Project description:Current clinical practice for the assessment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is based on vessel diameter and does not account for the multifactorial, heterogeneous remodeling that results in the regional weakening of the aortic wall leading to aortic growth and rupture. This study was conducted to determine correlation between a novel non-invasive surrogate measure of regional aortic weakening and the results from invasive analyses performed on corresponding ex vivo aortic samples. Tissue samples were evaluated to classify local wall weakening and likelihood of further degeneration based on non-invasive indices. A combined, image-based fluid dynamic and in-vivo strain analysis approach was used to estimate the Regional Aortic Weakness (RAW) index and assess individual aortas of AAA patients prior to elective surgery. Nine patients were treated with complete aortic resection allowing the systematic collection of tissue samples that were used to determine regional aortic mechanics, microstructure and gene expression by means of mechanical testing, microscopy and transcriptomic analyses. The RAW index was significantly higher for samples exhibiting lower mechanical strength (p = 0.035) and samples classified with low elastin content (p = 0.020). Samples with higher RAW index had the greatest number of genes differentially expressed compared to any constitutive metric. High RAW samples showed a decrease in gene expression for elastin and a down-regulation of pathways responsible for cell movement, reorganization of cytoskeleton, and angiogenesis. Please note that the sample 'characteristisc: strain' represents the in-vivo strain corresponding to each section of aorta, which is measured from dynamic CT images of patient AAA using a proprietary software.
Project description:We conducted single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on CD4+ T cells of the aneurysmal aorta and the corresponding splenic cells, in order to unveil the diversity of CD4+ T Cell in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.
Project description:Global gene expression information that can be used to identify pathways involved in the pathophysiology of disease. We used microarrays to identify which genes are expressed in either the abdominal aorta (control) or in abdominal aortic aneurysms (case), and also which genes may be differential between the two tissue states. Keywords: Characterization of expression in both diseased and non-diseased abdominal aortas.
Project description:Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are a prevalent and deadly human pathology with strong sexual dimorphism. Research demonstrates that sex hormones influence, but do not fully explain, male versus female AAA pathology. In addition to sex hormones, the X and Y sex chromosomes, and their unique complements of genes, may contribute to sexually dimorphic AAA pathology. Here, for the first time, we defined the effect of female (XX) versus male (XY) chromosome complement on AAA formation and rupture in phenotypically female mice using an established murine model. Abdominal aortas from female mice bearing the XY chromosome selectively expressed Y chromosome genes, while genes known to escape X-inactivation were higher in XX females. The majority of gene differences in XY females fell within inflammatory pathways. When XY females were infused with AngII, AAA incidences doubled and aneurysms ruptured. AAAs from XY females exhibited significant inflammation. Moreover, infusion of AngII to XY females augmented aortic activity of matrix metalloproteinases. Finally, testosterone exposure applied chronically, or as a single bolus at postnatal day 1, markedly worsened AAA outcomes in XY compared to XX females. These results demonstrate that an XY sex chromosome complement profoundly influences aortic gene expression profiles and promotes AAA severity.
Project description:Arterial endothelial cells (ECs) have the ability to respond to mechanical forces exerted by laminar fluid shear stress. This response is of importance, as it is protective against vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysms. Mechanical forces are transmitted at the sites of adhesion to the basal membrane as well as cell-cell junctions where protein complexes connect to the cellular cytoskeleton to relay force into the cell. Here we present a novel protein complex that connects junctional VE-cadherin and radial actin filaments to the LINC complex in the nuclear membrane. We show that the scaffold protein AmotL2 is essential for the formation of radial actin filaments and the flow-induced alignment of aortic endothelial cells. The deletion of endothelial AmotL2 alters nuclear shape as well as subcellular positioning. Molecular analysis shows that VE-cadherin is mechanically associated with the nuclear membrane via binding to AmotL2 and Actin. Furthermore, the deletion of AmotL2 in ECs provoked a pro-inflammatory response and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in the aorta of mice on a normal diet. Remarkably, transcriptome analysis of AAA samples from human patients revealed a negative correlation between AmotL2 expression and inflammation of the aortic intima. These findings provide a conceptual framework regarding how mechanotransduction in the junctions is coupled with vascular diseases.
Project description:Arterial endothelial cells (ECs) have the ability to respond to mechanical forces exerted by laminar fluid shear stress. This response is of importance, as it is protective against vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and aortic aneurysms. Mechanical forces are transmitted at the sites of adhesion to the basal membrane as well as cell-cell junctions where protein complexes connect to the cellular cytoskeleton to relay force into the cell. Here we present a novel protein complex that connects junctional VE-cadherin and radial actin filaments to the LINC complex in the nuclear membrane. We show that the scaffold protein AmotL2 is essential for the formation of radial actin filaments and the flow-induced alignment of aortic endothelial cells. The deletion of endothelial AmotL2 alters nuclear shape as well as subcellular positioning. Molecular analysis shows that VE-cadherin is mechanically associated with the nuclear membrane via binding to AmotL2 and Actin. Furthermore, the deletion of AmotL2 in ECs provoked a pro-inflammatory response and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) in the aorta of mice on a normal diet. Remarkably, transcriptome analysis of AAA samples from human patients revealed a negative correlation between AmotL2 expression and inflammation of the aortic intima. These findings provide a conceptual framework regarding how mechanotransduction in the junctions is coupled with vascular diseases.
Project description:Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), are defined by an increased aortic diameter and characterized by impairment of the extracellular matrix, macrophages infiltration and decreased density of smooth muscle cells. Our aim is to identify the key molecules involved in the pathogenesis of AAAs. This study investigated transcriptomic and proteomic profiles of macrophages from AAA patients (> 50 mm aortic diameter) and peripheral arterial occlusion (PAO) patients without AAA detected, who both needed a surgery.
Project description:Analysis of differential gene expression for rutured vs stable abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and for intermediate size (≤55mm) vs large (>70mm) AAA.
Project description:This study aims at identifying genes involved in this metabolic activation potentially related to rupture. A genome-wide transcriptomic analysis was performed on biopsies collected from patients with a Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake both in the positive spot (A+Pos) and in a distant negative site of the same aneurysm (A+Neg). These paired biopsies were further compared to samples collected from (abdominal aortic aneurysms) AAA patients with no FDG uptake (A0) in order to discriminate biological alterations associated with FDG uptake, to detect new systemic biomarkers correlated with a higher risk of rupture and to identify new pathways involved in the progression and rupture of AAA).