IRX2 regulates angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibrosis by transcriptionally activating EGR1 in mice [RNA-seq]
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE236454 | GEO | 2023/07/04
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Cardiac fibrosis is a common feature of chronic heart failure. Iroquois homeobox (IRX) family of transcription factors plays important roles in heart development; however, the role of IRX2 in cardiac fibrosis has not been clarified. Here we report that IRX2 expression is significantly upregulated in the fibrotic hearts. Increased IRX2 expression is mainly derived from cardiac fibroblast (CF) during the angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced fibrotic response. Using two CF-specific Irx2-knockout mouse models, we show that deletion of Irx2 in CFs protect against pathological fibrotic remodelling and improve cardiac function in mice. In contrast, Irx2 gain of function in CFs exaggerate fibrotic remodelling. Mechanistically, we find that IRX2 directly binds to the promoter of the early growth response factor 1 (EGR1) and subsequently initiates the transcription of several fibrosis-related genes. Our study provides the evidence that IRX2 regulates the EGR1 pathway upon Ang II stimulation and drives cardiac fibrosis.
2023-07-04 | GSE236455 | GEO
Project description:Fibrosis is a pronounced feature of heart disease and the result of dysregulated activation of resident cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). Recent work identified stress-induced degradation of the cytoskeletal protein βIV-spectrin as an important step in CF activation and cardiac fibrosis. Further, loss of βIV-spectrin was found to depend on Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII). Therefore, we sought to determine the mechanism for CaMKII-dependent regulation of βIV-spectrin and CF activity. Computational screening and mass spectrometry revealed a critical serine residue (S2250 in mouse, S2254 in human) in βIV-spectrin phosphorylated by CaMKII. Disruption of βIV-spectrin/CaMKII interaction or ablation of βIV-spectrin Ser2250 through alanine substitution (βIV-S2250A) prevented CaMKII-induced degradation, while a phospho-mimetic construct (βIV-S2254E) showed accelerated degradation in the absence of CaMKII. To assess the physiological significance of this phosphorylation event, we expressed exogenous βIV-S2254A and βIV-S2254E constructs in βIV-spectrin-deficient CFs, which have increased proliferation and fibrotic gene expression compared to wild-type (WT). βIV-S2254A but not βIV-S2254E normalized proliferation and gene expression. Pathophysiologic targeting of βIV-spectrin phosphorylation and subsequent degradation was identified in CFs activated with the profibrotic ligand angiotensin II (AngII), resulting in increased proliferation and STAT3 nuclear accumulation. While therapeutic delivery of exogenous WT βIV-spectrin partially reversed these trends, βIV-S2254A completely negated increased CF proliferation and STAT3 translocation. Moreover, we observed βIV-spectrin phosphorylation and associated loss in total protein within human heart failure (HF) tissue. Together, these data illustrates a considerable role for the βIV-spectrin/CaMKII interaction in activating profibrotic signaling.
2022-02-17 | PXD025776 | Pride
Project description:We recently discovered that steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs) SRCs-1, 2 and 3, are abundantly expressed in cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and their activation with the SRC small molecule stimulator MCB-613 improves cardiac function and dramatically lowers pro-fibrotic signaling in CFs post-myocardial infarction (MI). These findings suggest that CF-derived SRC activation could be beneficial in the mitigation of chronic heart failure after ischemic insult. However, the cardioprotective mechanisms by which CFs contribute to cardiac pathological remodeling are unclear. These studies were designed to identify the molecular and cellular circuitry that governs the anti-fibrotic effects of an MCB-613 derivative, MCB-613-10-1, in CFs. To achieve this, we performed cytokine profiling and whole transcriptome analyses of CF-derived signals in response to MCB-613-10-1. We identified the NRF2 pathway as an MCB-613-10-1 therapeutic target for promoting resistance to oxidative stress in CFs. We show that MCB-613-10-1 promotes cell survival of anti-fibrotic CFs exposed to oxidative stress by suppressing apoptosis. We demonstrate that an increase in HMOX1 expression contributes to CF resistance to oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis via a mechanism involving SRC co-activation of NRF2, hence reducing inflammation and fibrosis. We provide evidence that MCB-613-10-1 acts as a protectant against oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial damage. Our data reveal that SRC stimulation of the NRF2 transcriptional network promotes resistance to oxidative stress and highlights a mechanistic approach towards addressing pathologic cardiac remodeling.
