Project description:Apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) inhibits triglyceride hydrolysis and has been implicated in coronary artery disease. Through a genome-wide association study, we have found that about 5% of the Lancaster Amish are heterozygous carriers of a null mutation (R19X) in the gene encoding apoC-III (APOC3) and, as a result, express half the amount of apoC-III present in noncarriers. Mutation carriers compared with noncarriers had lower fasting and postprandial serum triglycerides, higher levels of HDL-cholesterol and lower levels of LDL-cholesterol. Subclinical atherosclerosis, as measured by coronary artery calcification, was less common in carriers than noncarriers, which suggests that lifelong deficiency of apoC-III has a cardioprotective effect.
Project description:Objective- Apo (apolipoprotein) CIII inhibits lipoprotein lipase (LpL)-mediated lipolysis of VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein) triglyceride (TG) and decreases hepatic uptake of VLDL remnants. The discovery that 5% of Lancaster Old Order Amish are heterozygous for the APOC3 R19X null mutation provided the opportunity to determine the effects of a naturally occurring reduction in apo CIII levels on the metabolism of atherogenic containing lipoproteins. Approach and Results- We conducted stable isotope studies of VLDL-TG and apoB100 in 5 individuals heterozygous for the null mutation APOC3 R19X (CT) and their unaffected (CC) siblings. Fractional clearance rates and production rates of VLDL-TG and apoB100 in VLDL, IDL (intermediate-density lipoprotein), LDL, apo CIII, and apo CII were determined. Affected (CT) individuals had 49% reduction in plasma apo CIII levels compared with CCs ( P<0.01) and reduced plasma levels of TG (35%, P<0.02), VLDL-TG (45%, P<0.02), and VLDL-apoB100 (36%, P<0.05). These changes were because of higher fractional clearance rates of VLDL-TG and VLDL-apoB100 with no differences in production rates. CTs had higher rates of the conversion of VLDL remnants to LDL compared with CCs. In contrast, rates of direct removal of VLDL remnants did not differ between the groups. As a result, the flux of apoB100 from VLDL to LDL was not reduced, and the plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol and LDL-apoB100 were not lower in the CT group. Apo CIII production rate was lower in CTs compared with CCs, whereas apo CII production rate was not different between the 2 groups. The fractional clearance rates of both apo CIII and apo CII were higher in CTs than CCs. Conclusions- These studies demonstrate that 50% reductions in plasma apo CIII, in otherwise healthy subjects, results in a significantly higher rate of conversion of VLDL to LDL, with little effect on direct hepatic uptake of VLDL. When put in the context of studies demonstrating significant protection from cardiovascular events in individuals with loss of function variants in the APOC3 gene, our results provide strong evidence that therapies which increase the efficiency of conversion of VLDL to LDL, thereby reducing remnant concentrations, should reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Project description:ObjectiveThe c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNK) are regulated by a wide variety of cellular stresses and have been implicated in apoptotic signaling. Macrophages express 2 JNK isoforms, JNK1 and JNK2, which may have different effects on cell survival and atherosclerosis.Approach and resultsTo dissect the effect of macrophage JNK1 and JNK2 on early atherosclerosis, Ldlr(-/-) mice were reconstituted with wild-type, Jnk1(-/-), and Jnk2(-/-) hematopoietic cells and fed a high cholesterol diet. Jnk1(-/-)→Ldlr(-/-) mice have larger atherosclerotic lesions with more macrophages and fewer apoptotic cells than mice transplanted with wild-type or Jnk2(-/-) cells. Moreover, genetic ablation of JNK to a single allele (Jnk1(+/-)/Jnk2(-/-) or Jnk1(-/-)/Jnk2(+/-)) in marrow of Ldlr(-/-) recipients further increased atherosclerosis compared with Jnk1(-/-)→Ldlr(-/-) and wild-type→Ldlr(-/-) mice. In mouse macrophages, anisomycin-mediated JNK signaling antagonized Akt activity, and loss of Jnk1 gene obliterated this effect. Similarly, pharmacological inhibition of JNK1, but not JNK2, markedly reduced the antagonizing effect of JNK on Akt activity. Prolonged JNK signaling in the setting of endoplasmic reticulum stress gradually extinguished Akt and Bad activity in wild-type cells with markedly less effects in Jnk1(-/-) macrophages, which were also more resistant to apoptosis. Consequently, anisomycin increased and JNK1 inhibitors suppressed endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis in macrophages. We also found that genetic and pharmacological inhibition of phosphatase and tensin homolog abolished the JNK-mediated effects on Akt activity, indicating that phosphatase and tensin homolog mediates crosstalk between these pathways.ConclusionsLoss of Jnk1, but not Jnk2, in macrophages protects them from apoptosis, increasing cell survival, and this accelerates early atherosclerosis.
