29 research outputs found
Local Gene Silencing of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 Prevents Vulnerable Plaque Disruption in Apolipoprotein E-Knockout Mice
Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), a CC chemokine (CCL2), has been demonstrated to play important roles in atherosclerosis and becoming an important therapeutic target for atherosclerosis. The present study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that local RNAi of MCP-1 by site-specific delivery of adenovirus-mediated small hairpin RNA (shRNA) may enhance plaque stability and prevent plaque disruption in ApoEâ/â mice. We designed an adenovirus-mediated shRNA against mouse MCP-1 (rAd5-MCP-1-shRNA). Male apolipoprotein E-knockout (ApoEâ/â) mice (nâ=â120) were fed a high-fat diet and vulnerable plaques were induced by perivascular placement of constrictive collars around the carotid artery, intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide and stress stimulation. Mice were randomly divided into RNA interference (Ad-MCP-1i) group receiving local treatment of rAd5-MCP-1-shRNA suspension, Ad-EGFP group receiving treatment of rAd5-mediated negative shRNA and mock group receiving treatment of saline. Two weeks after treatment, plaque disruption rates were significantly lower in the Ad-MCP-1i group than in the Ad-EGFP group (13.3% vs. 60.0%, Pâ=â0.01), and local MCP-1 expression was significantly inhibited in the Ad-MCP-1i group confirmed by immunostaining, qRT-PCR and western blot (P<0.001). Compared with the Ad-EGFP group, carotid plaques in the Ad-MCP-1i group showed increased levels of collagen and smooth muscle cells, and decreased levels of lipid and macrophages. The expression of inflammatory cytokines and activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were lower in the Ad-MCP-1i group than in the Ad-EGFP group. In conclusion, site-specific delivery of adenoviral-mediated shRNA targeting mouse MCP-1 downregulated MCP-1 expression, turned a vulnerable plaque into a more stable plaque phenotype and prevented plaque disruption. A marked suppression of the local inflammatory cytokine expression may be the central mechanism involved
Rapidly Progressive Pleuro-parenchymal Fibroelastosis Secondary to Cyclophosphamide Chemotherapy
Ultrasound Biomicroscopy for Longitudinal Studies of Carotid Plaque Development in Mice: Validation with Histological Endpoints
Banff 2019 Meeting Report: Molecular diagnostics in solid organ transplantationâConsensus for the Banff Human Organ Transplant (BâHOT) gene panel and open source multicenter validation
This meeting report from the XV Banff conference describes the creation of a multiorgan transplant gene panel by the Banff Molecular Diagnostics Working Group (MDWG). This Banff Human Organ Transplant (BâHOT) panel is the culmination of previous work by the MDWG to identify a broadly useful gene panel based on whole transcriptome technology. A dataâdriven process distilled a gene list from peerâreviewed comprehensive microarray studies that discovered and validated their use in kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplant biopsies. These were supplemented by genes that define relevant cellular pathways and cell types plus 12 reference genes used for normalization. The 770 gene BâHOT panel includes the most pertinent genes related to rejection, tolerance, viral infections, and innate and adaptive immune responses. This commercially available panel uses the NanoString platform, which can quantitate transcripts from formalinâfixed paraffinâembedded samples. The BâHOT panel will facilitate multicenter collaborative clinical research using archival samples and permit the development of an open source large database of standardized analyses, thereby expediting clinical validation studies. The MDWG believes that a pathogenesis and pathway based molecular approach will be valuable for investigators and promote therapeutic decisionâmaking and clinical trials