2024-10-29 | GSE246877 | GEO
Project description:Aims: Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) play a crucial role in cardiac remodelling, which is a common cause of heart failure (HF). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition remain largely unknown. Foxm1 is well known in various cardiopulmonary pathologies. However, Foxm1-driven CF activation in the progression of cardiac remodelling to HF remains to be investigated. Methods: Changes in Foxm1 expression were assessed in samples from patients with HF and mice with transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced cardiac remodelling. Pharmacologic antagonist FDI-6 was used to explore the effects of Foxm1 inhibition on post-TAC outcomes. Tcf21-Cre and PostnMCM were used to evaluate Foxm1 loss- and gain-of-function in CFs and myofibroblasts, respectively. Cardiac function and remodelling were examined by echocardiography and histological analysis. Foxm1 downstream target genes were identified by mass spectrometry (MS) and transcriptomic analysis. Post-translational regulation was evaluated by in vitro chromatin immunoprecipitation, co-immunoprecipitation, and ubiquitination assays. Pharmacological inhibition of Usp10 or knockout of p38γ in vivo verified the signalling pathway by which Foxm1 regulated cardiac remodelling. Results: Foxm1 was upregulated in human HF samples as well as in the mouse cardiac remodelling model. CFs were the primary cell type responsible for Foxm1 upregulation. Foxm1 pharmacological inhibition or genetic knockout in CFs or myofibroblasts significantly attenuated TAC-induced cardiac remodelling and HF. Conversely, conditional overexpression of Foxm1 in CFs or myofibroblasts resulted in more severe pathological cardiac remodelling and dysfunction. Combined RNA-sequencing and MS analysis revealed that Foxm1 promoted Usp10 expression by binding to its promoter. Usp10 interacted with p38γ, resulting in p38γ deubiquitination and thus influencing the downstream p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway. Pharmacological inhibition of Usp10 or genetic knockout of p38γ ameliorated the exacerbated TAC-induced cardiac remodelling in mice with myofibroblast-specific Foxm1 overexpression. Conclusion: Our findings reveal an essential role of Foxm1 in CF activation during cardiac remodelling. These results suggest that targeting the Foxm1/Usp10/p38γ MAPK axis may represent a new potential therapeutic strategy against pathological cardiac remodelling and HF.
2024-03-03 | PXD050281 | Pride
Project description:Aims: Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) play a crucial role in cardiac remodelling, which is a common cause of heart failure (HF). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition remain largely unknown. Foxm1 is well known in various cardiopulmonary pathologies. However, Foxm1-driven CF activation in the progression of cardiac remodelling to HF remains to be investigated. Methods: Changes in Foxm1 expression were assessed in samples from patients with HF and mice with transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced cardiac remodelling. Pharmacologic antagonist FDI-6 was used to explore the effects of Foxm1 inhibition on post-TAC outcomes. Tcf21-Cre and PostnMCM were used to evaluate Foxm1 loss- and gain-of-function in CFs and myofibroblasts, respectively. Cardiac function and remodelling were examined by echocardiography and histological analysis. Foxm1 downstream target genes were identified by mass spectrometry (MS) and transcriptomic analysis. Post-translational regulation was evaluated by in vitro chromatin immunoprecipitation, co-immunoprecipitation, and ubiquitination assays. Pharmacological inhibition of Usp10 or knockout of p38γ in vivo verified the signalling pathway by which Foxm1 regulated cardiac remodelling. Results: Foxm1 was upregulated in human HF samples as well as in the mouse cardiac remodelling model. CFs were the primary cell type responsible for Foxm1 upregulation. Foxm1 pharmacological inhibition or genetic knockout in CFs or myofibroblasts significantly attenuated TAC-induced cardiac remodelling and HF. Conversely, conditional overexpression of Foxm1 in CFs or myofibroblasts resulted in more severe pathological cardiac remodelling and dysfunction. Combined RNA-sequencing and MS analysis revealed that Foxm1 promoted Usp10 expression by binding to its promoter. Usp10 interacted with p38γ, resulting in p38γ deubiquitination and thus influencing the downstream p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway. Pharmacological inhibition of Usp10 or genetic knockout of p38γ ameliorated the exacerbated TAC-induced cardiac remodelling in mice with myofibroblast-specific Foxm1 overexpression. Conclusion: Our findings reveal an essential role of Foxm1 in CF activation during cardiac remodelling. These results suggest that targeting the Foxm1/Usp10/p38γ MAPK axis may represent a new potential therapeutic strategy against pathological cardiac remodelling and HF.
