| 1. |
- Aldi, Silvia, et al.
(författare)
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Dual roles of heparanase in human carotid plaque calcification
- 2019
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Ingår i: Atherosclerosis. - : ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD. - 0021-9150 .- 1879-1484. ; 283, s. 127-136
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and aims: Calcification is a hallmark of advanced atherosclerosis and an active process akin to bone remodeling. Heparanase (HPSE) is an endo-beta-glucuronidase, which cleaves glycosaminoglycan chains of heparan sulfate proteoglycans. The role of HPSE is controversial in osteogenesis and bone remodeling while it is unexplored in vascular calcification. Previously, we reported upregulation of HPSE in human carotid endarterectomies from symptomatic patients and showed correlation of HPSE expression with markers of inflammation and increased thrombogenicity. The present aim is to investigate HPSE expression in relation to genes associated with osteogenesis and osteolysis and the effect of elevated HPSE expression on calcification and osteolysis in vitro.Methods: Transcriptomic and immunohistochemical analyses were performed using the Biobank of Karolinska Endarterectomies (BiKE). In vitro calcification and osteolysis were analysed in human carotid smooth muscle cells overexpressing HPSE and bone marrow-derived osteoclasts from HPSE-transgenic mice respectively.Results: HPSE expression correlated primarily with genes coupled to osteoclast differentiation and function in human carotid atheromas. HPSE was expressed in osteoclast-like cells in atherosclerotic lesions, and HPSE-transgenic bone marrow-derived osteoclasts displayed a higher osteolytic activity compared to wild-type cells. Contrarily, human carotid SMCs with an elevated HPSE expression demonstrated markedly increased mineralization upon osteogenic differentiation.Conclusions: We suggest that HPSE may have dual functions in vascular calcification, depending on the stage of the disease and presence of inflammatory cells. While HPSE plausibly enhances mineralization and osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells, it is associated with inflammation-induced osteoclast differentiation and activity in advanced atherosclerotic plaques.
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| 2. |
- Björck, Hanna M., et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of Shear-Sensitive Genes in the NormalRat Aorta Identifies Hand2 as a Major Flow-ResponsiveTranscription Factor
- 2012
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 7:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Shear forces play a key role in the maintenance of vessel wall integrity. Current understanding regarding shear-dependent gene expression is mainly based on in vitro or in vivo observations with experimentally deranged shear, hence reflecting acute molecular events in relation to flow. Our objective was to determine wall shear stress (WSS) in the rat aorta and study flow-dependent vessel wall biology under physiological conditions.Methods and Results: Animal-specific aortic WSS magnitude and vector direction were estimated using computational fluid dynamic simulation based on aortic geometry and flow information acquired by MRI. Two distinct flow pattern regions were identified in the normal rat aorta; the distal part of the inner curvature being exposed to low WSS and a non-uniform vector direction, and a region along the outer curvature being subjected to markedly higher levels of WSS and a uniform vector direction. Microarray analysis revealed a strong differential expression between the flow regions, particularly associated with transcriptional regulation. In particular, several genes related to Ca2+-signalling, inflammation, proliferation and oxidative stress were among the most highly differentially expressed.Conclusions: Microarray analysis validated the CFD-defined WSS regions in the rat aorta, and several novel flow-dependent genes were identified. The importance of these genes in relation to atherosusceptibility needs further investigation.
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| 3. |
- Brauner, Susanna, et al.
(författare)
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H1N1 vaccination in Sjogren's syndrome triggers polyclonal B cell activation and promotes autoantibody production
- 2017
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 76:10, s. 1755-1763
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesVaccination of patients with rheumatic disease has been reported to result in lower antibody titres than in healthy individuals. However, studies primarily include patients on immunosuppressive therapy. Here, we investigated the immune response of treatment-naive patients diagnosed with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) to an H1N1 influenza vaccine.Methods Patients with Sjogren's syndrome without immunomodulatory treatment and age-matched and gender-matched healthy controls were immunised with an H1N1 influenza vaccine and monitored for serological and cellular immune responses. Clinical symptoms were monitored with a standardised form. IgG class switch and plasma cell differentiation were induced in vitro in purified naive B cells of untreated and hydroxychloroquine-treated patients and healthy controls. Gene expression was assessed by NanoString technology.ResultsSurprisingly, treatment-naive patients with Sjogren's syndrome developed higher H1N1 IgG titres of greater avidity than healthy controls on vaccination. Notably, off-target B cells were also triggered resulting in increased anti-EBV and autoantibody titres. Endosomal toll-like receptor activation of naive B cells in vitro revealed a greater propensity of patient-derived cells to differentiate into plasmablasts and higher production of class switched IgG. The amplified plasma cell differentiation and class switch could be induced in cells from healthy donors by preincubation with type 1 interferon, but was abolished in hydroxychloroquine-treated patients and after in vitro exposure of naive B cells to chloroquine.ConclusionsThis comprehensive analysis of the immune response in autoimmune patients to exogenous stimulation identifies a mechanistic basis for the B cell hyperactivity in Sjogren's syndrome, and suggests that caution is warranted when considering vaccination in non-treated autoimmune patients.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Donovan, Killian, et al.