Project description:The adipocyte/macrophage fatty acid-binding proteins aP2 (FABP4) and Mal1 (FABP5) are intracellular lipid chaperones that modulate systemic glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and atherosclerosis. Combined deficiency of aP2 and Mal1 has been shown to reduce the development of atherosclerosis, but the independent role of macrophage Mal1 expression in atherogenesis remains unclear.We transplanted wild-type (WT), Mal1(-/-), or aP2(-/-) bone marrow into low-density lipoprotein receptor-null (LDLR(-/-)) mice and fed them a Western diet for 8 weeks. Mal1(-/-)?LDLR(-/-) mice had significantly reduced (36%) atherosclerosis in the proximal aorta compared with control WT?LDLR(-/-) mice. Interestingly, peritoneal macrophages isolated from Mal1-deficient mice displayed increased peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-? (PPAR?) activity and upregulation of a PPAR?-related cholesterol trafficking gene, CD36. Mal1(-/-) macrophages showed suppression of inflammatory genes, such as COX2 and interleukin 6. Mal1(-/-)?LDLR(-/-) mice had significantly decreased macrophage numbers in the aortic atherosclerotic lesions compared with WT?LDLR(-/-) mice, suggesting that monocyte recruitment may be impaired. Indeed, blood monocytes isolated from Mal1(-/-)?LDLR(-/-) mice on a high-fat diet had decreased CC chemokine receptor 2 gene and protein expression levels compared with WT monocytes.Taken together, our results demonstrate that Mal1 plays a proatherogenic role by suppressing PPAR? activity, which increases expression of CC chemokine receptor 2 by monocytes, promoting their recruitment to atherosclerotic lesions.
Project description:Major intrinsic protein or aquaporin-0 (MIP/AQP0) functions as a water channel and a cell-junction molecule in the vertebrate eye lens. Loss of MIP function in the lens leads to degraded optical quality and cataract formation by pathogenic mechanisms that are unclear. Here we have used microarray-hybridization analysis to detect lens transcriptome changes during cataract formation in mice that are functionally null for MIP (Mip-/-). In newborn Mip-/- lenses (P1) 11 genes were up-regulated and 18 were down-regulated (>2-fold, p=<0.05) and a similar number of genes was differentially regulated at P7. The most up-regulated genes (>6-fold) in the Mip-/- lens at P1 included those coding for a mitochondrial translocase (Timmdc1), a matrix metallopeptidase (Mmp2), a Rho GTPase-interacting protein (Ubxn11) and a transcription factor (Twist2). Apart from Mip, the most down-regulated genes (>4-fold) in the Mip-/- lens at P1 included those coding for a proteasome sub-unit (Psmd8), a ribonuclease (Pop4), and a heat-shock protein (Hspb1). Lens fiber cell degeneration in the Mip-/- lens was associated with increased numbers of TUNEL-positive cell nuclei and dramatically elevated levels of calpain-mediated proteolysis of αII-spectrin. However red-ox status, measured by glutathione and free-radical levels, was similar to that of wild-type. These data suggest that while relatively few genes (∼1.5% of the transcriptome) were differentially regulated >2-fold in the Mip-/- lens, calpain hyper-activation acts as a terminal pathogenic event during lens fiber cell death and cataract formation.
Project description:Macrophages play crucial roles in the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Akt, a serine/threonine protein kinase B, is vital for cell proliferation, migration, and survival. Macrophages express three Akt isoforms, Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3, but the roles of Akt1 and Akt2 in atherosclerosis in vivo remain unclear. To dissect the impact of macrophage Akt1 and Akt2 on early atherosclerosis, we generated mice with hematopoietic deficiency of Akt1 or Akt2. After 8 weeks on Western diet, Ldlr(-/-) mice reconstituted with Akt1(-/-) fetal liver cells (Akt1(-/-)→Ldlr(-/-)) had similar atherosclerotic lesion areas compared with control mice transplanted with WT cells (WT→Ldlr(-/-)). In contrast, Akt2(-/-)→Ldlr(-/-) mice had dramatically reduced atherosclerotic lesions compared with WT→Ldlr(-/-) mice of both genders. Similarly, in the setting of advanced atherosclerotic lesions, Akt2(-/-)→Ldlr(-/-) mice had smaller aortic lesions compared with WT→Ldlr(-/-) and Akt1(-/-)→Ldlr(-/-) mice. Importantly, Akt2(-/-)→Ldlr(-/-) mice had reduced numbers of proinflammatory blood monocytes expressing Ly-6C(hi) and chemokine C-C motif receptor 2. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from Akt2(-/-) mice were skewed toward an M2 phenotype and showed decreased expression of proinflammatory genes and reduced cell migration. Our data demonstrate that loss of Akt2 suppresses the ability of macrophages to undergo M1 polarization reducing both early and advanced atherosclerosis.
