Chromatin Remodeling Drives Immune-Fibroblast Cell Communication in Heart Failure (Bulk RNA-Seq)
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE221693 | GEO | 2024/07/03
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Chronic inflammation and tissue fibrosis are common stress responses that worsen organ function, yet their crosstalk is poorly understood. Here, we show that conditional deletion of the transcription co-activator Brd4 in Cx3cr1-positive myeloid cells ameliorates heart failure and is associated with a dramatic reduction in fibroblast activation. We identified a specific BRD4-occupied enhancer in Cx3cr1-positive cells that controls expression of Interleukin-1 beta (Il1b), and show that secreted IL1B activates a p65/RELA-dependent enhancer downstream of MEOX1, driving a profibrotic response in human cardiac fibroblasts. In vivo, antibody-mediated IL1B neutralization prevented stress-induced expression of MEOX1, inhibited fibroblast activation, and improved cardiac function in heart failure. The elucidation of BRD4-dependent crosstalk between a specific immune cell subset and fibroblasts through IL1B provides new therapeutic strategies for heart disease and other disorders of chronic inflammation and maladaptive tissue remodeling.
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Project description:Chronic inflammation and tissue fibrosis are common stress responses that worsen organ function, yet their crosstalk is poorly understood. Here, we show that conditional deletion of the transcription co-activator Brd4 in Cx3cr1-positive myeloid cells ameliorates heart failure and is associated with a dramatic reduction in fibroblast activation. We identified a specific BRD4-occupied enhancer in Cx3cr1-positive cells that controls expression of Interleukin-1 beta (Il1b), and show that secreted IL1B activates a p65/RELA-dependent enhancer downstream of MEOX1, driving a profibrotic response in human cardiac fibroblasts. In vivo, antibody-mediated IL1B neutralization prevented stress-induced expression of MEOX1, inhibited fibroblast activation, and improved cardiac function in heart failure. The elucidation of BRD4-dependent crosstalk between a specific immune cell subset and fibroblasts through IL1B provides new therapeutic strategies for heart disease and other disorders of chronic inflammation and maladaptive tissue remodeling.
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Project description:Chronic inflammation and tissue fibrosis are common stress responses that worsen organ function, yet their crosstalk is poorly understood. Here, we show that conditional deletion of the transcription co-activator Brd4 in Cx3cr1-positive myeloid cells ameliorates heart failure and is associated with a dramatic reduction in fibroblast activation. We identified a specific BRD4-occupied enhancer in Cx3cr1-positive cells that controls expression of Interleukin-1 beta (Il1b), and show that secreted IL1B activates a p65/RELA-dependent enhancer downstream of MEOX1, driving a profibrotic response in human cardiac fibroblasts. In vivo, antibody-mediated IL1B neutralization prevented stress-induced expression of MEOX1, inhibited fibroblast activation, and improved cardiac function in heart failure. The elucidation of BRD4-dependent crosstalk between a specific immune cell subset and fibroblasts through IL1B provides new therapeutic strategies for heart disease and other disorders of chronic inflammation and maladaptive tissue remodeling.
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Project description:Chronic inflammation and tissue fibrosis are common stress responses that worsen organ function, yet their crosstalk is poorly understood. Here, we show that conditional deletion of the transcription co-activator Brd4 in Cx3cr1-positive myeloid cells ameliorates heart failure and is associated with a dramatic reduction in fibroblast activation. We identified a specific BRD4-occupied enhancer in Cx3cr1-positive cells that controls expression of Interleukin-1 beta (Il1b), and show that secreted IL1B activates a p65/RELA-dependent enhancer downstream of MEOX1, driving a profibrotic response in human cardiac fibroblasts. In vivo, antibody-mediated IL1B neutralization prevented stress-induced expression of MEOX1, inhibited fibroblast activation, and improved cardiac function in heart failure. The elucidation of BRD4-dependent crosstalk between a specific immune cell subset and fibroblasts through IL1B provides new therapeutic strategies for heart disease and other disorders of chronic inflammation and maladaptive tissue remodeling.
