Lymphatic collecting vessels direct lymph into and from lymph nodes (LNs) and can become hyperpermeable as the result of a previous infection. Enhanced permeability has been implicated in compromised immunity due to reduced flow of lymph and immune cells to LNs, which are the primary site of antigen presentation to T cells. Presently, very little is known about the molecular signals that affect lymphatic collecting vessel permeability. Here, we have shown that lymphatic collecting vessel permeability is controlled by CCR7 and that the chronic hyperpermeability of collecting vessels observed in
Stoyan Ivanov, Joshua P. Scallan, Ki-Wook Kim, Kathrin Werth, Michael W. Johnson, Brian T. Saunders, Peter L. Wang, Emma L. Kuan, Adam C. Straub, Melissa Ouhachi, Erica G. Weinstein, Jesse W. Williams, Carlos Briseño, Marco Colonna, Brant E. Isakson, Emmanuel L. Gautier, Reinhold Förster, Michael J. Davis, Bernd H. Zinselmeyer, Gwendalyn J. Randolph
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality; however, the mechanisms that are involved in disease initiation and progression are incompletely understood. Extracellular matrix proteins play an integral role in modulating vascular homeostasis in health and disease. Here, we determined that the expression of the matricellular protein CCN3 is strongly reduced in rodent AAA models, including angiotensin II–induced AAA and elastase perfusion–stimulated AAA. CCN3 levels were also reduced in human AAA biopsies compared with those in controls. In murine models of induced AAA, germline deletion of
Chao Zhang, Dustin van der Voort, Hong Shi, Rongli Zhang, Yulan Qing, Shuichi Hiraoka, Minoru Takemoto, Koutaro Yokote, Joseph V. Moxon, Paul Norman, Laure Rittié, Helena Kuivaniemi, G. Brandon Atkins, Stanton L. Gerson, Guo-Ping Shi, Jonathan Golledge, Nianguo Dong, Bernard Perbal, Domenick A. Prosdocimo, Zhiyong Lin
Vascular calcification is a common feature of major cardiovascular diseases. Extracellular vesicles participate in the formation of microcalcifications that are implicated in atherosclerotic plaque rupture; however, the mechanisms that regulate formation of calcifying extracellular vesicles remain obscure. Here, we have demonstrated that sortilin is a key regulator of smooth muscle cell (SMC) calcification via its recruitment to extracellular vesicles. Sortilin localized to calcifying vessels in human and mouse atheromata and participated in formation of microcalcifications in SMC culture. Sortilin regulated the loading of the calcification protein tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) into extracellular vesicles, thereby conferring its calcification potential. Furthermore, SMC calcification required Rab11-dependent trafficking and FAM20C/casein kinase 2–dependent C-terminal phosphorylation of sortilin. In a murine model,
Claudia Goettsch, Joshua D. Hutcheson, Masanori Aikawa, Hiroshi Iwata, Tan Pham, Anders Nykjaer, Mads Kjolby, Maximilian Rogers, Thomas Michel, Manabu Shibasaki, Sumihiko Hagita, Rafael Kramann, Daniel J. Rader, Peter Libby, Sasha A. Singh, Elena Aikawa
The ascending thoracic aorta is designed to withstand biomechanical forces from pulsatile blood. Thoracic aortic aneurysms and acute aortic dissections (TAADs) occur as a result of genetically triggered defects in aortic structure and a dysfunctional response to these forces. Here, we describe mutations in the forkhead transcription factor
Shao-Qing Kuang, Olga Medina-Martinez, Dong-chuan Guo, Limin Gong, Ellen S. Regalado, Corey L. Reynolds, Catherine Boileau, Guillaume Jondeau, Siddharth K. Prakash, Callie S. Kwartler, Lawrence Yang Zhu, Andrew M. Peters, Xue-Yan Duan, National Registry of Genetically Triggered Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Cardiovascular Conditions (GenTAC) Investigators, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Grand Opportunity (GO) Exome Sequencing Project (ESP), Michael J. Bamshad, Jay Shendure, Debbie A. Nickerson, Regie L. Santos-Cortez, Xiurong Dong, Suzanne M. Leal, Mark W. Majesky, Eric C. Swindell, Milan Jamrich, Dianna M. Milewicz
Vascular oxidative injury accompanies many common conditions associated with hypertension. In the present study, we employed mouse models with excessive vascular production of ROS (tgsm/p22phox mice, which overexpress the NADPH oxidase subunit p22
Jing Wu, Mohamed A. Saleh, Annet Kirabo, Hana A. Itani, Kim Ramil C. Montaniel, Liang Xiao, Wei Chen, Raymond L. Mernaugh, Hua Cai, Kenneth E. Bernstein, Jörg J. Goronzy, Cornelia M. Weyand, John A. Curci, Natalia R. Barbaro, Heitor Moreno, Sean S. Davies, L. Jackson Roberts II, Meena S. Madhur, David G. Harrison
Tumor angiogenesis is critical for cancer progression. In multiple murine models, endothelium-specific epsin deficiency abrogates tumor progression by shifting the balance of VEGFR2 signaling toward uncontrolled tumor angiogenesis, resulting in dysfunctional tumor vasculature. Here, we designed a tumor endothelium–targeting chimeric peptide (UPI) for the purpose of inhibiting endogenous tumor endothelial epsins by competitively binding activated VEGFR2. We determined that the UPI peptide specifically targets tumor endothelial VEGFR2 through an unconventional binding mechanism that is driven by unique residues present only in the epsin ubiquitin–interacting motif (UIM) and the VEGFR2 kinase domain. In murine models of neoangiogenesis, UPI peptide increased VEGF-driven angiogenesis and neovascularization but spared quiescent vascular beds. Further, in tumor-bearing mice, UPI peptide markedly impaired functional tumor angiogenesis, tumor growth, and metastasis, resulting in a notable increase in survival. Coadministration of UPI peptide with cytotoxic chemotherapeutics further sustained tumor inhibition. Equipped with localized tumor endothelium–specific targeting, our UPI peptide provides potential for an effective and alternative cancer therapy.