2024-03-10 | PXD050300 | Pride
Project description:Background: Organ fibrosis due to excessive production of extracellular matrix (ECM) by resident fibroblasts is estimated to contribute to >45% of deaths in the Western world, including those due to cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure (HF). Here, we screened for small molecule inhibitors with a common ability to suppress activation of fibroblasts across organ systems. Methods: High content imaging of cultured cardiac, pulmonary and renal fibroblasts was employed to identify non-toxic compounds that blocked induction of markers of activation in response to the profibrotic stimulus, TGF-β. SW033291, which inhibits the eicosanoid-degrading enzyme, 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), was chosen for follow-up studies with cultured adult rat ventricular fibroblasts (ARVFs) and human cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), and for evaluation in mouse models of cardiac fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction. Additional mechanistic studies were performed with CFs treated with exogenous eicosanoids. Results: Nine compounds, including SW033291, shared a common ability to suppress TGF-β-mediated activation of cardiac, pulmonary and renal fibroblasts. SW033291 dose-dependently inhibited TGF-β-induced expression of activation markers (e.g. α-smooth muscle actin and periostin) in ARVFs and normal human CFs, and reduced contractile capacity of the cells. Remarkably, the 15-PGDH inhibitor also reversed constitutive activation of fibroblasts obtained from explanted hearts from patients with HF. SW033291 blocked cardiac fibrosis induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion and ameliorated diastolic dysfunction in an alternative model of systemic hypertension driven by combined uninephrectomy (UNX) and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) administration. Mechanistically, SW033291-mediated stimulation of ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling was required for SW033291 to block CF activation. Of the 12 exogenous eicosanoids that were tested, only 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12[S]-HETE), which signals through the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), GPR31, recapitulated the suppressive effects of SW033291 on CF activation. Conclusions: Inhibition of degradation of eicosanoids, arachidonic acid-derived fatty acids that signal through GPCRs, is a potential therapeutic strategy for suppression of pathological organ fibrosis. In the heart, we propose that 15-PGDH inhibition triggers CF-derived autocrine/paracrine signaling by eicosanoids, including 12(S)-HETE, to stimulate ERK1/2 and block conversion of fibroblasts into activated cells that secrete excessive amounts of ECM and contribute of HF pathogenesis.
2022-11-30 | GSE217957 | GEO
Project description:Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are the primary cells tasked with extracellar matrix reorganization and significantly associated with heart failure (HF). Previous studies have shown that TEAD1 deficiency deteriorated heart development and homeostasis. However, the role of TEAD1 in fibroblasts during cardiac remodeling was still undiscovered. Our study demonstrated that TEAD1 was upregulated predominently in cardiac fibroblasts in mice 4 weeks after transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and Ang-II infusion. Echocardiographic and histological analyses demonstrated that CFs- and myofibroblasts-specific TEAD1 deficiency ameliorated TAC-induced cardiac remodeling and treatment with TEAD1 inhibitor, VT103, mimiced this phenotypic effect. Mechanistically, RNA-seq analysis , ChIP-Seq analysis identified TEAD1 promotes the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition through the Wnt signalling pathway. In conclusion, TEAD1 is an essential regulator of the pro-fibrotic CFs phenotype associated with pathological cardiac remodeling via the BRD4/Wnt4 signalling pathway.
2024-01-15 | GSE253118 | GEO
Project description:IRX2 regulates angiotensin II-induced cardiac fibrosis by transcriptionally activating Egr1 in mice
| PRJNA990937 | ENA
Project description:Analysis of sodium butyrate（NaBu） on angiotensin II（Ang II-induced cardiac fibrosis at gene expression level. The hypothesis tested in the present study was that NaBu influence the balance of gene expression of Ang II-induce cardiac fibrosis. Results provide important information of the response of NaBu to cardiac fibrosis, such as specific genes, up- or down-regulated specific cardiac cellular functions.
2021-12-01 | GSE142436 | GEO
Project description:In vitro cultures of primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), the major extracellular matrix (ECM)-producing cells of the heart, are used to determine molecular mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis. However, the supraphysiologic stiffness of tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) automatically triggers the conversion of CFs into an activated myofibroblast-like state, and serial passage of the cells results in the induction of replicative senescence. These dramatic phenotypic switches confound interpretation of experimental data obtained with cultured CFs. In an attempt to circumvent TCPS-induced activation and senescence of CFs, we utilized poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels as cell culture platforms with low and high stiffness formulations to mimic healthy and fibrotic cardiac ECM, respectively. As hypothesized, low hydrogel stiffness converted activated CFs into a quiescent state with reduced abundance of a-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA)-containing stress fibers. Unexpectedly, lower substrate stiffness concomitantly augmented CF senescence, marked by elevated senescence-associated b-galactosidase (SA-b-Gal) activity and increased expression of p16 and p21, which are cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors and markers of senescence. Using dynamically stiffening hydrogels with phototunable crosslinking capabilities, we demonstrate that substrate-induced CF senescence is partially reversible. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed widespread transcriptional reprogramming of CFs cultured on low stiffness hydrogels, with a dramatic reduction in the expression of profibrotic genes encoding ECM proteins, and an attendant increase in expression of NF-kB-responsive inflammatory genes that typify the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Our findings further demonstrate that alterations in matrix stiffness profoundly impact CF cell state transitions, and suggest mechanisms by which CFs change phenotype in vivo depending on the stiffness of the myocardial microenvironment to which they are exposed.
2023-10-24 | GSE244614 | GEO