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Project description:In diseased organs, stress-activated signaling cascades alter chromatin, triggering maladaptive cell state transitions. Fibroblast activation is a common tissue stress response that worsens lung, liver, kidney and heart disease, yet its mechanistic basis remains obscure. Pharmacologic BET inhibition alleviates cardiac dysfunction, providing a tool to interrogate and modulate cardiac cell states as a potential therapeutic approach. Here, we leverage single-cell epigenomic interrogation of hearts dynamically exposed to BET inhibitors to reveal a reversible transcriptional switch underlying fibroblast activation. Resident cardiac fibroblasts demonstrated robust toggling between the quiescent and activated state in a manner directly correlating with BET inhibitor exposure and cardiac function. Single-cell chromatin accessibility revealed novel DNA elements whose accessibility dynamically correlated with cardiac performance. Among the most dynamic elements was an enhancer regulating the transcription factor MEOX1, which was specifically expressed in activated fibroblasts, occupied putative regulatory elements of a broad fibrotic gene program, and was required for TGFβ-induced fibroblast activation. Selective CRISPR inhibition of the single most dynamic cis-element within the enhancer blocked TGFβ-induced Meox1 activation. We identify MEOX1 as a central regulator of fibroblast activation associated with cardiac dysfunction, and also demonstrate its upregulation upon activation of human lung, liver and kidney fibroblasts. The plasticity and specificity of BET-dependent regulation of MEOX1 in tissue fibroblasts provide new trans- and cis- targets for treating fibrotic disease.
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Project description:In diseased organs, stress-activated signaling cascades alter chromatin, triggering broad shifts in transcription and cell state that exacerbate pathology. Fibroblast activation is a common stress response that worsens lung, liver, kidney and heart disease, yet its mechanistic basis remains poorly understood. Pharmacologic inhibition of the BET family of transcriptional coactivators alleviates cardiac dysfunction and associated fibrosis, providing a tool to mechanistically interrogate maladaptive fibroblast states and modulate their plasticity as a potential therapeutic approach. Here, we leverage dynamic single cell transcriptomic and epigenomic interrogation of heart tissue with and without BET inhibition to reveal a reversible transcriptional switch underlying stress-induced fibroblast activation. Transcriptomes of resident cardiac fibroblasts demonstrated robust and rapid toggling between the quiescent fibroblast and activated myofibroblast state in a manner that directly correlated with BET inhibitor exposure and cardiac function. Correlation of single cell chromatin accessibility with cardiac function revealed a novel set of reversibly accessible DNA elements that correlated with disease severity. Among the most dynamic elements was an enhancer regulating the transcription factor MEOX1, which was specifically expressed in activated myofibroblasts, occupied putative regulatory elements of a broad fibrotic gene program, and was required for TGFβ-induced myofibroblast activation. CRISPR interference of the most dynamic cis-element within the enhancer, marked by nascent transcription, prevented TGFβ-induced activation of Meox1. These findings identify MEOX1 as a central regulator of stress-induced myofibroblast activation associated with cardiac dysfunction. The plasticity and specificity of the BET-dependent regulation of MEOX1 in endogenous tissue fibroblasts provides new trans- and cis- targets for treating fibrotic disease.
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Project description:Small molecule inhibitors of the acetyl-histone binding protein BRD4 have been shown to block cardiac fibrosis in pre-clinical models of heart failure (HF). However, the mechanisms by which BRD4 promotes pathological myocardial fibrosis remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that BRD4 functions as an effector of TGF-b signaling to stimulate conversion of quiescent cardiac fibroblasts into Periostin (Postn)-positive cells that express high levels of extracellular matrix. BRD4 undergoes stimulus-dependent, genome-wide redistribution in cardiac fibroblasts, becoming enriched on a subset of enhancers and super-enhancers, and leading to RNA polymerase II activation and expression of downstream target genes. Employing the SERTA domain-containing protein 4 (Sertad4) locus as a prototype, we demonstrate that dynamic chromatin targeting of BRD4 is controlled, in part, by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and provide evidence of a novel function for Sertad4 in TGF-b-mediated cardiac fibroblast activation. These findings define BRD4 as a central regulator of the pro-fibrotic cell state of cardiac fibroblasts, and establish a signaling circuit for epigenetic reprogramming in HF.
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