1,721,167 research outputs found
Disinhibition of SOD-2 Expression to Compensate for a Genetically Determined NO Deficit in Endothelial Cells-Brief Report
No full textObjective-Homozygosity for the -786C-variant of the human nos-3 gene is a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Interestingly, affected individuals develop CAD more frequently but not earlier than the general population. Methods and Results-Genotyped primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECs) were exposed to fluid shear stress (FSS) and analyzed for nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anion (O-2(-)) formation as well as mRNA and protein expression of different antioxidant enzymes. Dysfunctional CC-genotype ECs failed to upregulate NO synthase expression in response to FSS and exhibited a reduced NO synthesis capacity when compared to functionally intact TT-genotype ECs. However, only CC-genotype ECs responded to FSS with an Egr-1-mediated increase in manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (SOD-2) expression, shielding them from endothelin-1-induced oxidative stress in a NO-independent manner. Conclusions-This FSS-induced rise in SOD-2 expression in CC-genotype ECs effectively stabilizes their antiatherosclerotic phenotype and may explain not only the comparatively slow onset of CAD in homozygous carriers of the C-allele of the nos-3 gene but also define a general strategy for preventing endothelial dysfunction at the outset of atherosclerosis. (Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2009; 29: 1890-1893.)Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [HE 1587/9-1
Elevated Perfusion Pressure Upregulates Endothelin-1 and Endothelin B Receptor Expression in the Rabbit Carotid Artery
No full textTo investigate the hypothesis that high blood pressure activates the endothelin system in the vessel wall, isolated segments of the rabbit carotid artery were subjected to different levels of perfusion pressure. Both preproendothelin-l (ppET-1) mRNA abundance and intravascular ET-1 peptide content were strongly upregulated on raising the intraluminal pressure from 90 to 160 mm Hg for 3 to 12 hours, and this increase in ppET-1 mRNA occurred predominantly in the endothelial cells. Endothelin-converting enzyme-1 and endothelin A receptor (ETA-R) expression were pressure-insensitive, whereas that of the ETB-R in the smooth muscle cells was also significantly enhanced. Both the pressure-induced increase in ppET-1 and ETB-R expression required RNA synthesis because they were abolished by actinomycin D. The nuclear signaling mechanisms involved therein, however, appeared to be different. Thus, the pressure-induced expression of ppET-1 and activation of CCAAT-enhancer binding proteins beta and delta were blocked by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A, whereas ETB-R expression and the nuclear translocation of activator protein-1 were abolished by the protein kinase C inhibitor Ro 31-8220. One consequence of these presumably deformation-induced changes in gene expression was an increased rate of apoptosis of the smooth muscle cells in the media that if transferable to the situation in human blood vessels may contribute to hypertension-induced arterial remodeling
3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase-Independent Inhibition of CD40 Expression by Atorvastatin in Human Endothelial Cells
No full textObjective-3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) exert potent anti-inflammatory effects that are independent of their cholesterol-lowering action. We have investigated the effects of these drugs on cytokine-stimulated CD40 expression in human cultured endothelial cells and monocytes. Methods and Results-Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis revealed that treatment of either cell type with atorvastatin, cerivastatin, or pravastatin (I to 10 mumol/L) inhibited interferon-gamma plus tumor necrosis factor-alpha-stimulated CD40 expression by approximate to50%, an effect that was not reversed by the HMG-CoA reductase product mevalonic acid (400 mumol/L). In contrast. mevalonic acid prevented the inhibitory effect of atorvastatin on cytokine-stimulated vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression and subsequent adhesion of THP-1 monocytes to the cultured endothelial cells. Transcription factor analysis revealed an inhibition by atorvastatin of nuclear factor-kappaB plus signal transducer and activator of transcription-I-dependent de novo synthesis of interferon regulatory factor-1, governing cytokine-stimulated CD40 expression in these cells. One consequence of this statin-dependent downregulation of CD40 expression was a decrease in CD40 ligand-induced endothelial interleukin-12 expression. Conclusions-By interfering with cytokine-stimulated CD40 expression in vascular cells, statins thus seem capable of attenuating CD40 ligand-induced proinflammatory responses, including atherosclerosis. In addition, they point to the coexistence of HMG-CoA reductase-dependent and -independent effects of statins in the same cell type
The C-786/T single-nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter of the gene for endothelial nitric oxide synthase - Insensitivity to physiologic stimuli as a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis
No full textObjective. Shear stress is the main physiologic stimulus for the expression of NOS3, the gene for human endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Interestingly, a promoter variant of the NOS3 gene, the C-786 variant, is insensitive to shear stress, and individuals homozygous for this single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) have an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease. The cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10) is also capable of up-regulating endothelial NOS3 expression through binding of the transcription factor STAT-3 to a nearby promoter sequence. The aim of this study was to explore the possibility that the C-786 variant of the NOS3 gene is also insensitive to IL-10 and that individuals with the C-786/C genotype are more prone to developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. Endothelial cells were isolated from human umbilical cord veins, clonally expanded, and analyzed for NOS3 and IL-12 expression by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Umbilical cord arteries and blood samples from RA patients were genotyped for the C-786/T SNP of the NOS3gene. Results. In contrast to cells of other genotypes, endothelial cells of the C-786/C genotype did not reveal an increase in NOS3 expression upon exposure to IL-10, and the cytokine failed to suppress IL-12 expression upon stimulation of CD40. Preincubation of these cells with a 16-mer C-type decoy oligonucleotide fully reconstituted the defective IL-10-induced suppression of IL-12 synthesis. The frequency of the C-786/C genotype was significantly higher in the 596 RA patients than in the general population (19.1% versus 12.1%; P < 0.0001). Conclusion. Individuals with the C-786/C genotype have an increased risk of developing RA. This may be explained by the IL-10 insensitivity of the C-type NOS3 gene promoter and the resulting failure to subdue CD40-mediated proinflammatory gene expression
Decoy oligodeoxynucleotide againstactivator protein-1 reducesneointimal proliferation after coronaryangioplasty in hypercholesterolemic minipigs
No full textAbstractObjectivesWe sought to demonstrate, in an appropriate animal model, that co-medication with a transcription factor-blocking agent limits restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA).BackgroundEnhanced synthesis in the vessel wall of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a powerful co-mitogen for vascular smooth muscle cells, appears to be one mechanism that promotes restenosis after PTCA. Deformation-induced expression of prepro-ET-1 is governed by the transcription factor, activator protein-1 (AP-1).MethodsAn anti-AP-1 decoy oligodeoxynucleotide (dODN) strategy was devised in which the dODN-containing solution (20 nmol) was administered locally through a Dispatch catheter into the coronary arteries of hypercholesterolemic minipigs at the time of PTCA (AVE-GFX stent).ResultsTreatment with an AP-1 dODN, mimicking the consensus binding site of the transcription factor, significantly reduced neointimal formation in the coronary arteries of hypercholesterolemic minipigs (n = 10 to 12), compared with vehicle-treated coronary arteries, after four weeks of follow-up (neointimal area 2.64 ± 0.33 vs. 4.81 ± 1.04 mm2[mean ± SEM]; p < 0.05). This effect was maintained after eight weeks (neointimal area 2.04 ± 0.22 mm2; n = 3) and correlated with a reduction in both nuclear translocation of AP-1 and ET-1 synthesis in the vessel wall 48 h after PTCA (n = 4). In contrast, an AP-1 mutant dODN, to which the transcription factor does not bind, showed no effect on neointimal formation at either time point (n = 3 to 7). Moreover, a consensus dODN directed against CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), another deformation-sensitive transcription factor, did not significantly affect neointimal formation after four weeks (n = 3).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate the feasibility, efficacy and specificity of the anti-AP-1 dODN approach to the treatment of restenosis, which principally but not exclusively targets deformation-induced ET-1 synthesis in the vessel wall. Provided that these findings can be extrapolated to the situation of patients with coronary artery disease, the observed extent of the inhibitory effect of the AP-1 dODN treatment suggests that this co-medication may greatly reduce the incidence of in-stent restenosis
Stretch‐induced endothelin B receptor‐mediated apoptosis in vascular smooth muscle cells
No full textGrowing evidence suggests that a pressure-induced increase in the synthesis of endothelin (ET-1) is involved in arterial remodeling and, as a consequence, in the manifestation of chronic: hypertension. To study potential stretch-induced changes in gene expression and their functional consequences, we have cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells (raSMC) and porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAEC) on flexible elastomer membranes. The cells were periodically stretched (up to 20% elongation, 0.5 Hz, 6 h) and the expression of prepro-ET-1 and that of the endothelin A and B receptors (ETA-R and ETB-R) were analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis and ELISA (ET-1). In contrast to PAEC where ET-1 synthesis was up-regulated up to eightfold on exposure to cyclic stretch, ET-1 synthesis in raSMC was decreased by more than 80% under these conditions. ETA R -mRNA expression in stretched raSMC declined to 50% whereas ETB R -mRNA levels were increased up to 10-fold. One functional consequence of this apparent shift in receptor abundance was an apoptosis-promoting action of exogenous ET-1 (10 nM), as judged by the appearance of subdiploid peaks during FAGS analysis, caspase-3 activation and chromatin condensation. This ET-1-induced apoptosis appeared to be ETB-R mediated, as it was completely suppressed by the ETB-R antagonist BQ 788 but not by the ETA-R antagonist BQ 123. Moreover, raSMC derived from homozygous spotting lethal rats, which lack a functional ETB-R, showed no signs of apoptosis after exposure to cyclic strain and exogenous ET-1. These findings suggest a central role for the endothelin system in the onset of hypertension-induced remodeling in conduit arteries, which may proceed via an initial stretch-induced apoptosis of the smooth muscle cells
Cytokine-inducible CD40 expression in human endothelial cells is mediated by interferon regulatory factor-1
No full textGiven the significance of CD40-CD40 ligand interactions in chronic inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis, the transcriptional regulation of CD40 expression as a potential therapeutic target was investigated in human umbilical vein cultured endothelial cells. Exposure to interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) plus tumor necrosis factor-a resulted in a marked synergistic de novo expression of CD40, which, according to electrophoretic mobility shift analysis, was attributable to activation of the transcription factors nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (STAT-1), and interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1). Subsequent time-course studies revealed that de novo synthesis of IRF-1 preceded that of CD40. Decoy oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) neutralization of STAT-1 or IRF-1, but not of NF-kappaB, inhibited cytokine-stimulated CD40 expression by 60% at both the mRNA and protein levels, and this effect was mimicked by antisense ODN blockade of IRF-1 synthesis. In contrast, CD40 expression in response to IFN-gamma stimulation was sensitive to neutralization of STAT-1 only. These findings suggest that depending on the cytokine composition, CD40 expression In human endothelial cells under proinflammatory conditions Is governed by STAT-1 either directly or Indirectly through de novo synthesis of IRF-1. Moreover, decoy ODN neutralization of these transcription factors may provide a novel therapeutic option for Interfering with CD40-CD40 ligand-mediated Inflammatory responses in vivo. (Blood. 2002;99:520-525) (C) 2002 by The American Society of Hematology
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