Faculty Bibliography

Cellular metabolism is increasingly recognized as a controller of immune cell fate and function. MicroRNA-33 (miR-33) regulates cellular lipid metabolism and represses genes involved in cholesterol efflux, HDL biogenesis, and fatty acid oxidation. Here, we determined that miR-33-mediated disruption of the balance of aerobic glycolysis and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation instructs macrophage inflammatory polarization and shapes innate and adaptive immune responses. Macrophage-specific Mir33 deletion increased oxidative respiration, enhanced spare respiratory capacity, and induced an M2 macrophage polarization-associated gene profile. Furthermore, miR-33-mediated M2 polarization required miR-33 targeting of the energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), but not cholesterol efflux. Notably, miR-33 inhibition increased macrophage expression of the retinoic acid-producing enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase family 1, subfamily A2 (ALDH1A2) and retinal dehydrogenase activity both in vitro and in a mouse model. Consistent with the ability of retinoic acid to foster inducible Tregs, miR-33-depleted macrophages had an enhanced capacity to induce forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) expression in naive CD4+ T cells. Finally, treatment of hypercholesterolemic mice with miR-33 inhibitors for 8 weeks resulted in accumulation of inflammation-suppressing M2 macrophages and FOXP3+ Tregs in plaques and reduced atherosclerosis progression. Collectively, these results reveal that miR-33 regulates macrophage inflammation and demonstrate that miR-33 antagonism is atheroprotective, in part, by reducing plaque inflammation by promoting M2 macrophage polarization and Treg induction.

MicroRNAs are negative regulators of gene expression that have been shown to be essential elements in the coordination of complex regulatory pathways. One of these short non-coding RNAs, microRNA-126, is highly enriched in the vascular endothelium and was shown to play distinct roles in angiogenesis, vasculogenesis and endothelial inflammation. Abrogation of this microRNA leads to severe complications in the response in vascular development as well as vital repair mechanisms carried out by endothelial cells. Interestingly, recent data suggest that the homeostatic role of microRNA-126 may reach far beyond its endothelial functions as this microRNA was also found to be present in cells of the hematopoietic system and in microvesicles or 'free-form' in the periphery. MicroRNA-126 is controlling the fate and/or function of a variety of cells differentiating from the hematopoietic lineage, including megakaryocytes and erythrocytes. Recent studies identified circulating microRNA-126 as a biomarker for myocardial injury and vascular damage in diabetes. Furthermore, reports have suggested a protective role of circulating microRNA-126 in murine models of organ ischemia. Here, we review current insights in the role of microRNA-126 in vascular homeostasis and conclude that this microRNA may serve to integrate and facilitate both local as well as systemic functions in vascular maintenance and repair.

Atherosclerosis (also known as arteriosclerotic vascular disease) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall, characterized by the formation of lipid-laden lesions. The activation of endothelial cells at atherosclerotic lesion-prone sites in the arterial tree results in the up-regulation of cell adhesion molecules and chemokines, which mediate the recruitment of circulating monocytes. Accumulation of monocytes and monocyte-derived phagocytes in the wall of large arteries leads to chronic inflammation and the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The lesion experiences the following steps: foam cell formation, fatty streak accumulation, migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, and fibrous cap formation. Finally, the rupture of the unstable fibrous cap causes thrombosis in complications of advanced lesions that leads to unstable coronary syndromes, myocardial infarction and stroke. MicroRNAs have recently emerged as a novel class of gene regulators at the post-transcriptional level. Several functions of vascular cells, such as cell differentiation, contraction, migration, proliferation and inflammation that are involved in angiogenesis, neointimal formation and lipid metabolism underlying various vascular diseases, have been found to be regulated by microRNAs and are described in the present review as well as their potential therapeutic application.

Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is a central phenomenon in kidney transplantation and AKI. Integrity of the renal peritubular capillary network is an important limiting factor in the recovery from IRI. MicroRNA-126 (miR-126) facilitates vascular regeneration by functioning as an angiomiR and by modulating mobilization of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. We hypothesized that overexpression of miR-126 in the hematopoietic compartment could protect the kidney against IRI via preservation of microvascular integrity. Here, we demonstrate that hematopoietic overexpression of miR-126 increases neovascularization of subcutaneously implanted Matrigel plugs in mice. After renal IRI, mice overexpressing miR-126 displayed a marked decrease in urea levels, weight loss, fibrotic markers, and injury markers (such as kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin). This protective effect was associated with a higher density of the peritubular capillary network in the corticomedullary junction and increased numbers of bone marrow-derived endothelial cells. Hematopoietic overexpression of miR-126 increased the number of circulating Lin(-)/Sca-1(+)/cKit(+) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Additionally, miR-126 overexpression attenuated expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 on Lin(-)/Sca-1(+)/cKit(+) cells in the bone marrow and increased renal expression of its ligand stromal cell-derived factor 1, thus favoring mobilization of Lin(-)/Sca-1(+)/cKit(+) cells toward the kidney. Taken together, these results suggest overexpression of miR-126 in the hematopoietic compartment is associated with stromal cell-derived factor 1/CXCR4-dependent vasculogenic progenitor cell mobilization and promotes vascular integrity and supports recovery of the kidney after IRI.

Integrity of the capillary network in the kidney is essential in the recovery from ischemia/ reperfusion injury (IRI), a phenomenon central to kidney transplantation and acute kidney injury. MicroRNA- 126 (miR-126) is known to be important in maintaining vascular homeostasis by facilitating vascular regeneration and modulating the mobilization of vascular progenitor cells. Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), important in the mobilization of vascular progenitor cells, is a direct target of miR-126 and modulation of miR-126 was previously shown to affect the number of circulating Sca-1(+)/Lin(-) vascular progenitor cells in a mouse model for hind limb ischemia. Here, we assessed the in vivo contribution of miR-126 to progenitor cell mobilization and kidney function following IRI in mice. A three day follow up of blood urea levels following kidney IRI demonstrated that systemic antagomir silencing of miR-126 did not impact the loss or subsequent restoration of kidney function. However, whole kidney lysates displayed elevated gene expression levels of Sdf-1, Vegf-A and eNOS after IRI as a result of systemic silencing of miR-126. Furthermore, FACS-analysis on whole blood three days after surgery revealed a marked up regulation of the number of circulating Sca-1(+)/Lin(-) progenitor cells in the antagomir-126 treated mice, in an ischemia dependent manner. Our data indicate that silencing of miR-126 can enhance renal expression of Sdf-1 after IRI, leading to the mobilization of vascular progenitor cells into the circulation.

AIMS/OBJECTIVE:MicroRNA-126 (miR-126) facilitates angiogenesis and regulates endothelial cell function. Recent data suggest that miR-126 can serve as a biomarker for vascular disease. Although endothelial cells are enriched for miR-126, platelets also contain miR-126. In this paper, we investigated the contribution of platelets to the pool of miR-126 in plasma of patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2) and how this is affected by aspirin. METHODS AND RESULTS/RESULTS:In vitro platelet activation resulted in the transfer of miR-126 from the platelet to the plasma compartment, which was prevented by aspirin. In vivo platelet activation, monitored in patients with DM2 by measuring soluble P-selectin, correlated directly with circulating levels of miR-126. The administration of aspirin resulted both in platelet inhibition and concomitantly reduced circulating levels of platelet-derived microRNAs including miR-126. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Platelets are a major source of circulating miR-126. Consequently, in patho-physiological conditions associated with platelet activation, such as diabetes type 2, the administration of aspirin may lead to reduced levels of circulating miR-126. Thus, the use of platelet inhibitors should be taken into account when using plasma levels of miR-126 as a biomarker.

RATIONALE/BACKGROUND:RNA-binding proteins are critical post-transcriptional regulators of RNA and can influence pre-mRNA splicing, RNA localization, and stability. The RNA-binding protein Quaking (QKI) is essential for embryonic blood vessel development. However, the role of QKI in the adult vasculature, and in particular in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), is currently unknown. OBJECTIVE:We sought to determine the role of QKI in regulating adult VSMC function and plasticity. METHODS AND RESULTS/RESULTS:We identified that QKI is highly expressed by neointimal VSMCs of human coronary restenotic lesions, but not in healthy vessels. In a mouse model of vascular injury, we observed reduced neointima hyperplasia in Quaking viable mice, which have decreased QKI expression. Concordantly, abrogation of QKI attenuated fibroproliferative properties of VSMCs, while potently inducing contractile apparatus protein expression, rendering noncontractile VSMCs with the capacity to contract. We identified that QKI localizes to the spliceosome, where it interacts with the myocardin pre-mRNA and regulates the splicing of alternative exon 2a. This post-transcriptional event impacts the Myocd_v3/Myocd_v1 mRNA balance and can be modulated by mutating the quaking response element in exon 2a of myocardin. Furthermore, we identified that arterial damage triggers myocardin alternative splicing and is tightly coupled with changes in the expression levels of distinct QKI isoforms. CONCLUSIONS:We propose that QKI is a central regulator of VSMC phenotypic plasticity and that intervention in QKI activity can ameliorate pathogenic, fibroproliferative responses to vascular injury.