Project description:Mutations in the genes coding for either dystrophin or dysferlin cause distinct forms of muscular dystrophy. Dystrophin links the cytoskeleton to the sarcolemma through direct interaction with ?-dystroglycan. This link extends to the extracellular matrix by ?-dystroglycan's interaction with ?-dystroglycan, which binds extracellular matrix proteins, including laminin ?2, agrin and perlecan, that possess laminin globular domains. The absence of dystrophin disrupts this link, leading to compromised muscle sarcolemmal integrity. Dysferlin, on the other hand, plays an important role in the Ca2+-dependent membrane repair of damaged sarcolemma in skeletal muscle. Because dysferlin and dystrophin play different roles in maintaining muscle cell integrity, we hypothesized that disrupting sarcolemmal integrity with dystrophin deficiency would exacerbate the pathology in dysferlin-null mice and allow further characterization of the role of dysferlin in skeletal muscle.To test our hypothesis, we generated dystrophin/dysferlin double-knockout (DKO) mice by breeding mdx mice with dysferlin-null mice and analyzed the effects of a combined deficiency of dysferlin and dystrophin on muscle pathology and sarcolemmal integrity.The DKO mice exhibited more severe muscle pathology than either mdx mice or dysferlin-null mice, and, importantly, the onset of the muscle pathology occurred much earlier than it did in dysferlin-deficient mice. The DKO mice showed muscle pathology of various skeletal muscles, including the mandible muscles, as well as a greater number of regenerating muscle fibers, higher serum creatine kinase levels and elevated Evans blue dye uptake into skeletal muscles. Lengthening contractions caused similar force deficits, regardless of dysferlin expression. However, the rate of force recovery within 45 minutes following lengthening contractions was hampered in DKO muscles compared to mdx muscles or dysferlin-null muscles, suggesting that dysferlin is required for the initial recovery from lengthening contraction-induced muscle injury of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex-compromised muscles.The results of our study suggest that dysferlin-mediated membrane repair helps to limit the dystrophic changes in dystrophin-deficient skeletal muscle. Dystrophin deficiency unmasks the function of dysferlin in membrane repair during lengthening contractions. Dystrophin/dysferlin-deficient mice provide a very useful model with which to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies designed to treat dysferlin deficiency.
Project description:Dystrophin of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex connects the actin cytoskeleton to basement membranes and loss of dystrophin results in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We have previously shown injury-induced neointima formation of the carotid artery in mice with the mdx mutation (causing dystrophin deficiency) to be increased. To investigate the role of dystrophin in intimal recruitment of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) that maintains plaque stability in atherosclerosis we applied a shear stress-modifying cast around the carotid artery of apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-null mice with and without the mdx mutation. The cast induces formation of atherosclerotic plaques of inflammatory and SMC-rich/fibrous phenotypes in regions of low and oscillatory shear stress, respectively. Unexpectedly, presence of the mdx mutation markedly reduced the development of the inflammatory low shear stress plaques. Further characterization of the low shear stress plaques in ApoE-null mdx mice demonstrated reduced infiltration of CD3(+) T cells, less laminin and a higher SMC content. ApoE-null mdx mice were also found to have a reduced fraction of CD3(+) T cells in the spleen and lower levels of cytokines and monocytes in the circulation. The present study is the first to demonstrate a role for dystrophin in atherosclerosis and unexpectedly shows that this primarily involves immune cells.
Project description:Lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein 3 (LAMP3) is a type I transmembrane protein of the LAMP protein family with a cell-type-specific expression in alveolar type II cells in mice and hitherto unknown function. In type II pneumocytes, LAMP3 is localized in lamellar bodies, secretory organelles releasing pulmonary surfactant into the extracellular space to lower surface tension at the air/liquid interface. The physiological function of LAMP3, however, remains enigmatic. We generated Lamp3 knockout mice by CRISPR/Cas9. LAMP3 deficient mice are viable with an average life span and display regular lung function under basal conditions. The levels of a major hydrophobic protein component of pulmonary surfactant, SP-C, are strongly increased in the lung of Lamp3 knockout mice, and the lipid composition of the bronchoalveolar lavage shows mild but significant changes, resulting in alterations in surfactant functionality. In ovalbumin-induced experimental allergic asthma, the changes in lipid composition are aggravated, and LAMP3-deficient mice exert an increased airway resistance. Our data suggest a critical role of LAMP3 in the regulation of pulmonary surfactant homeostasis and normal lung function.
Project description:Proper activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB transcription factors is critical in regulating fundamental biological processes such as cell survival and proliferation, as well as in inflammatory and immune responses. Recently, the NF-kappaB signaling pathways have been categorized into the canonical pathway, which results in the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB complexes containing p50, and the noncanonical pathway, which involves the induced processing of p100 to p52 and the formation of NF-kappaB complexes containing p52 (Bonizzi, G., and M. Karin. 2004. Trends Immunol. 25:280-288). We demonstrate that loss of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3) results in constitutive noncanonical NF-kappaB activity. Importantly, TRAF3-/- B cells show ligand-independent up-regulation of intracellular adhesion molecule 1 and protection from spontaneous apoptosis during in vitro culture. In addition, we demonstrate that loss of TRAF3 results in profound accumulation of NF-kappaB-inducing kinase in TRAF3-/- cells. Finally, we show that the early postnatal lethality observed in TRAF3-deficient mice is rescued by compound loss of the noncanonical NF-kappaB p100 gene. Thus, these genetic data clearly demonstrate that TRAF3 is a critical negative modulator of the noncanonical NF-kappaB pathway and that constitutive activation of the noncanonical NF-kappaB pathway causes the lethal phenotype of TRAF3-deficient mice.