Leducq Transatlantic Network on Clonal Hematopoiesis and Atherosclerosis

Relevant funding for this work comes from the Leducq Foundation (TNE-18CVD04)

Clonal hematopoiesis in cardiovascular disease and therapeutic implications.

Clonal hematopoiesis arises from somatic mutations that provide a fitness advantage to hematopoietic stem cells and the outgrowth of clones of blood cells. Clonal hematopoiesis commonly involves mutations in genes that are involved in epigenetic modifications, signaling and DNA damage repair. Clonal hematopoiesis has emerged as a major independent risk factor in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, thrombosis and heart failure. Studies in mouse models of clonal hematopoiesis have shown an increase in atherosclerosis, thrombosis and heart failure, involving increased myeloid cell inflammatory responses and inflammasome activation. Although increased inflammatory responses have emerged as a common underlying principle, some recent studies indicate mutation-specific effects. The discovery of the association of clonal hematopoiesis with cardiovascular disease and the recent demonstration of benefit of anti-inflammatory treatments in human cardiovascular disease converge to suggest that anti-inflammatory treatments should be directed to individuals with clonal hematopoiesis. Such treatments could target specific inflammasomes, common downstream mediators such as IL-1β and IL-6, or mutations linked to clonal hematopoiesis.A.T. and J.J.F. are supported by a grant from the Leducq Foundation (TNE-18CVD04). A.T. is supported by NIH grant 155431. We thank M. A. Zuriaga for assistance with figure design.S

Cholesterol efflux pathways, inflammation, and atherosclerosis

Plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) inversely correlate with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The causal relationship between plasma HDL-cholesterol levels and CVD has been called into question by Mendelian randomization studies and the majority of clinical trials not showing any benefit of plasma HDL-cholesterol raising drugs on CVD. Nonetheless, recent Mendelian randomization studies including an increased number of CVD cases compared to earlier studies have confirmed that HDL-cholesterol levels and CVD are causally linked. Moreover, several studies in large population cohorts have shown that the cholesterol efflux capacity of HDL inversely correlates with CVD. Cholesterol efflux pathways exert anti-inflammatory and antiatherogenic effects by suppressing proliferation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and inflammation and inflammasome activation in macrophages. Cholesterol efflux pathways also suppress the accumulation of cholesteryl esters in macrophages, i.e. macrophage foam cell formation. Recent single-cell RNASeq studies on atherosclerotic plaques have suggested that macrophage foam cells have lower expression of inflammatory genes than non-foam cells, probably reflecting liver X receptor activation, upregulation of ATP Binding Cassette A1 and G1 cholesterol transporters and suppression of inflammation. However, when these pathways are defective lesional foam cells may become pro-inflammatory

Atherosclerosis: Successes, Surprises, and Future Challenges

This new compendium of 16 articles "reviews the current state-of-the-art of atherosclerosis research spanning from a global health perspective to fundamental molecular mechanisms. The editors intend this collection of articles not only to celebrate the successes but also to highlight the emerging challenges to many tenets of belief that have emerged from recent studies. We do so in the spirit of inspiring future research to attack the unresolved questions and to exploit the newer discoveries that have opened unanticipated horizons of understanding and raised novel questions and opportunities for therapies.

Cholesterol accumulation in macrophages drives NETosis in atherosclerotic plaques via IL-1β secretion

OBJECTIVE: Neutrophil extracellular trap formation (NETosis) increases atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability and athero-thrombosis. However, mechanisms promoting NETosis during atherogenesis are poorly understood. We have shown that cholesterol accumulation due to myeloid cell deficiency of the cholesterol transporters ATP Binding Cassette A1 and G1 (ABCA1/G1) promotes NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages and neutrophils and induces prominent NETosis in atherosclerotic plaques. We investigated whether NETosis is a cell intrinsic effect in neutrophils or is mediated indirectly by cellular crosstalk from macrophages to neutrophils involving IL-1β.METHODS AND RESULTS: We generated mice with neutrophil or macrophage-specific Abca1/g1 deficiency (S100A8CreAbca1fl/flAbcg1fl/fl or CX3CR1CreAbca1fl/flAbcg1fl/fl mice, respectively), and transplanted their bone marrow into low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice. We then fed the mice a cholesterol-rich diet. Macrophage, but not neutrophil Abca1/g1 deficiency activated inflammasomes in macrophages and neutrophils, reflected by caspase-1 cleavage, and induced NETosis in plaques. NETosis was suppressed by administering an interleukin (IL)-1β neutralizing antibody. The extent of NETosis in plaques correlated strongly with the degree of neutrophil accumulation, irrespective of blood neutrophil counts, and neutrophil accumulation was decreased by IL-1β antagonism. In vitro, IL-1β or media transferred from Abca1/g1 deficient macrophages increased NETosis in both control and Abca1/Abcg1 deficient neutrophils. This cell-extrinsic effect of IL-1β on NETosis was blocked by an NLRP3 inhibitor.CONCLUSIONS: These studies establish a new link between inflammasome mediated IL-1β production in macrophages and NETosis in atherosclerotic plaques. Macrophage-derived IL-1β appears to increase NETosis both by increasing neutrophil recruitment to plaques and by promoting neutrophil NLRP3 inflammasome activation.</p

