Spontaneous aneurysm development after YAP and TAZ deletion
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ABSTRACT: Inadequate adaption to mechanical forces, including an elevated blood pressure, contributes to the development of arterial aneurysms. Recent studies have pointed to a mechano-protective role of YAP and TAZ in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Here, we created vascular SMC-specific knockouts (KOs) of YAP and TAZ using integrin-alpha8-Cre mice (i8-YT-KO). I8-YT-KO mice spontaneously developed aneurysms in the abdominal aorta within two weeks of knockout induction. Loss of YAP expression was also observed in human aortic aneurysms. I8-YT-KO mice developed vascular lesions in other arteries at later times, but the gastrointestinal tract was spared. Aneurysms were characterized by elastin disarray, SMC apoptosis, and accumulation of proteoglycans and inflammatory cells, including macrophages and neutrophils. RNA-sequencing, proteomics, and myography demonstrated decreased contractile differentiation of SMCs and impaired vascular contractility. This associated with partial loss of vascular myocardin expression, reduced blood pressure, and edema. Mediators in the cGAS-STING pathway, which sparks inflammation in response to double-stranded DNA, were increased in aortic lysates. A sizeable increase of the transcription factor Sox9, along with several direct target genes, including aggrecan (Acan), contributed to proteoglycan accumulation. This was the earliest detectable change, occurring three days after knockout induction, and before the pro-inflammatory transition. In conclusion, Itga8-Cre deletion of YAP and TAZ represents a rapid and spontaneous aneurysm model that re-capitulates features of human abdominal aortic aneurysms.
INSTRUMENT(S): timsTOF Pro
ORGANISM(S): Mus Musculus (ncbitaxon:10090)
SUBMITTER: Thomas Jepps
PROVIDER: MSV000091464 | MassIVE | Fri Mar 10 05:58:00 GMT 2023
REPOSITORIES: MassIVE
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