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Transient ACE Inhibition Suppresses Future Fibrogenic Capacity and Heterogeneity of Cardiac Fibroblast Subpopulations

ABSTRACT: Transient angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) protects against future injury-induced cardiac inflammation, fibrosis, and dysfunction. Here, we used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) to test the hypothesis that transient ACE inhibitor treatment would induce a persistent shift in hypertensive cardiac fibroblast subpopulations. Adult male SHRs (11 weeks old) were treated for 2 weeks with an ACE inhibitor, enalapril (30mg/kg/day, p.o.), or water (control) followed by a 2-week washout period (n=7/group). Cardiac fibroblasts were isolated from the left ventricle and subjected to scRNA-Seq. Nine clusters of fibroblasts (numbered 0-8) were identified with 98% of cells clustering into subsets 0-6. Transient treatment produced significant changes within and across clusters. Cluster 1 depicted the highly fibrogenic gene profile, with cluster 6 serving as a gateway to cluster 1. Transient ACE inhibition depleted the gateway and expanded cluster 0, which was the least fibrogenic profile. Moreover, within cluster 1 fibroblasts, ACE inhibition reduced expression of individual fibrosis genes (e.g. COL1A1, COL3A1, and FN1; all p<0.05). Clusters 2-5 reflected proliferative, moderately fibrogenic, translationally active, and lowly inflammatory subsets of fibroblasts, all of which exhibit attenuated fibrogenic gene expression after transient ACE inhibition. In conclusion, transient ACE inhibition shifts cardiac fibroblast subpopulations and degree of activation resulting in an overall reduced fibrogenic phenotype.

ORGANISM(S): Rattus norvegicus

PROVIDER: GSE155699 | GEO | 2020/10/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Extracellular senile plaques of amyloid beta (Abeta) are a pathological hallmark in brain of patients with Alzheimer`s Disease (AD). Abeta is generated by the amyloidogenic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Concomitant to Abeta load, AD brain is characterized by an increase in protein level and activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). ACE inhibitors are a widely used class of drugs with established benefits for patients with cardiovascular disease. However, the role of ACE and ACE inhibition in the development of Abeta plaques and the process of AD-related neurodegeneration is not clear since ACE was reported to degrade Abeta. To investigate the effect of ACE inhibition on AD-related pathomechanisms, we used Tg2576 mice with neuron-specific expression of APPSwe as AD model. From 12 months of age, substantial Abeta plaque load accumulates in the hippocampus of Tg2576 mice as a brain region, which is highly vulnerable to AD-related neurodegeneration. The effect of central ACE inhibition was studied by treatment of 12 month-old Tg2576 mice for six months with the brain penetrating ACE inhibitor captopril. At an age of 18 months, hippocampal gene expression profiling was performed of captopril-treated Tg2576 mice relative to untreated 18 month-old Tg2576 controls with high Abeta plaque load. As an additional control, we used 12 month-old Tg2576 mice with low Abeta plaque load. Whole genome microarray gene expression profiling revealed gene expression changes induced by the brain-penetrating ACE inhibitor captopril, which could reflect the neuro-regenerative potential of central ACE inhibition. Microarray gene expression profiling was performed of hippocampi isolated from aged, 18 month-old Tg2576 (APPSwe-transgenic) AD mice with high Abeta plaque load relative to age-matched Tg2576 mice, which were treated for 6 months with the centrally active ACE inhibitor captopril. Another study group consisted of 12 month-old Tg2576 mice with low Abeta plaque load. In total, three study groups were analyzed, i.e. (i) 18 month-old untreated Tg2576 mice with high Abeta plaque load, (ii) age-matched Tg2576 mice treated for 6 months with the brain-penetrating ACE inhibitor captopril (20 mg/kg body weight/day in drinking water), and (iii) untreated 12 month-old Tg2576 mice with low Abeta plaque load reflecting the time point when captopril treatment was initiated. Two biological replicates were made of each group, and total hippocampal RNA of four mice was pooled for one gene chip.

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Transient ACE Inhibition Suppresses Future Fibrogenic Capacity and Heterogeneity of Cardiac Fibroblast Subpopulations

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