Expression profiling of human foetal and calcified adult aortic valves links inflammation to aging and identifies early disease gene markers
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ABSTRACT: Aims Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a significant cause of illness and death worldwide. The disease mechanism involves age-associated immuno-osteogenic processes but developmental origins and early disease mechanisms are not fully characterized. Identification of early predictive markers could help optimize therapy decisions and patient follow-up. Methods and Results RNA-sequencing was carried out on human fetal aortic valves at weeks 9, 13, and 22, and adult control, calcified bicuspid (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valves (TAV). K-means clustering was implemented to identify co-expressed gene patterns simultaneously up- and down-regulated over the different conditions. Canonical pathway analysis revealed a predominant immune-metabolic gene signature indicative of ongoing innate and adaptive immune responses, including lymphocyte T-cell metabolic adaptation. Specifically, cytokine and chemokine signalling, cellular migration and proliferation, were all increased in CAVD, while oxidative phosphorylation and protein translation were decreased. Discrete immune-metabolic gene signatures were present at foetal stages and adult controls, indicating that inflammation initiates as soon as the valves are formed and is maintained and amplified during post-natal life. Multiple pathways involved in cellular stress response and neurodegenerative disease were also aberrantly expressed, suggesting that chronic inflammation drives metabolic stress- and age-associated valve pathology in CAVD. Comparing the valve RNA-sequencing dataset with whole blood transcriptomes from asymptomatic individuals with early aortic valve calcification identified a gene signature including the CD28 pathway, highly predictive of patients with CAVD and healthy individuals with moderate levels of aortic valve calcification. Conclusion These data deepen and broaden our understanding of the molecular basis of CAVD, and identify a gene signature for the early detection of aortic valve calcification. Keywords Human foetal valve, CAVD, BAV, inflammation, biomarker, gene signature,PESA
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE148219 | GEO | 2021/04/01
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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