates the NKRF mechanism in cardiac remodeling and dysfunction post-MI by establishing a CF-specific NKRF-knockout (NKRF-CKO) mouse model. NKRF expression is downregulated in CFs in response to pathological cardiac remodeling in vivo and TNF-α in vitro. NKRF-CKO mice demonstrate worse cardiac function and survival and increased infarct size, heart weight, and MMP2 and MMP9 expression post-MI compared with littermates. NKRF inhibits CF migration and invasion in vitro by downregulating MMP2 and MMP9 expression. Mechanistically, NKRF inhibits human antigen R (HuR) transcription by binding to the classical negative regulatory element within the HuR promoter via an NF-κB-dependent mechanism. This decreases HuR-targeted Mmp2 and Mmp9 mRNA stability. This study suggests that NKRF is a therapeutic target for pathological cardiac remodeling.

Role of hsa_circ_0000280 in regulating vascular smooth muscle cell function and attenuating neointimal hyperplasia via ELAVL1.

The pathological proliferation of cells in vascular smooth muscle underlies neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) development during atherosclerosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), which represent novel functional biomarkers and RNA-binding proteins, contribute to multiple cardiovascular diseases; however, their roles in regulating the vascular smooth muscle cell cycle remain unknown. Thus, we aimed to identify the roles of circRNAs in vascular smooth muscle during coronary heart disease (CHD). Through circRNA sequencing of CHD samples and human antigen R (ELAVL1) immunoprecipitation, we identified circRNAs that are associated with CHD and interact with ELAVL1. Our results suggested that the hsa_circ_0000280 associated with CHD inhibits cell proliferation and induces ELAVL1-dependent cell cycle arrest. Gain/loss-of-function experiments and assays in vivo indicated that hsa_circ_0000280 facilitates interactions between ELAVL1 and cyclin-dependent kinase suppressor 1 (CDKN1A) mRNA and stabilization of this complex and leads to cell cycle arrest at the G1/S checkpoint, inhibiting cell proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro and NIH in vivo. Importantly, hsa_circ_0000280 reduced neointimal thickness and smooth muscle cell proliferation in vivo. Taken together, these findings reveal a novel pathway in which hsa_circ_0000280 facilitates the regulation of ELAVL1 on CDKN1A mRNA to inhibit NIH. Therefore, measuring and modulating their expression might represent a potential diagnostic or therapeutic strategy for CHD.

An intersegmental single-cell profile reveals aortic heterogeneity and identifies a novel Malat1+ vascular smooth muscle subtype involved in abdominal aortic aneurysm formation.

The developmental origin, anatomical location, and other factors contribute to aortic heterogeneity in a physiological state. On this basis, vascular diseases occur at different ratios based on position specificity, even with the same risk factor. However, the continuous intersegmental aortic profile has been rarely reported at the single-cell level. To reveal aortic heterogeneity, we identified 15 cell subtypes from five continuous aortic segments by marker genes and functional definitions. The EC1 subtype highly expressed Vcam1 and Scarb2 genes in the aortic arch, which were reported to be associated with atherosclerosis. The newly identified Fbn1+ fibroblasts were found highly expressed in thoracic segments. More importantly, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) demonstrated a novel composition in which VSMC 4 marked with the gene Malat1 were mainly distributed in the abdominal segment. Malat1 knockout reduced MMPs and inflammatory factor production induced by Ang II in smooth muscle cells, and the Malat1 inhibitor exerted preventive, inhibitory, and reversing effects on AngII-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in vivo revealed by a series of animal experiments. Single-cell analysis of AngII-induced AAA tissues treated with or without the inhibitor further clarified the key role of Malat1+VSMC in the occurrence and progression of AAA. In summary, segmental gene expression and cell subtype features in normal aorta associated with different vascular diseases might provide potential therapeutic targets.

Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to characterize cells and gene expression landscapes in atrial septal defect.

This study aimed to characterize the cells and gene expression landscape in atrial septal defect (ASD). We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of cells derived from cardiac tissue of an ASD patient. Unsupervised clustering analysis was performed to identify different cell populations, followed by the investigation of the cellular crosstalk by analysing ligand-receptor interactions across cell types. Finally, differences between ASD and normal samples for all cell types were further investigated. An expression matrix of 18,411 genes in 6487 cells was obtained and used in this analysis. Five cell types, including cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts and macrophages were identified. ASD showed a decreased proportion of cardiomyocytes and an increased proportion of fibroblasts. There was more cellular crosstalk among cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts and macrophages, especially between fibroblast and macrophage. For all cell types, the majority of the DEGs were downregulated in ASD samples. For cardiomyocytes, there were 199 DEGs (42 upregulated and 157 downregulated) between ASD and normal samples. PPI analysis showed that cardiomyocyte marker gene FABP4 interacted with FOS, while FOS showed interaction with NPPA. Cell trajectory analysis showed that FABP4, FOS, and NPPA showed different expression changes along the pseudotime trajectory. Our results showed that single-cell RNA sequencing provides a powerful tool to study DEG profiles in the cell subpopulations of interest at the single-cell level. These findings enhance the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ASD at both the cellular and molecular level and highlight potential targets for the treatment of ASD.

