Hydrodynamic Regulation of Monocyte Inflammatory Response to an Intracellular Pathogen

Systemic bacterial infections elicit inflammatory response that promotes acute or chronic complications such as sepsis, arthritis or atherosclerosis. Of interest, cells in circulation experience hydrodynamic shear forces, which have been shown to be a potent regulator of cellular function in the vasculature and play an important role in maintaining tissue homeostasis. In this study, we have examined the effect of shear forces due to blood flow in modulating the inflammatory response of cells to infection. Using an in vitro model, we analyzed the effects of physiological levels of shear stress on the inflammatory response of monocytes infected with chlamydia, an intracellular pathogen which causes bronchitis and is implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. We found that chlamydial infection alters the morphology of monocytes and trigger the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-8, IL-1β and IL-6. We also found that the exposure of chlamydia-infected monocytes to short durations of arterial shear stress significantly enhances the secretion of cytokines in a time-dependent manner and the expression of surface adhesion molecule ICAM-1. As a functional consequence, infection and shear stress increased monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells under flow and in the activation and aggregation of platelets. Overall, our study demonstrates that shear stress enhances the inflammatory response of monocytes to infection, suggesting that mechanical forces may contribute to disease pathophysiology. These results provide a novel perspective on our understanding of systemic infection and inflammation

A statin-dependent QTL for GATM expression is associated with statin-induced myopathy

Statins are widely prescribed for lowering plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) concentrations and cardiovascular disease risk(1), but there is considerable interindividual variation in treatment response(2,3) and increasing concern regarding the potential for adverse effects, including myopathy(4) and type 2 diabetes(5). Despite evidence for substantial genetic influence on LDL concentrations(6), pharmacogenomic trials have failed to identify genetic variations with large effects on either statin efficacy(7-9) or toxicity(10), and have yielded little information regarding mechanisms that modulate statin response. Here we identify a downstream target of statin treatment by screening for the effects of in vitro statin exposure on genetic associations with gene expression levels in lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from 480 participants of a clinical trial of simvastatin treatment(7). This analysis identified six expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) that interacted with simvastatin exposure including rs9806699, a cis-eQTL for the gene GATM that encodes glycine amidinotransferase, a rate-limiting enzyme in creatine synthesis. We found this locus to be associated with incidence of statin-induced myotoxicity in two separate populations (meta-analysis odds ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval = 0.45-0.81, P=6.0×10(-4)). Furthermore, we found that GATM knockdown in hepatocyte-derived cell lines attenuated transcriptional response to sterol depletion, demonstrating that GATM may act as a functional link between statin-mediated cholesterol lowering and susceptibility to statin-induced myopathy