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Human endothelial circulating progenitor cells (CPCs) can differentiate to cardiomyogenic cells during co-culture with neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Wnt proteins induce myogenic specification and cardiac myogenesis. Here, we elucidated the effect of Wnts on differentiation of CPCs to cardiomyogenic cells. CPCs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from healthy volunteers and co-cultured with neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. 6–10 days after co-culture, cardiac differentiation was determined by α-sarcomeric actinin staining of human lymphocyte antigen-positive cells (fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis) and mRNA expression of human myosin heavy chain and atrial natriuretic peptide. Supplementation of co-cultures with Wnt11-conditioned medium significantly enhanced the differentiation of CPCs to cardiomyocytes (1.7 ± 0.3-fold), whereas Wnt3A-conditioned medium showed no effect. Cell fusion was not affected by Wnt11-conditioned medium. Because Wnts inhibit glycogen synthase kinase-3β, we further determined whether the glycogen synthase kinase-3β inhibitor LiCl also enhanced cardiac differentiation of CPCs. However, LiCl (10 mm) did not affect CPC differentiation. In contrast, Wnt11-conditioned medium time-dependently activated protein kinase C (PKC). Moreover, the PKC inhibitors bisindolylmaleimide I and III significantly blocked differentiation of CPCs to cardiomyocytes. PKC activation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate significantly increased CPC differentiation to a similar extent as compared with Wnt11-conditioned medium. Our data demonstrate that Wnt11, but not Wnt3A, augments cardiomyogenic differentiation of human CPCs. Wnt11 promotes cardiac differentiation via the non-canonical PKC-dependent signaling pathway.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) emerged as key regulators of gene expression. Germline hemizygous deletion of the gene that encodes the miR-17~92 miRNA cluster was associated with microcephaly, short stature and digital abnormalities in humans. Mice deficient for the miR-17~92 cluster phenocopy several features such as growth and skeletal development defects and exhibit impaired B cell development. However, the individual contribution of miR-17~92 cluster members to this phenotype is unknown. Here we show that germline deletion of miR-92a in mice is not affecting heart development and does not reduce circulating or bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cells, but induces skeletal defects. MiR-92a−/− mice are born at a reduced Mendelian ratio, but surviving mice are viable and fertile. However, body weight of miR-92a−/− mice was reduced during embryonic and postnatal development and adulthood. A significantly reduced body and skull length was observed in miR-92a−/− mice compared to wild type littermates. µCT analysis revealed that the length of the 5th mesophalanx to 5th metacarpal bone of the forelimbs was significantly reduced, but bones of the hindlimbs were not altered. Bone density was not affected. These findings demonstrate that deletion of miR-92a is sufficient to induce a developmental skeletal defect.
Background: The angiogenic function of endothelial cells is regulated by numerous mechanisms, but the impact of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has hardly been studied. We set out to identify novel and functionally important endothelial lncRNAs.
Methods: Epigenetically controlled lncRNAs in human umbilical vein endothelial cells were searched by exon-array analysis after knockdown of the histone demethylase JARID1B. Molecular mechanisms were investigated by RNA pulldown and immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, microarray, several knockdown approaches, CRISPR-Cas9, assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing, and chromatin immunoprecipitation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Patient samples from lung and tumors were studied for MANTIS expression.
Results: A search for epigenetically controlled endothelial lncRNAs yielded lncRNA n342419, here termed MANTIS, as the most strongly regulated lncRNA. Controlled by the histone demethylase JARID1B, MANTIS was downregulated in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and in rats treated with monocrotaline, whereas it was upregulated in carotid arteries of Macaca fascicularis subjected to atherosclerosis regression diet, and in endothelial cells isolated from human glioblastoma patients. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion or silencing of MANTIS with small interfering RNAs or GapmeRs inhibited angiogenic sprouting and alignment of endothelial cells in response to shear stress. Mechanistically, the nuclear-localized MANTIS lncRNA interacted with BRG1, the catalytic subunit of the switch/sucrose nonfermentable chromatin-remodeling complex. This interaction was required for nucleosome remodeling by keeping the ATPase function of BRG1 active. Thereby, the transcription of key endothelial genes such as SOX18, SMAD6, and COUP-TFII was regulated by ensuring efficient RNA polymerase II machinery binding.
Conclusion: MANTIS is a differentially regulated novel lncRNA facilitating endothelial angiogenic function.
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) contribute to cardiac (patho)physiology. Aging is the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease with cardiomyocyte apoptosis as one underlying cause. Here, we report the identification of the aging-regulated lncRNA Sarrah (ENSMUST00000140003) that is anti-apoptotic in cardiomyocytes. Importantly, loss of SARRAH (OXCT1-AS1) in human engineered heart tissue results in impaired contractile force development. SARRAH directly binds to the promoters of genes downregulated after SARRAH silencing via RNA-DNA triple helix formation and cardiomyocytes lacking the triple helix forming domain of Sarrah show an increase in apoptosis. One of the direct SARRAH targets is NRF2, and restoration of NRF2 levels after SARRAH silencing partially rescues the reduction in cell viability. Overexpression of Sarrah in mice shows better recovery of cardiac contractile function after AMI compared to control mice. In summary, we identified the anti-apoptotic evolutionary conserved lncRNA Sarrah, which is downregulated by aging, as a regulator of cardiomyocyte survival.
Objective: The NADPH oxidase Nox4 is an important source of H2O2. Nox4-derived H2O2 limits vascular inflammation and promotes smooth muscle differentiation. On this basis, the role of Nox4 for restenosis development was determined in the mouse carotid artery injury model. Methods and results: Genetic deletion of Nox4 by a tamoxifen-activated Cre-Lox-system did not impact on neointima formation in the carotid artery wire injury model. To understand this unexpected finding, time-resolved single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq) from injured carotid arteries of control mice and massive-analysis-of-cDNA-ends (MACE)-RNAseq from the neointima harvested by laser capture microdissection of control and Nox4 knockout mice was performed. This revealed that resting smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and fibroblasts exhibit high Nox4 expression, but that the proliferating de-differentiated SMCs, which give rise to the neointima, have low Nox4 expression. In line with this, the first weeks after injury, gene expression was unchanged between the carotid artery neointimas of control and Nox4 knockout mice. Conclusion: Upon vascular injury, Nox4 expression is transiently lost in the cells which comprise the neointima. NADPH oxidase 4 therefore does not interfere with restenosis development after wire-induced vascular injury.