- Browse by Author
Browsing by Author "Wang, Xue"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Fibroblast GATA-4 and GATA-6 promote myocardial adaptation to pressure overload by enhancing cardiac angiogenesis(Springer, 2021-04-19) Dittrich, Gesine M.; Froese, Natali; Wang, Xue; Kroeger, Hannah; Wang, Honghui; Szaroszyk, Malgorzata; Malek‑Mohammadi, Mona; Cordero, Julio; Keles, Merve; Korf‑Klingebiel, Mortimer; Wollert, Kai C.; Geffers, Robert; Mayr, Manuel; Conway, Simon J.; Dobreva, Gergana; Bauersachs, Johann; Heineke, Joerg; Pediatrics, School of MedicineHeart failure due to high blood pressure or ischemic injury remains a major problem for millions of patients worldwide. Despite enormous advances in deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying heart failure progression, the cell-type specific adaptations and especially intercellular signaling remain poorly understood. Cardiac fibroblasts express high levels of cardiogenic transcription factors such as GATA-4 and GATA-6, but their role in fibroblasts during stress is not known. Here, we show that fibroblast GATA-4 and GATA-6 promote adaptive remodeling in pressure overload induced cardiac hypertrophy. Using a mouse model with specific single or double deletion of Gata4 and Gata6 in stress activated fibroblasts, we found a reduced myocardial capillarization in mice with Gata4/6 double deletion following pressure overload, while single deletion of Gata4 or Gata6 had no effect. Importantly, we confirmed the reduced angiogenic response using an in vitro co-culture system with Gata4/6 deleted cardiac fibroblasts and endothelial cells. A comprehensive RNA-sequencing analysis revealed an upregulation of anti-angiogenic genes upon Gata4/6 deletion in fibroblasts, and siRNA mediated downregulation of these genes restored endothelial cell growth. In conclusion, we identified a novel role for the cardiogenic transcription factors GATA-4 and GATA-6 in heart fibroblasts, where both proteins act in concert to promote myocardial capillarization and heart function by directing intercellular crosstalk.Item Genome-wide association study of brain biochemical phenotypes reveals distinct genetic architecture of Alzheimer's disease related proteins(BMC, 2023-01-07) Oatman, Stephanie R.; Reddy, Joseph S.; Quicksall, Zachary; Carrasquillo, Minerva M.; Wang, Xue; Liu, Chia‑Chen; Yamazaki, Yu; Nguyen, Thuy T.; Malphrus, Kimberly; Heckman, Michael; Biswas, Kristi; Nho, Kwangsik; Baker, Matthew; Martens, Yuka A.; Zhao, Na; Kim, Jun Pyo; Risacher, Shannon L.; Rademakers, Rosa; Saykin, Andrew J.; DeTure, Michael; Murray, Melissa E.; Kanekiyo, Takahisa; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative; Dickson, Dennis W.; Bu, Guojun; Allen, Mariet; Ertekin‑Taner, Nilüfer; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineBackground: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is neuropathologically characterized by amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The main protein components of these hallmarks include Aβ40, Aβ42, tau, phosphor-tau, and APOE. We hypothesize that genetic variants influence the levels and solubility of these AD-related proteins in the brain; identifying these may provide key insights into disease pathogenesis. Methods: Genome-wide genotypes were collected from 441 AD cases, imputed to the haplotype reference consortium (HRC) panel, and filtered for quality and frequency. Temporal cortex levels of five AD-related proteins from three fractions, buffer-soluble (TBS), detergent-soluble (Triton-X = TX), and insoluble (Formic acid = FA), were available for these same individuals. Variants were tested for association with each quantitative biochemical measure using linear regression, and GSA-SNP2 was used to identify enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Implicated variants and genes were further assessed for association with other relevant variables. Results: We identified genome-wide significant associations at seven novel loci and the APOE locus. Genes and variants at these loci also associate with multiple AD-related measures, regulate gene expression, have cell-type specific enrichment, and roles in brain health and other neuropsychiatric diseases. Pathway analysis identified significant enrichment of shared and distinct biological pathways. Conclusions: Although all biochemical measures tested reflect proteins core to AD pathology, our results strongly suggest that each have unique genetic architecture and biological pathways that influence their specific biochemical states in the brain. Our novel approach of deep brain biochemical endophenotype GWAS has implications for pathophysiology of proteostasis in AD that can guide therapeutic discovery efforts focused on these proteins.Item Genome-wide transcriptome analysis identifies novel dysregulated genes implicated in Alzheimer's pathology(Wiley, 2020-08-05) Nho, Kwangsik; Nudelman, Kelly; Allen, Mariet; Hodges, Angela; Kim, Sungeun; Risacher, Shannon L.; Apostolova, Liana G.; Lin, Kuang; Lunnon, Katie; Wang, Xue; Burgess, Jeremy D.; Ertekin-Taner, Nilüfer; Petersen, Ronald C.; Wang, Lisu; Qi, Zhenhao; He, Aiqing; Neuhaus, Isaac; Patel, Vishal; Foroud, Tatiana; Faber, Kelley M.; Lovestone, Simon; Simmons, Andrew; Weiner, Michael W.