Traditional Chinese Medication Tongxinluo Attenuates Lipidosis in Ox-LDL-Stimulated Macrophages by Enhancing Beclin-1-Induced Autophagy.

Tongxinluo (TXL), a traditional Chinese medication, plays a key role in the formation and progression of plaques in atherosclerosis. The formation of foam cells by macrophages accelerates the destabilisation of plaques. In previous research, we had found that TXL significantly inhibits ox-LDL-induced apoptosis in macrophages in vitro by improving the dissociation of the Beclin-1-Bcl-2 complex. Therefore, here, we explored the effect of TXL on lipid metabolism in macrophages and the mechanism involved. To evaluate the role of TXL in atherosclerotic plaques, we construct the atherosclerotic animal model with lentiviral injection and performed immunofluorescence staining analysis in vivo. Western blot, immunofluorescence staining and microscopy were performed to elucidate the mechanism underlying TXL-mediated regulation of autophagy in THP-1 macrophages in vitro. Immunofluorescence assay revealed that TXL treatment inhibited lipid deposition in advanced atherosclerotic plaques. In vitro TXL treatment inhibited lipid deposition in THP-1 macrophages by enhancing autophagy via Beclin-1. TXL reversed the high expression of class I histone deacetylases (HDACs) induced by ox-LDL (p < 0.05). Compared with the TXL + ox-LDL group, TXL failed to promote intracellular lipid droplet decomposition after the addition of the histone deacetylase agonist. We found that TXL attenuates the accumulation of lipids in macrophage by enhancing Beclin-1-induced autophagy, and additionally, it inhibits the inhibitory effect of class I HDAC on the expression of Beclin-1.

Hsa_circ_0030042 regulates abnormal autophagy and protects atherosclerotic plaque stability by targeting eIF4A3.

Rationale: Abnormal autophagic death of endothelial cells is detrimental to plaque structure as endothelial loss promotes lesional thrombosis. As emerging functional biomarkers, circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in various diseases, including cardiovascular. This study is aimed to determine the role of hsa_circ_0030042 in abnormal endothelial cell autophagy and plaque stability. Methods: circRNA sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to detect hsa_circ_0030042 expression in coronary heart disease (CHD) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Transfection of stubRFP-sensGFP-LC3 adenovirus, flow cytometry, and electron microscopy were used to identify the role of hsa_circ_0030042 in ox-LDL‒induced abnormal autophagy in vitro. Bioinformatic analysis, RNA immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence assay and other in vitro experiments were performed to elucidate the mechanism underlying hsa_circ_0030042-mediated regulation of autophagy. To evaluate the role of hsa_circ_0030042 in atherosclerotic plaques and endothelial function, we measured the carotid artery tension and performed histopathology and immunohistochemistry analysis. Results: hsa_circ_0030042 was significantly downregulated in CHD, while upon overexpression, it acted as an endogenous eukaryotic initiation factor 4A-III (eIF4A3) sponge to inhibit ox-LDL-induced abnormal autophagy of HUVECs and maintain plaque stability in vivo. Furthermore, hsa_circ_0030042 influenced autophagy by sponging eIF4A3 and blocking its recruitment to beclin1 and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) mRNA, while hsa_circ_0030042-induced inhibition of beclin1 and FOXO1 was counteracted by eIF4A3 overexpression or decreased hsa_circ_0030042 binding. In high-fat-diet fed ApoE-/- mice, hsa_circ_0030042 also ameliorated plaque stability and counteracted eIF4A3-induced plaque instability. Conclusions: These results demonstrate a novel pathway involving hsa_circ_0030042, eIF4A3, FOXO1, and beclin1; hence, modulating their levels may be a potential therapeutic strategy against CHD.

Circular RNA expression profiles and bioinformatic analysis in coronary heart disease.

Aim: We aimed to identify the expression profile and role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in coronary heart disease (CHD). Materials & methods: We performed sequence analysis of circRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 70 CHD patients and 30 controls. Eight selected circRNAs were validated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in human atherosclerotic coronary arteries. Results: In total, 2283 downregulated and 85 upregulated circRNAs were identified in CHD. Parental genes of top 100 dysregulated-circRNAs are related to metabolism and protein modification, and 12 circRNAs might upregulate their CHD-related parental genes through miRNA sponges. Of the eight circRNAs validated in atherosclerotic coronary arteries by qRT-PCR, six were consistent with sequencing results of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Conclusion: As potential ceRNAs, dysregulated circRNAs may be involved in CHD pathophysiology.

