Dataset Information

Apolipoprotein E enhances microRNA-146a in monocytes and macrophages to suppress nuclear factor-?B-driven inflammation and atherosclerosis.

ABSTRACT: Apolipoprotein E (apoE) exerts anti-inflammatory properties that protect against atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. However, mechanisms by which apoE suppresses the cellular activation of leukocytes commonly associated with atherosclerosis remain incompletely understood.To test the hypothesis that apoE suppresses inflammation and atherosclerosis by regulating cellular microRNA levels in these leukocytes.An assessment of apoE expression among such leukocyte subsets in wild-type mice revealed that only macrophages and monocytes express apoE abundantly. An absence of apoE expression in macrophages and monocytes resulted in enhanced nuclear factor-?B signaling and an exaggerated inflammatory response on stimulation with lipopolysaccharide. This correlated with reduced levels of microRNA-146a, a critical negative regulator of nuclear factor-?B signaling. Ectopic apoE expression in Apoe(-/-) macrophages and monocytes raised miR-146a levels, whereas its silencing in wild-type cells had an opposite effect. Mechanistically, apoE increased the expression of transcription factor purine-rich PU-box-binding protein 1, which raised levels of pri-miR-146 transcripts, demonstrating that apoE exerts transcriptional control over miR-146a. In vivo, even a small amount of apoE expression in macrophages and monocytes of hypomorphic apoE mice led to increased miR-146a levels, and inhibited macrophage proinflammatory responses, Ly-6C(high) monocytosis, and atherosclerosis in the settings of hyperlipidemia. Accordingly, cellular enrichment of miR-146a through the systemic delivery of miR-146a mimetics in Apoe(-/-)Ldlr(-/-) and Ldlr(-/-) mice attenuated monocyte/macrophage activation and atherosclerosis in the absence of plasma lipid reduction.Our data demonstrate that cellular apoE expression suppresses nuclear factor-?B-mediated inflammation and atherosclerosis by enhancing miR-146a levels in monocytes and macrophages.

SUBMITTER: Li K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4475484 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Apolipoprotein E enhances microRNA-146a in monocytes and macrophages to suppress nuclear factor-κB-driven inflammation and atherosclerosis.

Li Kang K Ching Daniel D Luk Fu Sang FS Raffai Robert L RL

Circulation research 20150422 1

<h4>Rationale</h4>Apolipoprotein E (apoE) exerts anti-inflammatory properties that protect against atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases. However, mechanisms by which apoE suppresses the cellular activation of leukocytes commonly associated with atherosclerosis remain incompletely understood.<h4>Objective</h4>To test the hypothesis that apoE suppresses inflammation and atherosclerosis by regulating cellular microRNA levels in these leukocytes.<h4>Methods and results</h4>An assessment o ...[more]

PMID: 25904598

Similar Datasets

Project description:Inflammation is a key contributor to atherosclerosis. MicroRNA-146a (miR-146a) has been identified as a critical brake on proinflammatory nuclear factor κ light chain enhancer of activated B cells signaling in several cell types, including endothelial cells and bone marrow (BM)-derived cells. Importantly, miR-146a expression is elevated in human atherosclerotic plaques, and polymorphisms in the miR-146a precursor have been associated with risk of coronary artery disease.To define the role of endogenous miR-146a during atherogenesis.Paradoxically, Ldlr-/- (low-density lipoprotein receptor null) mice deficient in miR-146a develop less atherosclerosis, despite having highly elevated levels of circulating proinflammatory cytokines. In contrast, cytokine levels are normalized in Ldlr-/-;miR-146a-/- mice receiving wild-type BM transplantation, and these mice have enhanced endothelial cell activation and elevated atherosclerotic plaque burden compared with Ldlr-/- mice receiving wild-type BM, demonstrating the atheroprotective role of miR-146a in the endothelium. We find that deficiency of miR-146a in BM-derived cells precipitates defects in hematopoietic stem cell function, contributing to extramedullary hematopoiesis, splenomegaly, BM failure, and decreased levels of circulating proatherogenic cells in mice fed an atherogenic diet. These hematopoietic phenotypes seem to be driven by unrestrained inflammatory signaling that leads to the expansion and eventual exhaustion of hematopoietic cells, and this occurs in the face of lower levels of circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in mice lacking miR-146a in BM-derived cells. Furthermore, we identify sortilin-1(Sort1), a known regulator of circulating low-density lipoprotein levels in humans, as a novel target of miR-146a.Our study reveals that miR-146a regulates cholesterol metabolism and tempers chronic inflammatory responses to atherogenic diet by restraining proinflammatory signaling in endothelial cells and BM-derived cells.

Project description:Atherosclerosis, the inflammation of artery walls due to the accumulation of lipids, is the most common underlying cause for cardiovascular diseases. Monocytes and macrophages are major cells that contribute to the initiation and progression of atherosclerotic plaques. During this process, an accumulation of LDL-laden macrophages (foam cells) and an alteration in the extracellular matrix (ECM) organization leads to a local vessel stiffening. Current in vitro models are carried out onto two-dimensional tissue culture plastic and cannot replicate the relevant microenvironments. To bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo conditions, we utilized three-dimensional (3D) collagen matrices that allowed us to mimic the ECM stiffening during atherosclerosis by increasing collagen density. First, human monocytic THP-1 cells were embedded into 3D collagen matrices reconstituted at low and high density. Cells were subsequently differentiated into uncommitted macrophages (M0) and further activated into pro- (M1) and anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes. In order to mimic atherosclerotic conditions, cells were cultured in the presence of oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and analyzed in terms of oxLDL uptake capability and relevant receptors along with their cytokine secretomes. Although oxLDL uptake and larger lipid size could be observed in macrophages in a matrix dependent manner, monocytes showed higher numbers of oxLDL uptake cells. By analyzing major oxLDL uptake receptors, both monocytes and macrophages expressed lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX1), while enhanced expression of scavenger receptor CD36 could be observed only in M2. Notably, by analyzing the secretome of macrophages exposed to oxLDL, we demonstrated that the cells could, in fact, secrete adipokines and growth factors in distinct patterns. Besides, oxLDL appeared to up-regulate MHCII expression in all cells, while an up-regulation of CD68, a pan-macrophage marker, was found only in monocytes, suggesting a possible differentiation of monocytes into a pro-inflammatory macrophage. Overall, our work demonstrated that collagen density in the plaque could be one of the major factors driving atherosclerotic progression via modulation of monocyte and macrophages behaviors.

Dataset Information

Apolipoprotein E enhances microRNA-146a in monocytes and macrophages to suppress nuclear factor-?B-driven inflammation and atherosclerosis.

Publications

Apolipoprotein E enhances microRNA-146a in monocytes and macrophages to suppress nuclear factor-κB-driven inflammation and atherosclerosis.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets