Project description:Rationale: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a common and potentially fatal complication of scleroderma that may involve inflammatory and autoimmune mechanisms. Alterations in the gene expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells have been previously described in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The ability to identify patients at risk for developing pulmonary hypertension would be clinically beneficial. Objective: To identify genes that are differentially expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in scleroderma patients with and without pulmonary hypertension which could be used as biomarkers of disease for early diagnosis and provide insight into pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension in at-risk populations. Methods and Results: Gene expression analysis was performed on a carefully characterized Microarray Cohort of scleroderma patients with (n=10) and without (n=10) pulmonary hypertension. Differentially expressed genes were confirmed in the Microarray Cohort and validated in a separate Validation Cohort of scleroderma patients with (n=15) and without (n=19) pulmonary hypertension by RT-qPCR. We identified inflammatory and immune-related genes including interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) and chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) as differentially expressed in patients with scleroderma-associated pulmonary hypertension. Flow cytometry confirmed decreased expression of IL-7R on circulating CD4+ T cells from scleroderma patients with pulmonary hypertension. Conclusions: Differences exist in the expression of inflammatory and immune-related genes in peripheral blood cells derived from patients with scleroderma-related pulmonary hypertension compared to those with normal pulmonary artery pressures. These findings may have implications as biomarkers to screen at-risk populations to facilitate early diagnosis and provide insight into inflammatory and autoimmune mechanisms of scleroderma-related pulmonary hypertension. Gene expression analysis was performed on a carefully characterized Microarray Cohort of scleroderma patients with (n=10) and without (n=10) pulmonary hypertension. Differentially expressed genes were confirmed in the Microarray Cohort by RT-qPCR.
Project description:We performed RNA-seq to analyze gene expression in human PASMCs (Pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells) isolated from subjects without disease and from subjects with IPAH (idiopathic pulmonary hypertension)
Project description:The goal of this study is to compare transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) in controls, unaffected BMPR2 mutation carriers and affected familial pulmonary arterial hypertension patients, to elucidate a protective feature in iPS derived endothelial cells from the mutation carriers.
Project description:Rationale: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a common and potentially fatal complication of scleroderma that may involve inflammatory and autoimmune mechanisms. Alterations in the gene expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells have been previously described in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The ability to identify patients at risk for developing pulmonary hypertension would be clinically beneficial. Objective: To identify genes that are differentially expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in scleroderma patients with and without pulmonary hypertension which could be used as biomarkers of disease for early diagnosis and provide insight into pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension in at-risk populations. Methods and Results: Gene expression analysis was performed on a carefully characterized Microarray Cohort of scleroderma patients with (n=10) and without (n=10) pulmonary hypertension. Differentially expressed genes were confirmed in the Microarray Cohort and validated in a separate Validation Cohort of scleroderma patients with (n=15) and without (n=19) pulmonary hypertension by RT-qPCR. We identified inflammatory and immune-related genes including interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) and chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) as differentially expressed in patients with scleroderma-associated pulmonary hypertension. Flow cytometry confirmed decreased expression of IL-7R on circulating CD4+ T cells from scleroderma patients with pulmonary hypertension. Conclusions: Differences exist in the expression of inflammatory and immune-related genes in peripheral blood cells derived from patients with scleroderma-related pulmonary hypertension compared to those with normal pulmonary artery pressures. These findings may have implications as biomarkers to screen at-risk populations to facilitate early diagnosis and provide insight into inflammatory and autoimmune mechanisms of scleroderma-related pulmonary hypertension.
Project description:BMPR2 mutation causes pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); ACE2 treatment can resolve established BMPR2-mediated PAH. The purpose of this study was to uncover the molecular mechanism behind this. Four groups: +/- ACE2 and +/- BMPR2 transgene, two arrays each, each array a pool of three animals.
Project description:Human endogenous retroviral (HERV) proteins are induced by exogenous viruses or other factors that derepress HERV transcription and translation. Previously we showed that HERV-K envelope and deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) proteins are increased in monocytes and macrophages from patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Recombinant HERV-K dUTPase upregulates IL6 in pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) and induces pulmonary hypertension in rats. However, it was not known how HERV-K dUTPase released from monocytes engages PAECs to upregulate IL6 or induces other PAH features of PAEC dysfunction. Here we report that HERV-K dUTPase recruits TLR4-myeloid differentiation primary response-88 to increase IL6 and SNAIL, the endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) transcription factor; HERV-K dUTPase interaction with melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) upregulates VCAM1. p38 and NF-kB are required to increase expression of all three genes, but in addition, pJNK-pSMAD3 is necessary for SNAIL upregulation, STAT1 for IL6, and pERK1/2-activating transcription factor-2 for VCAM1. Packaging of HERV-K dUTPase in monocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) induces SNAIL and subsequent EndMT in PAECs, IL6 and VCAM1. Mice infused with EVs from monocytes transfected with HERV-K dUTPase develop pulmonary hypertension. Thus, retroviral proteins delivered in EVs can overtake PAEC signaling and transcriptional machinery to induce dysfunction associated with PAH.
Project description:Pulmonary hypertension worsens outcome in left heart disease. Stiffening of the pulmonary artery may drive this pathology by increasing right ventricular dysfunction and lung vascular remodeling. We showed that pulmonary arteries from patients with left heart disease are characterized by increased stiffness that correlates with impaired pulmonary hemodynamics. Pulmonary arteries in left heart disease patients with pulmonary hypertension were characterized by degradation of elastic fibers paralleled by an accumulation of fibrillar collagens. We utilized RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed genes regulating extracellular matrix remodeling in pulmonary arteries of left heart disease patients with or without pulmonary hypertension, in comparison to healthy-heart donor controls. As such we identified that transcriptional deregulation of extracellular matrix constituents and their regulators precedes clinical pulmonary hypertension, and therefore might be a pathomechanism that drives pulmonary arterial remodeling and stiffening in left heart disease.
Project description:Although multiple gene and protein expression have been extensively profiled in human pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), the mechanism for the development and progression of pulmonary hypertension remains elusive. Analysis of the global metabolomic heterogeneity within the pulmonary vascular system leads to a better understanding of disease progression. Using a combination of high-throughput liquid-and-gas-chromatography-based mass spectrometry, we showed unbiased metabolomic profiles of disrupted glycolysis, increased TCA cycle, and fatty acid metabolites with altered oxidation pathways in the severe human PAH lung. The results suggest that PAH has specific metabolic pathways contributing to increased ATP synthesis for the vascular remodeling process in severe pulmonary hypertension. These identified metabolites may serve as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of severe PAH. By profiling metabolomic alterations of the PAH lung, we reveal new pathogenic mechanisms of PAH in its later stage, which may differ from the earlier stage of PAH, opening an avenue of exploration for therapeutics that target metabolic pathway alterations in the progression of PAH. Global profiles were determined in human lung tissue and compared across 11 normal and 12 severe pulmonary arterial hypertension patients. Using a combination of microarray and high-throughput liquid-and-gas-chromatography-based mass spectrometry, we showed unbiased metabolomic profiles of disrupted glycolysis, increased TCA cycle, and fatty acid metabolites with altered oxidation pathways in the severe human PAH lung.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening condition characterized by pulmonary arteriolar remodeling, and is frequently associated with right heart failure. This study identifies significant novel biological changes in eight genes and several genetic pathways, that were likely to contribute to the pathogenesis of PAH. We also demonstrate that PAH and PH secondary to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are characterized by distinct gene expression signatures, implying distinct pathophysiological mechanisms. Keywords: disease versus control Keywords: Expression profiling by array