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THOC5-Dependent Posttranscriptional Control Maintains Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Homeostasis Against Chronic Kidney Disease Related Vascular Calcification [RNA-seq]

ABSTRACT: Background: Despite transcriptional control mechanisms of VSMC osteogenic transition having been extensively studied, posttranscriptional regulation is still awaiting elucidation. In the present study, we explore the mechanism of THOC5-dependent VSMCs osteochondrogenic switching. Methods: Von Kossa staining and immunohistochemistry staining were used to detect calcification and expression of THOC5 respectively. Thoc5 shRNA and Thoc5 overexpression lentivirus were used to modulate the expression of Thoc5. RNA-Seq combined with RIP-Seq was used to explore the target mRNAs that directly bind to THOC5, and FISH was used to confirm its subcellular localization. Results: Immunohistochemical staining showed significantly increased THOC5 expression in the calcified artery of CKD patients. Besides, calcification-induced increase of THOC5 expression was found in both in vivo and in vitro calcification models. The overexpression of Thoc5 relieves the calcification and osteogenic differentiation of VSMCs significantly in vitro, which is mainly manifested by the reduction of calcium ion deposition and the decreased expression of osteogenic markers. Furthermore, RNA-Seq revealed that THOC5 overexpression in osteogenic-induced VSMCs closely resembled the gene expression changes induced on TGF-β treatments in cultured VSMCs. In addition, overexpression of THOC5 alleviates the exacerbation of calcification in vivo. Our previous studies found that THOC5 displayed limited binding to VSMCs genomic DNA, so RIP-Seq was selected to detect target genes of THOC5. It was found that THOC5 directly interacts with Guanylate exchange factors (GEFs) mRNAs, and is required for their export. Thereby THOC5 maintaining RhoA GTPase activation contributes to increasing the expression of VSMCs contraction marker, which maintains the contraction phenotype of VSMCs. ROCK (Rho-kinase) inhibitor Y-27632 reversed the protective role of THOC5 on osteoblastic transdifferentiation and calcification, as well as the maintenance of the spindle morphology of VSMCs. Conclusions: Our data introduce the binding of THOC5 to GEFs as a novel mechanism contributing to maintaining VSMCs homeostasis and imply THOC5 as a potential intervention node for vascular calcification diseases.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE281115 | GEO | 2025/11/04

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Background: Despite transcriptional control mechanisms of VSMC osteogenic transition having been extensively studied, posttranscriptional regulation is still awaiting elucidation. In the present study, we explore the mechanism of THOC5-dependent VSMCs osteochondrogenic switching. Methods: Von Kossa staining and immunohistochemistry staining were used to detect calcification and expression of THOC5 respectively. Thoc5 shRNA and Thoc5 overexpression lentivirus were used to modulate the expression of Thoc5. RNA-Seq combined with RIP-Seq was used to explore the target mRNAs that directly bind to THOC5, and FISH was used to confirm its subcellular localization. Results: Immunohistochemical staining showed significantly increased THOC5 expression in the calcified artery of CKD patients. Besides, calcification-induced increase of THOC5 expression was found in both in vivo and in vitro calcification models. The overexpression of Thoc5 relieves the calcification and osteogenic differentiation of VSMCs significantly in vitro, which is mainly manifested by the reduction of calcium ion deposition and the decreased expression of osteogenic markers. Furthermore, RNA-Seq revealed that THOC5 overexpression in osteogenic-induced VSMCs closely resembled the gene expression changes induced on TGF-β treatments in cultured VSMCs. In addition, overexpression of THOC5 alleviates the exacerbation of calcification in vivo. Our previous studies found that THOC5 displayed limited binding to VSMCs genomic DNA, so RIP-Seq was selected to detect target genes of THOC5. It was found that THOC5 directly interacts with Guanylate exchange factors (GEFs) mRNAs, and is required for their export. Thereby THOC5 maintaining RhoA GTPase activation contributes to increasing the expression of VSMCs contraction marker, which maintains the contraction phenotype of VSMCs. ROCK (Rho-kinase) inhibitor Y-27632 reversed the protective role of THOC5 on osteoblastic transdifferentiation and calcification, as well as the maintenance of the spindle morphology of VSMCs. Conclusions: Our data introduce the binding of THOC5 to GEFs as a novel mechanism contributing to maintaining VSMCs homeostasis and imply THOC5 as a potential intervention node for vascular calcification diseases.

Project description:Vascular Calcification (VC) is a life threatening cardiovascular complication that accounts for high death rates particularly in association with diabetes, atherosclerosis and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD. during VC, Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells (VSMCs) undergo reprogramming into osteoblast-like cells in response to calcium and phosphate mineral imbalance in CKD patients. This osteogenic switch is driven by the expression of several bone markers such as Runt- related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Osteopontin (OPN), Matrix-Gla Protein (MGP), Osteocalcin (OCN), Type I Collagen (COL1), and Bone Sialo Proteins (BSPs). Recent studies showed that VSMCs secrete heterogeneous populations of Extracellular Vesicles (EVs)11 that are enriched under physiological conditions by calcification inhibitors such as Fetuin-A and MGP12,13,14. Interestingly, under pathological conditions, secreted EVs have a pro-calcifying profile and thereby act as nucleating foci for hydroxyapatite crystallization and propagation11,15. Electron Microscopy based studies revealed that EVs were embedded between collagen and elastin fibrils of arterial walls suggesting that calcification can be initiated through the EVs’ direct physical interaction with them13,16. We previously showed that a specific oligogalacturonic acid with a degree of polymerization of 8 (DP8) was able to inhibit vascular calcification. This inhibition was partly due to a decrease of osteogenic markers’s expression but also to the masking of a consensus sequence found in COL1 i.e. GFOGER sequence, thus preventing EVs from binding to COL1. Although the use of DP8 in-vivo seems to be compromised due to probable enzymatic digestion, these results suggested that the inhibition of VSMCs’ osteogenic switch and the prevention of EVs-COL1 interaction could represent new potential therapeutic targets for inhibiting VC17. Since we have already showed that the triple-helical GFOGER consensus sequence forms a preferential binding site for EVs17, we thereby chemically synthesized a GFOGER peptide in order to determine its ability to inhibit VC on VSMCs and on an aortic ring ex-vivo model. We also aim to decipher the mechanisms of inhibition by investigating the osteogenic markers’ expression as well as the protein content of secreted EVs in the presence of the GFOGER peptide.

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THOC5-Dependent Posttranscriptional Control Maintains Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Homeostasis Against Chronic Kidney Disease Related Vascular Calcification [RNA-seq]

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