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of MedicineINTRODUCTION: Abnormal gene expression patterns may contribute to the onset and progression of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD). METHODS: We performed transcriptome-wide meta-analysis (N=1,440) of blood-based microarray gene expression profiles as well as neuroimaging and CSF endophenotype analysis. RESULTS: We identified and replicated five genes (CREB5, CD46, TMBIM6, IRAK3, and RPAIN) as significantly dysregulated in LOAD. The most significantly altered gene, CREB5, was also associated with brain atrophy and increased amyloid-β accumulation, especially in the entorhinal cortex region. cis-eQTL mapping analysis of CREB5 detected five significant associations (p<5x10−8), where rs56388170 (most significant) was also significantly associated with global cortical amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition measured by [18F]Florbetapir PET and CSF Aβ1-42. DISCUSSION: RNA from peripheral blood indicated a differential gene expression pattern in LOAD. Genes identified have been implicated in biological processes relevant to AD. CREB, in particular, plays a key role in nervous system development, cell survival, plasticity and learning and memory.Item Inactivation of Sox9 in fibroblasts reduces cardiac fibrosis and inflammation(American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2019-07-16) Scharf, Gesine M.; Kilian, Katja; Cordero, Julio; Wang, Yong; Grund, Andrea; Hofmann, Melanie; Froese, Natali; Wang, Xue; Kispert, Andreas; Kist, Ralf; Conway, Simon J.; Geffers, Robert; Wollert, Kai C.; Dobreva, Gergana; Bauersachs, Johann; Heineke, Joerg; Pediatrics, School of MedicineFibrotic scarring drives the progression of heart failure after myocardial infarction (MI). Therefore, the development of specific treatment regimens to counteract fibrosis is of high clinical relevance. The transcription factor SOX9 functions as an important regulator during embryogenesis, but recent data point towards an additional causal role in organ fibrosis. We show here that SOX9 is upregulated in the scar after MI in mice. Fibroblast specific deletion of Sox9 ameliorated MI-induced left ventricular dysfunction, dilatation and myocardial scarring in vivo. Unexpectedly, deletion of Sox9 also potently eliminated persisting leukocyte infiltration of the scar in the chronic phase after MI. RNA-sequencing from the infarct scar revealed that Sox9 deletion in fibroblasts resulted in strongly downregulated expression of genes related to extracellular matrix, proteolysis and inflammation. Importantly, Sox9 deletion in isolated cardiac fibroblasts in vitro similarly affected gene expression as in the cardiac scar and reduced fibroblast proliferation, migration and contraction capacity. Together, our data demonstrate that fibroblast SOX9 functions as a master regulator of cardiac fibrosis and inflammation and might constitute a novel therapeutic target during MI.Item Parkinson‐like early autonomic dysfunction induced by vagal application of DOPAL in rats(Wiley, 2021) Sun, Jie; He, Chao; Yan, Qiu-Xin; Wang, Hong-Dan; Li, Ke-Xin; Sun, Xun; Feng, Yan; Zha, Rong-Rong; Cui, Chang-Peng; Xiong, Xue; Gao, Shan; Wang, Xue; Yin, Rui-Xue; Qiao, Guo-Fen; Li, Bai-Yan; Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and TechnologyAim: To understand why autonomic failures, a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), occur earlier than typical motor disorders. Methods: Vagal application of DOPAL (3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde) to simulate PD-like autonomic dysfunction and understand the connection between PD and cardiovascular dysfunction. Molecular and morphological approaches were employed to test the time-dependent alternation of α-synuclein aggregation and the ultrastructure changes in the heart and nodose (NG)/nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). Results: Blood pressure (BP) and baroreflex sensitivity of DOPAL-treated rats were significantly reduced accompanied with a time-dependent change in orthostatic BP, consistent with altered echocardiography and cardiomyocyte mitochondrial ultrastructure. Notably, time-dependent and collaborated changes in Mon-/Tri-α-synuclein were paralleled with morphological alternation in the NG and NTS. Conclusion: These all demonstrate that early autonomic dysfunction mediated by vagal application of DOPAL highly suggests the plausible etiology of PD initiated from peripheral, rather than central site. It will provide a scientific basis for the prevention and early diagnosis of PD.