MicroRNA-124-3p inhibits collagen synthesis in atherosclerotic plaques by targeting prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha-1 (P4HA1) in vascular smooth muscle cells.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Collagen synthesis in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is very important in atherosclerosis, as it affects plaque stability. In this study, we aim to assess whether miR-124-3p is involved in the collagen synthesis process in VSMCs and the role it might play in atherosclerotic development. METHODS: We modulated the miR-124-3p expression in the aortic root plaques of high-fat-diet fed ApoE-/- mice by lentivirus injection. To determine plaque size and the content of plaque-stability-related cells or molecules, stainings, including hematoxylin and eosin, Oil red O, Sirius Red and immunohistochemical staining, were performed. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to locate miR-124-3p in atherosclerotic plaques. Western blotting and RT-qPCR were carried out to determine the level of P4HA1 as well as type I and type III collagen protein and mRNA expression. RESULTS: Results showed that collagen and VSMC content of plaques was inversely correlated with miR-124-3p levels. By FISH, we identified that miR-124-3p was primarily expressed by VSMCs. We also found that protein levels of type I and type III collagen in aortas and atherosclerotic plaques were decreased by miR-124-3p. We modulated miR-124-3p level in vitro and found it could inhibit collagen expression in HASMCs. This might be caused by the downregulation of P4HA1. P4HA1 was predicted as miR-124-3p's direct target, which was verified with a dual luciferase reporter assay and RIP test. CONCLUSIONS: The results presented here provide evidence that miR-124-3p inhibits VSMC collagen synthesis by directly targeting P4HA1, which might decrease atherosclerotic plaque stability.

Traditional Chinese medication Tongxinluo attenuates apoptosis in ox-LDL-stimulated macrophages by enhancing Beclin-1-induced autophagy.

In advanced atherosclerosis, a large number of necrotic core increases plaque vulnerability, which leads to the occurrence of acute atherothrombotic cardiovascular events. Macrophage apoptosis plays an important role in secondary necrosis. The present study aimed to examine and describe the effect of the traditional Chinese medication Tongxinluo (TXL) on macrophage apoptosis in advanced atherosclerotic plaques and to explore its mechanism. By observing the effect of TXL on ox-LDL-stimulated macrophage apoptosis, it was shown that TXL significantly inhibited ox-LDL-induced apoptosis of macrophages by enhancing autophagy. Therapeutic mechanism of TXL included increasing the expression of Beclin-1 and improving the dissociation of Bcl-2-Beclin-1 Complex. Apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE-/-) mice with a high fat diet were divided into four groups: saline group (Saline gavage), low dose TXL group (0.38 g/kg/d, gavage), medium dose TXL group (0.75 g/kg/day, gavage), and high dose TXL group (1.5 g/kg/day, gavage). 4 weeks after carotid-artery surgery, lentiviral of Beclin-1 silencing was injected through the tail vein. TXL treatment significantly reduced macrophage apoptosis dose-dependently and the result was blocked by Beclin-1 silencing. In addition, the increased Lc3b dots by TXL almost localized to macrophages in advanced atherosclerotic plaque. Compared with the same dose of TXL shBeclin-1 group, plaque area and vulnerability index of TXL groups decreased. The anti-apoptosis effects of TXL on atherosclerosis was related to the improvement of autophagy via Beclin-1.

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ß overexpression alleviates myocardial remodelling by regulating angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 expression in diabetes.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy, a major cardiac complication, contributes to heart remodelling and heart failure. Our previous study discovered that CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein ß (C/EBPß), a transcription factor that belongs to a family of basic leucine zipper transcription factors, interacts with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) promoter sequence in other disease models. Here, we aimed to determine the role of C/EBPß in diabetes and whether ACE2 expression is regulated by C/EBPß. A type 1 diabetic mouse model was generated by an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Diabetic mice were injected with a lentivirus expressing either C/EBPß or sh-C/EBPß or treated with valsartan after 12 weeks to observe the effects of C/EBPß. In vitro, cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes were treated with high glucose (HG) to investigate the anti-fibrosis, anti-apoptosis and regulatory mechanisms of C/EBPß. C/EBPß expression was down-regulated in diabetic mice and HG-induced cardiac neonatal cells. C/EBPß overexpression significantly attenuated collagen deposition and cardiomyocyte apoptosis by up-regulating ACE2 expression. The molecular mechanism involved the binding of C/EBPß to the ACE2 promoter sequence. Although valsartan, a classic angiotensin receptor blocker, relieved diabetic complications, the up-regulation of ACE2 expression by C/EBPß overexpression may exert greater beneficial effects on patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy.