Project description:Background: It is well recognized that obesity leads to arterial endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. However, the progression to endothelial dysfunction is not clear. Endothelial cells (ECs) adapt to the unique needs of their resident tissue and respond to systemic metabolic perturbations. We sought to better understand how obesity affects EC phenotypes in different tissues specifically focusing on mitochondrial gene expression. Methods: We performed bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) on mesenteric and adipose ECs isolated from normal chow (NC) and high fat diet (HFD) fed mice. Differential gene expression, gene ontology pathway, and transcription factor analyses were performed. We further investigated our hypothesis in humans using published human adipose single nuclei RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) data. Results: Bulk RNA-seq revealed higher mitochondrial gene expression in adipose ECs compared to mesenteric ECs in both NC and HFD mice. We then performed scRNA-seq and categorized EC clusters as arterial, capillary, venous, or lymphatic. HFD decreased the number of differentially expressed genes between mesenteric and adipose ECs in all subtypes, but the largest effect was seen in arterial ECs. Further analysis of arterial ECs revealed genes coding for mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation proteins were enriched in adipose compared to mesentery under NC conditions. In HFD mice, these genes were decreased in adipose ECs becoming similar to mesenteric ECs. Transcription factor analysis revealed C/EBP and PPAR, both known to regulate lipid handling and metabolism, had high specificity scores in the NC adipose artery ECs. These findings were recapitulated in snRNA-seq data from human adipose. Conclusions: These data suggest mesenteric and adipose arterial ECs metabolize lipids differently and the transcriptional phenotype of these two vascular beds converge in obesity, in part, due to downregulation of PPARand C/EBP in adipose artery ECs. This work lays the foundation for investigating vascular bed specific adaptations to obesity.

Project description:Background: The vascular wall of small arteries is heavily affected by high blood pressure. However, the underlying mechanisms causing vascular changes are not fully elucidated. Using a novel data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) approach, we aimed to determine the proteomic changes in small mesenteric arteries during early-onset high blood pressure in a rat model of hypertension. Methods: Snap frozen small mesenteric and renal arteries from the spontaneous hypertension rat (SHR) model and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) control rats were collected from two time points (6- and 12-weels of age) and analyzed by a label free quantitative DIA-MS workflow. Mesenteric arteries from Wister Hannover rats were included as an additional control to clarify genetic drift caused by selective inbreeding. Results: We identified a total of 3956 consistent proteins in the mesenteric artery wall and found that 286 proteins were significantly regulated in 12-weeks old SHRs compared to WKY controls. Comparing to an in silico matrisome database, we identified 38 extracellular matrix-associated proteins that could distinguish SHRs from WKY controls. Furthermore, when comparing the significantly regulated proteins identified in mesenteric and renal arteries, we identified 18 proteins, including Serpina3l, Igg-2a, ENSRNOG00000049829, Acyp2, Enpp3, Lss, Acaa1a, Basp1, an isoform of Basp1, Flot1, Flot2, Gstt1, Nit1, Ppid, Ikbkap, Poglut3, P4ha2 and Usp15, that were changed in both vascular beds. These proteins were associated with vital cellular processes, such as dyslipidemia, protease inhibition, remodeling and generation of reactive oxygen species. Majority of the identified proteins and pathways were associated with hypertension, and mapping the underlying changes help understanding the pathological processes occurring in the arterial wall during early-onset hypertension. Conclusions: Our data provides an in-depth analysis of the proteomic architecture of the mesenteric and renal artery wall from SHRs and WKY control rats. We identified 18 novel candidate proteins that highlights critical changes in small arteries of the SHR.

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Vascular gene expression in mice overexpressing human endothelin-1 targeted to the endothelium

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