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Steroid hormone antagonism reduces the rate of aortic rupture and improves survival in a mouse model of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

ABSTRACT: Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (VEDS) carries a high risk of vascular rupture. In the Col3a1G938D/+ mouse model, the rate of aortic rupture accelerates postnatally, especially in males, concurrently with the rise in androgens. Here we show that this vulnerability is associated with the postnatal transition of the aorta to a non-synthetic state, and that androgen receptor (AR ) antagonism partially reversed this shift, resulting in a non-physiological increase in the expression of extracellular matrix components. Both pharmacological and genetic AR antagonism improved survival in males, while dual AR and mineralocorticoid (MR) inhibition, or selective MR antagonism, reduced the risk of aortic rupture in both sexes. In all major aortic cell types, there was substantial overlap in the transcriptional alterations imposed by AR, MR and dual AR/MR inhibition, suggesting that both AR/MR antagonism and selective targeting of the MR are potential therapeutic strategies in this condition.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE297353 | GEO | 2026/03/17

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a severe connective tissue disorder caused by dominant mutations in the COL3A1 gene, which encodes type III collagen (COLLIII). COLLIII is primarily found in blood vessels and hollow organs, and its deficiency causes fragile soft connective tissues, with life-threatening arterial and organ ruptures. There are currently no targeted therapies available. Although disease results from COLLIII misfolding caused by triple helix structure disruption, the underlying pathomechanisms are largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive transcriptome analysis using RNA-seq on a large cohort of dermal fibroblasts from vEDS patients and healthy donors. Our investigation revealed an intricate interplay between proteostasis abnormalities, inefficient endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, and compromised autophagy, which may significantly impact the molecular pathology. We reported the first comprehensive map of complex gene expression networks, which may provide significant molecular insights into intricate interactions within cellular signaling pathways. the current RNA-seq data not only confirm these initial findings but also provide convincing evidence that ineffective proteostasis, unbalanced ER homeostasis, and compromised autophagy could substantially impact the molecular pathology driving the disease. aken together, or findings suggest that the accumulation of these misfolded aggregates can impair critical cellular functions such as ER proteostasis, adaptative responses to counteract ER stress (UPR and ERAD pathways), autophagy, mTOR pathway, and lysosome function. Perturbation of these key biological processes can have an impact on a range of cell activities, including differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis, all of which are associated with the pathophysiology of vEDS. This work was supported by Fondazione Telethon and the “Associazione con Giacomo contro vEDS”, (Grant number: GSA21F001, Seed Grant Fall 2021 vEDS) to Nicola Chiarelli.

Project description:To investigate the potential role of miRNAs in disease mechanisms, we conducted a thorough analysis by comparing the entire miRNome of 18 vEDS dermal fibroblasts to those of 18 control cells. To improve statistical reliability, we sequenced each sample from both groups as biological replicates. By applying a log2 fold change threshold of greater than 1 or less than -1, and an adjusted p-value of less than 0.05, we identified 137 DE-miRNAs in patient vs. control fibroblasts. Among these, 71 miRNAs exhibited decreased expression, while 66 miRNAs were upregulated. To explore the functional relationship between DE-miRNAs and the altered gene expression profile of vEDS cells, we conducted an extensive review of the literature and consulted several bioinformatics databases. Our search involved utilizing data from four miRNA-target prediction databases (microT-CDS, Targetscan, miRTarBase, and miRwalk) in addition to relevant literature sources providing information on the functional roles of these miRNAs. We thus focused our research on a specific subset of DE-miRNAs, known as miR-15b-5p, miR-16-5p, miR-21-3p, miR-24-3p, miR-29a-3p, miR-29b-3p, miR-138-5p, miR-145-5p, and miR-195-5p, which may play a biological role in dysregulated molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis. Our initial emphasis was on miR-29a-3p and miR-29b-3p due to their involvement in regulating critical cellular processes such as ECM remodeling into the vascular network, autophagy, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. To study how miR-29a-3p and miR-29b-3p contribute to the dysregulated cellular processes observed in patient cells, we performed GO and pathway enrichment analyses on their predicted target DEGs. GO analysis revealed that both these miRNAs may disturb fundamental biological functions, such as regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II, negative gene expression regulation, miRNA-mediated gene silencing, translation regulation, heterochromatin organization, and ECM organization. This comphrensive transcriptome analysis of a large cohort of dermal fibroblasts from patients with vEDS reveals deregulated biological functions potentially involved in the disease pathogenesis. Taken together, the abnormal expression of several miRNAs suggests the presence of epigenetic control in vEDS cells, which could influence the transcriptional regulation of numerous target DEGs and related biological processes, potentially influencing disease mechanisms. This work was supported by Fondazione Telethon and the “Associazione con Giacomo contro vEDS”, (Grant number: GSA21F001, Seed Grant Fall 2021 vEDS) to Nicola Chiarelli.

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Steroid hormone antagonism reduces the rate of aortic rupture and improves survival in a mouse model of Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

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