(författare)
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Fibroblast Growth Factor-23 and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases A Mendelian Randomization Study
- 2023
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Ingår i: American Society of Nephrology. Clinical Journal. - : Wolters Kluwer. - 1555-9041 .- 1555-905X. ; 18:1, s. 17-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) is associated with a range of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular diseases in conventional epidemiological studies, but substantial residual confounding may exist. Mendelian randomization approaches can help control for such confounding.Methods SCALLOP Consortium data of 19,195 participants were used to generate an FGF-23 genetic score. Data from 337,448 UK Biobank participants were used to estimate associations between higher genetically predicted FGF-23 concentration and the odds of any atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (n=26,266 events), nonatherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (n=12,652), and noncardiovascular diseases previously linked to FGF-23. Measurements of carotid intima-media thickness and left ventricular mass were available in a subset. Associations with cardiovascular outcomes were also tested in three large case-control consortia: CARDIOGRAMplusC4D (coronary artery disease, n=181,249 cases), MEGASTROKE (stroke, n=34,217), and HERMES (heart failure, n=47,309).Results We identified 34 independent variants for circulating FGF-23, which formed a validated genetic score. There were no associations between genetically predicted FGF-23 and any of the cardiovascular or non cardiovascular outcomes. In UK Biobank, the odds ratio (OR) for any atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease per 1-SD higher genetically predicted logFGF-23 was 1.03 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.98 to 1.08), and for any nonatherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, it was 1.01 (95% CI, 0.94 to 1.09). The ORs in the case-control consortia were 1.00 (95% CI, 0.97 to 1.03) for coronary artery disease, 1.01 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.07) for stroke, and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.05) for heart failure. In those with imaging, logFGF-23 was not associated with carotid or cardiac abnormalities.Conclusions Genetically predicted FGF-23 levels are not associated with atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, suggesting no important causal link.
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| 6. |
- Folkersen, Lasse, et al.
(författare)
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Association of genetic risk variants with expression of proximal genes identifies novel susceptibility genes for cardiovascular disease
- 2010
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Ingår i: Circulation. - 1942-325X .- 1942-3268. ; 3:4, s. 365-373
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Population-based genome-wide association studies have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with cardiovascular disease or its risk factors. Genes in close proximity to these risk-SNPs are often thought to be pathogenetically important based on their location alone. However, the actual connections between SNPs and disease mechanisms remain largely unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: To identify novel susceptibility genes, we investigated how 166 SNPs previously found to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk and/or predisposing metabolic traits relate to the expression of nearby genes. Gene expression in 577 samples of aorta, liver, mammary artery, and carotid atherosclerotic plaque was measured using expression arrays. For 47 SNPs, the expression levels of proximal genes (located within 200 kb) were affected (P<0.005). More than 20 of these genes had not previously been identified as candidate genes for cardiovascular or related metabolic traits. SNP-associated gene effects were tissue-specific and the tissue specificity was phenotype-dependent. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates several instances of association between risk-SNPs and genes immediately adjacent to them. It also demonstrates instances in which the associated gene is not the immediately proximal and obvious candidate gene for disease. This shows the necessity of careful studies of genetic marker data as a first step toward application of genome-wide association studies findings in a clinical setting.
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| 7. |
- Folkersen, Lasse, et al.
(författare)
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Genomic and drug target evaluation of 90 cardiovascular proteins in 30,931 individuals.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature metabolism. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2522-5812. ; 2:10, s. 1135-1148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Circulating proteins are vital in human health and disease and are frequently used as biomarkers for clinical decision-making or as targets for pharmacological intervention. Here, we map and replicate protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) for 90 cardiovascular proteins in over 30,000 individuals, resulting in 451 pQTLs for 85 proteins. For each protein, we further perform pathway mapping to obtain trans-pQTL gene and regulatory designations. We substantiate these regulatory findings with orthogonal evidence for trans-pQTLs using mouse knockdown experiments (ABCA1 and TRIB1) and clinical trial results (chemokine receptors CCR2 and CCR5), with consistent regulation. Finally, we evaluate known drug targets, and suggest new target candidates or repositioning opportunities using Mendelian randomization. This identifies 11 proteins with causal evidence of involvement in human disease that have not previously been targeted, including EGF, IL-16, PAPPA, SPON1, F3, ADM, CASP-8, CHI3L1, CXCL16, GDF15 and MMP-12. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the utility of large-scale mapping of the genetics of the proteome and provide a resource for future precision studies of circulating proteins in human health.
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| 8. |
- Folkersen, Lasse, et al.
