Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials

Article Title: Nitric Oxide‐Releasing Catheters with Phenol‐Amine Catalytic Coatings for Improved Anti‐Inflammatory Performance

doi: 10.1002/adhm.202500457

Figure Lengend Snippet: a) HCASMCs viability, b) number of cells, and c) endogenous NO generation after incubation with uncoated and coated catheter segments compared to the blank group, measured using the Live/Dead assay, Hoechst staining, and DAF‐FM diacetate, respectively, at i) 48 h and ii) 72 h. Statistical significance relative to control tests was calculated using one‐way ANOVA, ns = not significant, * p < 0.1, ** p < 0.01, **** p < 0.0001. n = 6; error bars represent standard deviation.

Article Snippet: Human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (HCASMCs) and smooth muscle cell growth medium kit were purchased from Cell Applications.

Techniques: Incubation, Live Dead Assay, Staining, Control, Standard Deviation

Journal: Redox biology

Article Title: Redox and metal profiles in human coronary endothelial and smooth muscle cells under hyperoxia, physiological normoxia and hypoxia: Effects of NRF2 signaling on intracellular zinc.

doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102712

Figure Lengend Snippet: Fig. 1. O2 dependent changes in redox phenotype of HCAEC and HCASMC adapted to 18, 5 or 1 kPa O2 A and H, O2 content in the cytosol (red column, dashed line) and culture medium (black column) of HCAEC and HCASMC adapted for 5 d to 5 kPa O2 using MitoXpress®-INTRA. B–C and I-J, Intracellular ATP and total GSH levels in HCAEC and HCASMC adapted for 5 d to 18, 5 or 1 kPa O2. D-G and K–N, representative immunoblots and densitometric analysis of HIF-1α, catalase, CuZnSOD and MnSOD expression relative to β-actin under 18, 5 or 1 kPa O2. Data denote mean ± S.E. M., n = 3–6 independent cell cultures (color coded), unpaired Student’s t-test or one-way ANOVA followed by a Bonferroni Post Hoc test analysis, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Article Snippet: Primary human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) and smooth muscle cells (HCASMC) were obtained from PromoCell (Germany).

Techniques: Western Blot, Expressing

Journal: Redox biology

Article Title: Redox and metal profiles in human coronary endothelial and smooth muscle cells under hyperoxia, physiological normoxia and hypoxia: Effects of NRF2 signaling on intracellular zinc.

doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102712

Figure Lengend Snippet: Fig. 2. Metal homeostasis in HCAEC and HCASMC adapted to 18, 5 or 1 kPa O2 A-D and I-L Total Zn, Cu, Mn and Mg levels in HCAEC and HCASMC adapted for 5 d to 18, 5 or 1 kPa O2 measured by ICP-MS. E and M, spatial distribution of 66Zn counts per second (CPS) in HCAEC and HCASMC after 5 d culture under 18, 5 or 1 kPa O2 measured by LA-ICP-MS. G-H and O–P, representative immunoblots and densitometric analysis of ZnT1 and metallothionine (MT) expression relative to β-actin under 18, 5 or 1 kPa O2. Data denote mean ± S.E.M., n = 4–6 independent cell cultures (color coded), one-way ANOVA followed by a Bonferroni Post Hoc test analysis, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Article Snippet: Primary human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) and smooth muscle cells (HCASMC) were obtained from PromoCell (Germany).

Techniques: Western Blot, Expressing

Journal: Redox biology

Article Title: Redox and metal profiles in human coronary endothelial and smooth muscle cells under hyperoxia, physiological normoxia and hypoxia: Effects of NRF2 signaling on intracellular zinc.

doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102712

Figure Lengend Snippet: Fig. 3. Effect of NRF2 silencing on Zn content and NQO1, ZnT1 and MT expression in HCAEC and HCASMC adapted to 18 or 5 kPa O2 A and D, Total Zn levels in HCAEC and HCASMC adapted for 5d to 18 or 5kPa O2 were measured by ICP-MS after transfection with scrambled or NRF2 siRNA for 24 h. B–D and F-H, representative immunoblots and densitometric analysis of NQO1, ZnT1 and MT expression relative to β-actin after silencing NRF2 transcriptional activity in cells adapted to 18 or 5 kPa O2. Data denote mean ± S.E.M., n = 4–6 independent cell cultures (color coded), two-way ANOVA followed by a Bonferroni Post Hoc test analysis, *P < 0.05. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Article Snippet: Primary human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) and smooth muscle cells (HCASMC) were obtained from PromoCell (Germany).

Techniques: Expressing, Transfection, Western Blot, Activity Assay

Journal: Redox biology

Article Title: Redox and metal profiles in human coronary endothelial and smooth muscle cells under hyperoxia, physiological normoxia and hypoxia: Effects of NRF2 signaling on intracellular zinc.

doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102712

Figure Lengend Snippet: Fig. 4. Effects of NRF2 overexpression on total Zn levels and NQO1, ZnT1 and metallothionein expression in HCAEC and HCASMC adapted to 18 kPa or 5 kPa O2 HCAEC and HCASMC were adapted for 5 d to 18 or 5 kPa O2 and then transfected with control vector pcDNA3.1 (3.1C) or NRF2 overexpression vector pcDNA3.1- hNrf2 (hNRF2) and cell lysates harvested after 24 h. A and E, Total Zn levels in HCAEC and HCASMC were measured by ICP-MS. B–D and F–H, Cell lysates were immunoblotted for NQO1, ZnT1 and MT expression relative to β-actin and analyzed by densitometry. Data denote mean ± S.E.M., n = 4–6 independent cell cultures (color coded), two-way ANOVA followed by a Bonferroni Post Hoc test analysis, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Article Snippet: Primary human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) and smooth muscle cells (HCASMC) were obtained from PromoCell (Germany).

Techniques: Over Expression, Expressing, Transfection, Control, Plasmid Preparation

Journal: Cardiovascular Diabetology

Article Title: Diabetes is accompanied by secretion of pro-atherosclerotic exosomes from vascular smooth muscle cells

doi: 10.1186/s12933-023-01833-4

Figure Lengend Snippet: Summary of treatment groups

Article Snippet: Human coronary artery vascular smooth muscle cells (HCASMCs) isolated from diabetic and non-diabetic donors as well as smooth muscle growth media (SmGM-2) were purchased from Lonza.

Techniques: Saline

Journal: Cardiovascular Diabetology

Article Title: Diabetes is accompanied by secretion of pro-atherosclerotic exosomes from vascular smooth muscle cells

doi: 10.1186/s12933-023-01833-4

Figure Lengend Snippet: DVEs are exosomes capable of transferring miRNA to from VSMCs to ECs and contain elevated miR-221/222. A Cryo-electron microscopy was performed to characterize the extracellular vesicles. The bar represents 50 nm. B miR-221/222 content of NVEs and DVEs was measured using real-time qRT-PCR. C VSMCs are able to transfer oligonucleotides to adjacent cells. HuCASMCs were transfected with a fluorescent miR-221 (Texas Red) and miR-222 (FITC) for 4 h. HuCASMCs were then trypsinized, washed repeatedly, and seeded into a transwell chamber seated above huCAECs. After 24 h, the huCAECs were fixed and stained with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). *p < 0.05

Article Snippet: Human coronary artery vascular smooth muscle cells (HCASMCs) isolated from diabetic and non-diabetic donors as well as smooth muscle growth media (SmGM-2) were purchased from Lonza.

Techniques: Transferring, Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Quantitative RT-PCR, Transfection, Staining

Journal: Cardiovascular Diabetology

Article Title: Diabetes is accompanied by secretion of pro-atherosclerotic exosomes from vascular smooth muscle cells

doi: 10.1186/s12933-023-01833-4

Figure Lengend Snippet: Exposure of HCAECs to DVEs promotes increased surface expression of ICAM-1 and RhoA activity in a miR-221/222 dependent manner. A Expression of mRNA encoding ICAM-1 in HCAECS treated with exosomes from VSMCs of non-diabetic (NVE) and diabetic (DVE) origin treated with non-targeting siRNA or miR-221/222 targeting siRNA (+KD). B RhoA activity in HCAECS treated with exosomes from VSMCs of non-diabetic (NVE) and diabetic (DVE) origin treated with non-targeting siRNA or miR-221/222 targeting siRNA (+KD). Data is expressed as the mean ± SEM. *p < 0.05

Article Snippet: Human coronary artery vascular smooth muscle cells (HCASMCs) isolated from diabetic and non-diabetic donors as well as smooth muscle growth media (SmGM-2) were purchased from Lonza.

