Project description:<p><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is the most prevalent valvular heart disease in developed countries with significant morbidity and mortality. Given the poor understanding of the pathophysiological processes leading to CAVS, we utilized a joint non-targeted metabolomics and targeted lipidomics approach to better characterize the metabolic perturbations involved in its development and progression.</p><p><strong>METHODS:</strong> We collected human aortic valve tissue from 106 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement surgery. Our cohort represented aortic valvular hemodynamics from mild to severe aortic stenosis with varying degrees of valvular calcification.</p><p><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Seventy-two significantly differential (p<0.01) metabolites across different stages of CAVS severity were filtered and identified from the tissue metabolome. Each stage of valvular stenosis was characterized by a distinct metabolic signature. The top three perturbed metabolic pathways in the setting of CAVS involved glycerophospholipid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism and primary bile acid biosynthesis. The lysophosphatidic acid species (LysoPA) exhibited significant (p<0.05) association with CAVS severity and were also found to select patients with accelerated rate of CAVS progression. Two LysoPA species namely, 18:2 LysoPA and 20:4 LysoPA, exhibited potential to serve as biomarkers of CAVS severity.</p><p><strong>CONCLUSIONS:</strong> The present study reports the largest and most comprehensive metabolomics analysis of human aortic valve stenosis that highlights the dysregulated LysoPA pathway involved in the pathogenesis of CAVS.</p>
Project description:We report transcriptional profiles of aortic valve tissue from calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) and normal control (non-CAVD). We collected the aortic valve tissues from five patients with CAVD who underwent aortic valve replacement due to severe aortic valve stenosis. Aortic valve samples from patients with non-calcified aortic valve resection due to heart transplantation (recipient heart) or aortic dissection were collected as the control (non-CAVD). The inclusion criteria for CAVD group were as follows: 50-75 years old; undergoing aortic valve replacement due to severe AVS with significantly valvular calcification. The inclusion criteria for non-CAVD group were as follows: non-calcified aortic valve resection due to heart transplantation (recipient heart) or aortic dissection. For each sample, total RNA was extracted, a cDNA library was generated, and an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 was used to sequence each sample. Stringtie software was used to count the fragment within each gene, and TMM algorithm was used for normalization. Differential expression analysis was performed using R package edgeR. Differentially expressed RNAs with |log2(FC)| value >1, q value [false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted P-value] <0.05, and one group’s mean fragments per kilobase of exon per million reads mapped (FPKM) >1, were assigned as differentially-expressed genes (DEGs).
Project description:The aim of the present study was to gain insights on the pathological process of Calcific Aortic Valve Disease in CHIP carriers. To uncover molecular pathways that could link CHIP to CAVD, we exanimated the aortic valve transcriptome from CHIP, non-CHIP patients, or non-calcific controls with RNAseq.
Project description:Aortic valve calcification is the most common form of valvular heart disease, but the mechanisms of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) are unknown. NOTCH1 mutations are associated with aortic valve malformations and adult-onset calcification in families with inherited disease. The Notch signaling pathway is critical for multiple cell differentiation processes, but its role in the development of CAVD is not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular changes that occur with inhibition of Notch signaling in the aortic valve. Notch signaling pathway members are expressed in adult aortic valve cusps, and examination of diseased human aortic valves revealed decreased expression of NOTCH1 in areas of calcium deposition. To identify downstream mediators of Notch1, we examined gene expression changes that occur with chemical inhibition of Notch signaling in rat aortic valve interstitial cells (AVICs). We found significant downregulation of Sox9 along with several cartilage-specific genes that were direct targets of the transcription factor, Sox9. Loss of expression Sox9 has been published to be associated with aortic valve calcification. Utilizing an in vitro porcine aortic valve calcification model system, inhibition of Notch activity resulted in accelerated calcification while stimulation of Notch signaling attenuated the calcific process. Finally, the addition of Sox9 was able to prevent the calcification of porcine AVICs that occurs with Notch inhibition. In conclusion, loss of Notch signaling contributes to aortic valve calcification via a Sox9-dependent mechanism. 3 samples of aortic valve interstitial cells treated with DAPT were compared with 3 samples of aortic valve interstitial cells treated with DMSO
Project description:Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a common heart valve disease, yet its underlying mechanism remains pooly understood. We aimed to explore the microRNAs funtion in CAVD and to develop novel miRNA therapy for CAVD.
Project description:<p>Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is a common and life-threatening heart disease with no drug that can stop or delay its progression. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 1,009 cases and 1,017 ethnically-matched controls was performed to identify susceptibility genes for CAVS. </p>
Project description:Calcific aortic valve disease is the most common form of valvular heart disease in the Western World. Milder degrees of aortic valve calcification is called aortic sclerosis and severe calcification with impaired leaflet motion is called aortic stenosis. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression underlying cdevelopment of calcified aortic valve disease in humans.
Project description:To examine molecular mechanisms of aortic valve stenosis in mice with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, RNA-Seq was used during the developmental phase of stenosis to identify new gene targets.
Project description:Calcification of the aortic valve leads to increased leaflet stiffness resulting in development of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD); however, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of calcification are poorly understood. Here, we investigated gene expressions in relation to valvular calcification and promotion of CAVD progression.