Atherosclerosis (also known as arteriosclerotic vascular disease) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall, characterized by the formation of lipid-laden lesions. The activation of endothelial cells at atherosclerotic lesion-prone sites in the arterial tree results in the up-regulation of cell adhesion molecules and chemokines, which mediate the recruitment of circulating monocytes. Accumulation of monocytes and monocyte-derived phagocytes in the wall of large arteries leads to chronic inflammation and the development and progression of atherosclerosis. The lesion experiences the following steps: foam cell formation, fatty streak accumulation, migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, and fibrous cap formation. Finally, the rupture of the unstable fibrous cap causes thrombosis in complications of advanced lesions that lead to unstable coronary syndromes, myocardial infarction and stroke. MicroRNAs have recently emerged as a novel class of gene regulators at the post-transcriptional level. Several functions of vascular cells, such as cell differentiation, contraction, migration, proliferation and inflammation that are involved in angiogenesis, neointimal formation and lipid metabolism underlying various vascular diseases, have been found to be regulated by microRNAs and are described in the present review as well as their potential therapeutic application.

Endothelial cells in different microvascular segments of the kidney have diverse functions and exhibit differential responsiveness to disease stimuli. The responsible molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. We previously showed that during hemorrhagic shock, VCAM-1 protein was expressed primarily in extraglomerular compartments of the kidney, while E-selectin protein was highly induced in glomeruli only (van Meurs M, Wulfert FM, Knol AJ, de Haes A, Houwertjes M, Aarts LPHJ, Molema G. Shock 29: 291-299, 2008). Here, we investigated the molecular control of expression of these endothelial cell adhesion molecules in mouse models of renal inflammation. Microvascular segment-specific responses to the induction of anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM), glomerulonephritis and systemic TNF-α treatment showed that E-selectin expression was transcriptionally regulated, with high E-selectin mRNA and protein levels preferentially expressed in the glomerular compartment. In contrast, VCAM-1 mRNA expression was increased in both arterioles and glomeruli, while VCAM-1 protein expression was limited in the glomeruli. These high VCAM-1 mRNA/low VCAM-1 protein levels were accompanied by high local microRNA (miR)-126 and Egfl7 levels, as well as higher Ets1 levels compared with arteriolar expression levels. Using miR-reporter constructs, the functional activity of miR-126 in glomerular endothelial cells could be demonstrated. Moreover, in vivo knockdown of miR-126 function unleashed VCAM-1 protein expression in the glomeruli upon inflammatory challenge. These data imply that miR-126 has a major role in the segmental, heterogenic response of renal microvascular endothelial cells to systemic inflammatory stimuli.

Endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) has been proposed to be involved in the loss of microvascular capillaries in the pathophysiology of fibrosis and organ failure. In EndoMT, endothelial cells (EC) undergo a mesenchymal transition associated with the loss of cell-cell contacts and the acquisition of a synthetic, contractile phenotype. Here, we sought to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) that could play a central role in regulating EndoMT. In a TGF-β dependent in vitro model for EndoMT, we identified miRNAs that were differentially expressed in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. These studies identified miR-155 to be significantly upregulated in EndoMT, an effect that was enhanced under hypoxia, which further augments EndoMT. Silencing of miR-155 directly increased RhoA expression and activity in endothelial cells and affected phosphorylation of downstream LIMK. In contrast, overexpression of miR-155 counteracted RhoA function. Using a selective Rho kinase inhibitor, we could partly suppress EndoMT, strengthening the notion that RhoA plays a central role in EndoMT. Forced overexpression of miR-155 completely suppressed EndoMT, as evidenced by the maintenance of EC characteristics and blocking the acquisition of a mesenchymal phenotype, as compared to control cells. Our data demonstrate that miRNA-155 functions as a negative regulator of RhoA signaling in TGF-β-induced endothelial to mesenchymal transition.