Techniques: Expressing, Activity Assay

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Integrative functional genomics identifies regulatory mechanisms at coronary artery disease loci

doi: 10.1038/ncomms12092

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a ) ATAC-seq signal-to-noise ratio, calculated as distribution of ATAC-seq reads centred on TSS in a 1,000-bp window, normalized to total mapped reads and comparing 50 and 100 million mapped reads from representative data sets ( n =22 biological replicates). ( b ) Scatter plot showing correlation of ATAC-seq tag intensities from two independent biological replicates ( r 2 ∼0.94). ( c ) Histogram distribution and resulting P value (via cumulative binomal distribution) for top four enriched motifs identified using de novo motif enrichment analysis in open chromatin peaks in HCASMCs treated with TGF-β1 ( n =2 biological replicates per condition). ( d ) Similar results shown above for HCASMCs treated with PDGF-BB. ( e ) Hierarchical clustering of open chromatin normalized read counts in stimulated HCASMCs from two independent donors (1 and 2), with clustering on CAD loci annotated to transcription start site of nearest gene. ( f ) Genomic Regions Enrichment of Annotations Tool (GREAT) analysis of stimulated HCASMC open chromatin regions overlapping entire GWAS catalogue ( n =2 biological replicates), showing enrichment for Disease Ontologies relative to whole-genome background. P values were calculated using a combination of binomial and hypergeometric tests.

Article Snippet: Primary HCASMCs derived from normal human donor hearts were purchased from three different manufacturers, Lonza, PromoCell and Cell Applications (all tested negative for mycoplasma contamination).

Techniques:

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Integrative functional genomics identifies regulatory mechanisms at coronary artery disease loci

doi: 10.1038/ncomms12092

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a ) Venn diagram of overlapping 5240 candidate CAD-associated variants (including those in high linkage disequilibrium at r 2 ≥0.8) with HCASMC ATAC-seq open chromatin regions ( n =323), H3K27ac ChIP-seq active enhancer regions ( n =462) or TF binding via TCF21 or AP-1 ChIP-seq ( n =193). Unique overlapping numbers shown for combined overlaps, respectively. ( b ) Forest plot depicting odds ratio (OR) of enrichment for CARDIoGRAMplusC4D (CAD), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or entire GWAS catalogue SNPs in individual or combined HCASMC data sets as calculated using the Fisher's exact test. Dots represent mean OR and lateral lines represent 95% confidence intervals. ( c ) Histogram distribution of globally normalized GWAS SNPs in regions centred on HCASMC open chromatin regions within a 1-kb window. ( d ) Heatmap distribution of HCASMC open chromatin regions centred on CTCF motif (from JASPAR) within a 0.5-kb window (left panel). Hierarchical clustering heatmap showing distribution of ATAC-seq open chromatin, JUN or TCF21 ChIP-seq binding regions centred on 5,240 CARDIoGRAMplusC4D SNPs (right panels). ( e ) Two-dimensional scatter plot of GWAS SNPs in HCASMC open chromatin regions showing most significant enrichment for cardiovascular (CARDIoGRAMplusC4D and coronary heart), brain and autoimmune phenotypes in upper right quadrant. Data shown are representative of n =10 biological replicates in HCASMCs cultured under normal growth conditions.

Article Snippet: Primary HCASMCs derived from normal human donor hearts were purchased from three different manufacturers, Lonza, PromoCell and Cell Applications (all tested negative for mycoplasma contamination).

Techniques: ChIP-sequencing, Binding Assay, Cell Culture

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Integrative functional genomics identifies regulatory mechanisms at coronary artery disease loci

doi: 10.1038/ncomms12092

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a ) Scatter plot showing correlation of ATAC-seq tag intensities from normal coronary artery tissue and quiescent HCASMCs in serum-free conditions ( r 2 =0.70). Similar results were observed from n =3 biological replicates. ( b ) Principal component analysis of ATAC-seq open chromatin peaks from normal and atherosclerotic coronary artery tissues and HCASMCs cultured under various conditions. Principal component 1 was excluded as it depicted a batch effect between experiments. Principal component 2 (PC2; x axis) represents the effect of the cell line used for treatment with various factors. Principal component 3 (PC3; y axis) represents the effect of the treatment with various factors and also partially separates normal and athero tissues (denoted by dashed line). ( c ) Histogram showing de novo motif distribution in ex vivo open chromatin peaks and resulting enrichment analysis in ex vivo open chromatin regions from atherosclerotic coronary artery tissues. Data represent n =2 biological replicates. ( d – e ) Histogram density plot showing CAD lead and LD SNPs enriched in matrices for the classic AP-1 motif, TGANTCA, versus randomized AP-1 matrices (AP-1 control). Randomized CAD-matched SNPs centred on AP-1 or AP-1-randomized control matrices. Count densities were globally normalized by the total number of counts for both SNP and AP-1 motif regions in the 1-kb window.