Yunzhou Dong, Hao Wu, H.N. Ashiqur Rahman, Yanjun Liu, Satish Pasula, Kandice L. Tessneer, Xiaofeng Cai, Xiaolei Liu, Baojun Chang, John McManus, Scott Hahn, Jiali Dong, Megan L. Brophy, Lili Yu, Kai Song, Robert Silasi-Mansat, Debra Saunders, Charity Njoku, Hoogeun Song, Padmaja Mehta-D’Souza, Rheal Towner, Florea Lupu, Rodger P. McEver, Lijun Xia, Derek Boerboom, R. Sathish Srinivasan, Hong Chen
The small intestine is a dynamic and complex organ that is characterized by constant epithelium turnover and crosstalk among various cell types and the microbiota. Lymphatic capillaries of the small intestine, called lacteals, play key roles in dietary fat absorption and the gut immune response; however, little is known about the molecular regulation of lacteal function. Here, we performed a high-resolution analysis of the small intestinal stroma and determined that lacteals reside in a permanent regenerative, proliferative state that is distinct from embryonic lymphangiogenesis or quiescent lymphatic vessels observed in other tissues. We further demonstrated that this continuous regeneration process is mediated by Notch signaling and that the expression of the Notch ligand delta-like 4 (DLL4) in lacteals requires activation of VEGFR3 and VEGFR2. Moreover, genetic inactivation of
Jeremiah Bernier-Latmani, Christophe Cisarovsky, Cansaran Saygili Demir, Marine Bruand, Muriel Jaquet, Suzel Davanture, Simone Ragusa, Stefanie Siegert, Olivier Dormond, Rui Benedito, Freddy Radtke, Sanjiv A. Luther, Tatiana V. Petrova
The molecular mechanisms responsible for the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions have not been fully established. Here, we investigated the role played by endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) and its key regulator FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) in atherosclerosis. In cultured human endothelial cells, both inflammatory cytokines and oscillatory shear stress reduced endothelial FGFR1 expression and activated TGF-β signaling. We further explored the link between disrupted FGF endothelial signaling and progression of atherosclerosis by introducing endothelial-specific deletion of FGF receptor substrate 2 α (
Pei-Yu Chen, Lingfeng Qin, Nicolas Baeyens, Guangxin Li, Titilayo Afolabi, Madhusudhan Budatha, George Tellides, Martin A. Schwartz, Michael Simons
Cellular metabolism is increasingly recognized as a controller of immune cell fate and function. MicroRNA-33 (miR-33) regulates cellular lipid metabolism and represses genes involved in cholesterol efflux, HDL biogenesis, and fatty acid oxidation. Here, we determined that miR-33–mediated disruption of the balance of aerobic glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation instructs macrophage inflammatory polarization and shapes innate and adaptive immune responses. Macrophage-specific
Mireille Ouimet, Hasini N. Ediriweera, U. Mahesh Gundra, Frederick J. Sheedy, Bhama Ramkhelawon, Susan B. Hutchison, Kaitlyn Rinehold, Coen van Solingen, Morgan D. Fullerton, Katharine Cecchini, Katey J. Rayner, Gregory R. Steinberg, Phillip D. Zamore, Edward A. Fisher, P’ng Loke, Kathryn J. Moore
Recent evidence indicates that saturated fatty acid–induced (SFA-induced) lipotoxicity contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; however, the molecular mechanisms that underlie SFA-induced lipotoxicity remain unclear. Here, we have shown that repression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) enzymes, which regulate the intracellular balance of SFAs and unsaturated FAs, and the subsequent accumulation of SFAs in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), are characteristic events in the development of vascular calcification. We evaluated whether SMC-specific inhibition of SCD and the resulting SFA accumulation plays a causative role in the pathogenesis of vascular calcification and generated mice with SMC-specific deletion of both
Masashi Masuda, Shinobu Miyazaki-Anzai, Audrey L. Keenan, Kayo Okamura, Jessica Kendrick, Michel Chonchol, Stefan Offermanns, James M. Ntambi, Makoto Kuro-o, Makoto Miyazaki