(författare)
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Integration of known DNA, RNA and protein biomarkers provides prediction of anti-TNF response in rheumatoid arthritis : results from the COMBINE study.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Molecular Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1076-1551 .- 1528-3658. ; 22, s. 322-328
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) several recent efforts have sought to discover means of predicting which patients would benefit from treatment. However, results have been discrepant with few successful replications. Our objective was to build a biobank with DNA, RNA and protein measurements to test the claim that the current state-of-the-art precision medicine will benefit RA patients.METHODS: We collected 451 blood samples from 61 healthy individuals and 185 RA patients initiating treatment, before treatment initiation and at a 3 month follow-up time. All samples were subjected to high-throughput RNA sequencing, DNA genotyping, extensive proteomics and flow cytometry measurements, as well as comprehensive clinical phenotyping. Literature review identified 2 proteins, 52 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 72 gene-expression biomarkers that had previously been proposed as predictors of TNF inhibitor response (∆DAS28-CRP).RESULTS: From these published TNFi biomarkers we found that 2 protein, 2 SNP and 8 mRNA biomarkers could be replicated in the 59 TNF initiating patients. Combining these replicated biomarkers into a single signature we found that we could explain 51% of the variation in ∆DAS28-CRP. This corresponds to a sensitivity of 0.73 and specificity of 0.78 for the prediction of three month ∆DAS28-CRP better than -1.2.CONCLUSIONS: The COMBINE biobank is currently the largest collection of multi-omics data from RA patients with high potential for discovery and replication. Taking advantage of this we surveyed the current state-of-the-art of drug-response stratification in RA, and identified a small set of previously published biomarkers available in peripheral blood which predicts clinical response to TNF blockade in this independent cohort.
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| 9. |
- Folkersen, Lasse, et al.
(författare)
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Mapping of 79 loci for 83 plasma protein biomarkers in cardiovascular disease
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLOS Genetics. - : PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. - 1553-7390 .- 1553-7404. ; 13:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent advances in highly multiplexed immunoassays have allowed systematic large-scale measurement of hundreds of plasma proteins in large cohort studies. In combination with genotyping, such studies offer the prospect to 1) identify mechanisms involved with regulation of protein expression in plasma, and 2) determine whether the plasma proteins are likely to be causally implicated in disease. We report here the results of genome-wide association (GWA) studies of 83 proteins considered relevant to cardiovascular disease (CVD), measured in 3,394 individuals with multiple CVD risk factors. We identified 79 genome-wide significant (p<5e-8) association signals, 55 of which replicated at P<0.0007 in separate validation studies (n = 2,639 individuals). Using automated text mining, manual curation, and network-based methods incorporating information on expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), we propose plausible causal mechanisms for 25 trans-acting loci, including a potential post-translational regulation of stem cell factor by matrix metalloproteinase 9 and receptor-ligand pairs such as RANK-RANK ligand. Using public GWA study data, we further evaluate all 79 loci for their causal effect on coronary artery disease, and highlight several potentially causal associations. Overall, a majority of the plasma proteins studied showed evidence of regulation at the genetic level. Our results enable future studies of the causal architecture of human disease, which in turn should aid discovery of new drug targets.
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| 10. |
- Folkersen, Lasse
(författare)
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Phenotype and genotype effects on the transcriptome in cardiovascular disease : tools to identify candidate genes
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overarching purpose of this thesis was to investigate the expression of human genes and how they relate to cardiovascular disease. This was pursued through five papers, each of which investigated different aspects of gene expression. Paper I improved the technology for extracting gene expression information from microarrays. Its main purpose was to introduce the software package GeneRegionScan, which was developed for analysis of genomic regions with inaccurate annotation. Paper II explored the genomic region surrounding the first identified single‐ nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associated with cardiovascular disease. The purpose of the paper was to investigate transcript isoforms of the regional genes and their association to the risk‐SNPs in the region. Eight new transcript isoforms were introduced, but no pattern of association with genotype was observed. Paper III extended the methods of paper II, by expanding the search to 166 risk‐ SNPs known at the time. For each of these SNPs, it was hypothesized that one or more proximal genes had expression levels that were associated to the genotype of the SNP in question. It was reported that 47 of the SNPs had such genes, thus progressing from risk‐SNPs towards risk‐genes. In addition the paper introduced new concepts on distance between gene and risk SNP and on the tissue‐ specificity of associations. Paper IV investigated the gene expression pattern of thoracic aortic aneurysm. It had previously been observed that patients with congenital bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) had increased severity and earlier onset age of aneurysm, when compared to patients with the normal tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). A fundamentally differing gene expression profile was observed between these two patient groups, and a possible immunological involvement in TAV patients was reported. Paper V asked if the high‐throughput methods of genomics and transcriptomics could be applied towards better prediction of future ischemic events in patients with established atherosclerosis. Risk‐SNP profiles, gene expression profiles of circulating blood cells, and gene expression profiles of carotid plaque samples were utilized. Particularly gene expression profiles of carotid plaque provided improved prediction above that of the established risk markers of serum lipids, gender, age and smoking.
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