Article Snippet: Primary HCASMCs derived from normal human donor hearts were purchased from three different manufacturers, Lonza, PromoCell and Cell Applications (all tested negative for mycoplasma contamination).

Techniques: Cell Culture, Ex Vivo, Control

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Integrative functional genomics identifies regulatory mechanisms at coronary artery disease loci

doi: 10.1038/ncomms12092

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a ) LocusZoom plot showing results of CARDIoGRAMplusC4D 1000G fine-mapping at SMAD3 locus at chromosome 15q24.1 ( n =60,801 cases; n =123,504 controls) . Circles represent SNPs associated using an additive or recessive model, and colour-coded for LD ( r 2 ) with the lead SNP, rs56062135 (purple diamond), based on 1000G phase 1 v3 training data set. ( b ) LD plot generated from 1000G phase 1 augmented haplotypes in Europeans for SMAD3 locus, showing linked lead SNP, rs56062135, with candidate regulatory SNP, rs17293632. Colour-coded for LD based on D ′ values, shown as in boxes. ( c ) UCSC browser screenshot at SMAD3 locus, showing overlap of candidate SNP rs17293632 with ATAC-seq open chromatin tracks in coronary tissue ( n =3 biological replicates per condition) and HCASMCs treated under various conditions ( n =2 biological replicates per condition), TF-binding ChIP-seq tracks for TCF21, JUN and JUND, and active enhancer histone modification H3K27ac ChIP-seq ( n =4 biological replicates), as well as ENCODE layered H3K27ac for HUVEC (blue) and NHLF cells (purple). Inset, motifs in open chromatin regions showing alignment to reference sequence and position relative to rs17293632. Genomic coordinates refer to hg19 assembly. ( d ) Normalized ATAC-seq read counts for HCASMCs treated under various conditions and by genotype at rs17293632. Values represent mean±s.e.m. ( n =2 biological replicates for stimulations and n =5 biological replicates for different genotypes). ( e ) Allele-specific ChIP (haploChIP) for AP-1 proteins (JUN, JUNB and ATF3), TCF21 and H3K27ac in HCASMCs heterozygous at rs17293632. Values represent mean±s.e.m. of triplicates from a representative experiment ( n =5 biological replicates). * P <0.01 versus control, IgG or between two genotypes using an unpaired two-tailed t -test with Welch's correction for unequal variances.

Article Snippet: Primary HCASMCs derived from normal human donor hearts were purchased from three different manufacturers, Lonza, PromoCell and Cell Applications (all tested negative for mycoplasma contamination).

Techniques: Generated, Binding Assay, ChIP-sequencing, Modification, Sequencing, Control, Two Tailed Test

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Integrative functional genomics identifies regulatory mechanisms at coronary artery disease loci

doi: 10.1038/ncomms12092

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a ) UCSC browser screenshot at 9p21.3/ CDKN2B-AS locus, showing overlap of candidate SNP rs1537373 with ATAC-seq open chromatin tracks in coronary tissue ( n =3 biological replicates per condition) and HCASMCs treated under various conditions ( n =2 biological replicates per condition), TF-binding ChIP-seq tracks for TCF21, JUN and JUND, and active enhancer histone modification H3K27ac ChIP-seq ( n =4 biological replicates), as well as ENCODE layered H3K27ac for HUVEC (blue) and NHLF cells (purple). Inset, motifs generated from HOMER in open chromatin regions showing alignment to reference sequence and position relative to rs1537373 SNP. Genomic coordinates refer to hg19 assembly. ( b ) Normalized ATAC-seq read counts for HCASMCs treated under various conditions and by genotype at rs1537373. Values represent mean±s.e.m. ( n =2 biological replicates for stimulations and n =5 biological replicates for different genotypes). ( c ) Allele-specific ChIP (haploChIP) for AP-1 proteins (JUN, JUNB and ATF3), TCF21 and H3K27ac in HCASMCs heterozygous at rs1537373. Values represent mean±s.e.m. of triplicates from a representative experiment ( n =5 biological replicates). * P <0.01 versus control, IgG or between two genotypes using an unpaired two-tailed t -test with Welch's correction for unequal variances.