Lymphatic vasculature mediates macrophage reverse cholesterol transport in mice

Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) refers to the mobilization of cholesterol on HDL particles (HDL-C) from extravascular tissues to plasma, ultimately for fecal excretion. Little is known about how HDL-C leaves peripheral tissues to reach plasma. We first used 2 models of disrupted lymphatic drainage from skin — 1 surgical and the other genetic — to quantitatively track RCT following injection of [3H]-cholesterol–loaded macrophages upstream of blocked or absent lymphatic vessels. Macrophage RCT was markedly impaired in both models, even at sites with a leaky vasculature. Inhibited RCT was downstream of cholesterol efflux from macrophages, since macrophage efflux of a fluorescent cholesterol analog (BODIPY-cholesterol) was not altered by impaired lymphatic drainage. We next addressed whether RCT was mediated by lymphatic vessels from the aortic wall by loading the aortae of donor atherosclerotic Apoe-deficient mice with [2H]6-labeled cholesterol and surgically transplanting these aortae into recipient Apoe-deficient mice that were treated with anti-VEGFR3 antibody to block lymphatic regrowth or with control antibody to allow such regrowth. [2H]-Cholesterol was retained in aortae of anti–VEGFR3-treated mice. Thus, the lymphatic vessel route is critical for RCT from multiple tissues, including the aortic wall. These results suggest that supporting lymphatic transport function may facilitate cholesterol clearance in therapies aimed at reversing atherosclerosis

Suppression of IL-1β Promotes Beneficial Accumulation of Fibroblast-Like Cells in Atherosclerotic Plaques in Clonal Hematopoiesis

Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Murine models of CH suggest a central role of inflammasomes and IL-1β in accelerated atherosclerosis and plaque destabilization. Here we show using single-cell RNA sequencing in human carotid plaques that inflammasome components are enriched in macrophages, while the receptor for IL-1β is enriched in fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). To address the role of inflammatory crosstalk in features of plaque destabilization, we conducted SMC fate mapping in Ldlr-/- mice modeling Jak2VF or Tet2 CH treated with IL-1β antibodies. Unexpectedly, this treatment minimally affected SMC differentiation, leading instead to a prominent expansion of fibroblast-like cells. Depletion of fibroblasts from mice treated with IL-1β antibody resulted in thinner fibrous caps. Conversely, genetic inactivation of Jak2VF during plaque regression promoted fibroblast accumulation and fibrous cap thickening. Our studies suggest that suppression of inflammasomes promotes plaque stabilization by recruiting fibroblast-like cells to the fibrous cap

ATP-binding cassette transporter A7 enhances phagocytosis of apoptotic cells and associated ERK signaling in macrophages

The mammalian ATP-binding cassette transporters A1 and A7 (ABCA1 and -A7) show sequence similarity to CED-7, a Caenorhabditis elegans gene that mediates the clearance of apoptotic cells. Using RNA interference or gene targeting, we show that knock down of macrophage ABCA7 but not -A1 results in defective engulfment of apoptotic cells. In response to apoptotic cells, ABCA7 moves to the macrophage cell surface and colocalizes with the low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein 1 (LRP1) in phagocytic cups. The cell surface localization of ABCA7 and LRP1 is defective in ABCA7-deficient cells. C1q is an opsonin of apoptotic cells that acts via phagocyte LRP1 to induce extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. We show that ERK signaling is required for phagocytosis of apoptotic cells and that ERK phosphorylation in response to apoptotic cells or C1q is defective in ABCA7-deficient cells. These studies reveal a major role of ABCA7 and not -A1 in the clearance of apoptotic cells and therefore suggest that ABCA7 is an authentic orthologue of CED-7

Cholesterol-induced Apoptotic Macrophages Elicit an Inflammatory Response in Phagocytes, Which Is Partially Attenuated by the Mer Receptor

Macrophage apoptosis and the ability of phagocytes to clear these apoptotic cells are important processes in advanced atherosclerosis. Phagocytic clearance not only disposes of dead cells but usually elicits an anti-inflammatory response. To study this process in a model of advanced lesional macrophage death, macrophages rendered apoptotic by free cholesterol loading (FC-AMs) were incubated briefly with fresh macrophages ("phagocytes"). FC-AMs were promptly ingested by the phagocytes, which was dependent upon actin polymerization and the phagocyte Mer receptor. Surprisingly, this brief exposure to FC-AMs triggered a modest proinflammatory response in the phagocytes: tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] (TNF-[alpha]) and interleukin (IL)-1[beta] were induced, whereas the levels of transforming growth factor-[beta] and IL-10 were not increased. This response required cell contact between the FC-AMs and phagocytes but not FC-AM ingestion. TNF-[alpha] and IL-1[beta] induction required one or more proteins on the FC-AM surface and was dependent on signaling through extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear factor-[kappa]B in the phagocytes. TNF-[alpha] production was markedly greater when Mer-defective phagocytes were used, indicating that Mer attenuated the inflammatory response. Interestingly, a more typical anti-inflammatory response was elicited when phagocytes were exposed to macrophages rendered apoptotic by oxidize