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Flow upregulates glycocalyx-related genes and makes surface charge more negative of a human blood-brain barrier co-culture model in an organ-on-a-chip device

ABSTRACT: The highly negatively charged endothelial surface glycocalyx (ESG) functions as mechano-sensor detecting shear forces generated by the blood flow on the luminal side of brain endothelial cells (ECs) and contributes to the physical barrier of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Despite the importance of ESG in the regulation of BBB permeability in physiological conditions and in diseases, this is an underresearched area. Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices allow the study of BBB properties in dynamic conditions. We studied a BBB model, human endothelial cells derived from hematopoetic stem cells in co-culture with brain pericytes, in an LOC device to understand the role of fluid flow in the regulation of ESG-related genes and surface charge. The MACE gene sequencing study showed differentially expressed core protein genes of the ESG after fluid flow, as well as enriched pathways for the extracellular matrix molecules. We observed increased barrier properties, a higher intensity glycocalyx staining and a more negative surface charge of human brain ECs in dynamic conditions. Our study is the first to provide data on ESG of human ECs in an LOC device under dynamic conditions and confirm the importance of fluid flow for BBB culture models.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE155671 | GEO | 2021/09/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:With advances in single-cell genomics, molecular signatures of cells comprising the brain vasculature are revealed in unprecedented detail, yet the ageing-associated cell subtype transcriptomic changes which may contribute to neurovascular dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases remain elusive. Here, we performed single-cell transcriptomic profiling of brain endothelial cells (EC) in young adult and aged mice to characterize their ageing-associated genome-wide expression changes. We identified zonation-dependent transcriptomic changes in aged brain EC subtypes, with capillary ECs exhibiting the most transcriptomic alterations. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed altered immune/cytokine signaling in ECs of all vascular segments, while functional changes impacting the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and glucose/energy metabolism were most prominently implicated in ECs of the capillary bed – the primary site where ECs and other neurovascular unit (NVU) cell types closely interact and coordinate to regulate BBB and cerebral blood flow in health and diseased conditions. Furthermore, an overrepresentation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated genes identified from GWAS studies was evident among the human orthologs of differentially expressed genes of aged capillary ECs but not other EC subtypes. Importantly, for numerous EC-enriched differentially expressed genes with important functional roles at the BBB and/or association with AD, we found concordant expression changes in human aged or AD brains. Finally, we demonstrated that treatment with exenatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, strongly reverses transcriptomic changes in ECs and largely reduces BBB leakage in the aged brain. Thus, our study revealed novel vascular ageing-associations of AD in the brain capillary endothelium, and provides insights into detailed transcriptomic alterations underlying brain EC ageing that are complex with subtype specificity yet amenable to pharmacological interventions.

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Flow upregulates glycocalyx-related genes and makes surface charge more negative of a human blood-brain barrier co-culture model in an organ-on-a-chip device

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