Article Snippet: Primary HCASMCs derived from normal human donor hearts were purchased from three different manufacturers, Lonza, PromoCell and Cell Applications (all tested negative for mycoplasma contamination).

Techniques: Binding Assay, ChIP-sequencing, Modification, Generated, Sequencing, Control, Two Tailed Test

Journal: Nature Communications

Article Title: Integrative functional genomics identifies regulatory mechanisms at coronary artery disease loci

doi: 10.1038/ncomms12092

Figure Lengend Snippet: ( a ) Results of enhancer trap assay for seven candidate SNPs cloned into minimal promoter-driven luciferase reporter vector pLuc-MCS, and transfected in A7r5 smooth muscle cell line. ( b ) Results of enhancer trap assay for rs17293632-C/T ( SMAD3 ) reporters (rs172_C-Luc and rs172_T-Luc) versus consensus AP-1-Luc (3 ×) reporter with co-transfection of expression constructs for JUN, JUNB or JUND in A7r5 SMC. ( c ) Results of enhancer trap assay for rs17293632 reporters with siRNA-mediated knockdown of JUN, JUNB or JUND in HCASMCs. ( a – c ). Values represent mean±s.e.m. of triplicates for a representative experiment ( n =4 biological replicates), expressed as fold change relative to pLuc-MCS. * P <0.01 between allele-specific reporters using a two-tailed Student's t -test. ( d ) SMAD3 gene expression levels in HCASMCs with respect to genotype at rs17293632, expressed as ΔΔCt values normalized to GAPDH levels (fold change). Values represent mean±s.e.m. of triplicates ( n =64 independent donors/biological replicates). P values calculated using a Welch's unequal variances t -test. ( e ) Allelic expression imbalance for candidate regulatory SNP rs17293632 at SMAD3 detected by TaqMan qPCR in HCASMC pre-mRNA from heterozygous individual donors ( n =23). Values represent mean±s.e.m. of triplicates for cDNA ratio normalized to gDNA ratio in heterozygous individuals at rs17293632. P values shown represent comparison of AEI from all samples versus expected allelic ratio of 1.0 using a Welch's unequal variances t -test. ** P <0.001, *** P <0.0001 for individual samples of allelic imbalance ratio versus expected allelic ratio of 1.0. ( f ) Scatter plot for the most significant differentially expressed genes from RNA-seq DEseq analysis of HCASMCs treated with serum free (control) or PDGF-BB for 1 h ( n =2 biological replicates per condition). –log10( P values) and log2(fold change) determined as described in the Methods section. Labels are shown for immediate early response genes.

Article Snippet: Primary HCASMCs derived from normal human donor hearts were purchased from three different manufacturers, Lonza, PromoCell and Cell Applications (all tested negative for mycoplasma contamination).

Techniques: TRAP Assay, Clone Assay, Luciferase, Plasmid Preparation, Transfection, Cotransfection, Expressing, Construct, Knockdown, Two Tailed Test, Gene Expression, Comparison, RNA Sequencing, Control

Journal: Diabetologia

Article Title: Native incretins prevent the development of atherosclerotic lesions in apolipoprotein E knockout mice

doi: 10.1007/s00125-011-2241-2

Figure Lengend Snippet: Expression and abundance of GLP-1R and GIPR in monocytes/macrophages and arterial SMCs. a Glp1r and ( b ) Gipr mRNA in exudate peritoneal macrophages and tissues as labelled from non-treated Apoe −/− mice were measured by real-time RT-PCR. c Western blotting analyses of GLP-1R and ( d ) GIPR abundance in exudate peritoneal macrophages of non-treated Apoe −/− mice and other mouse tissues as labelled. Three independent experiments were performed. e Immunostaining of GLP-1R or GIPR in exudate peritoneal macrophages from non-treated Apoe −/− mice. Green, GLP-1R or GIPR as indicated; red, nuclei; red + green, overlay of GLP-1R or GIPR and nuclei. Scale bars 50 μm. f GLP1R and ( g ) GIPR mRNA levels in human coronary artery SMCs, THP1 cells and THP1-derived macrophages. h GIPR mRNA level in human monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages were measured by real-time RT-PCR. Results were obtained from three to six independent experiments

Article Snippet: The expression of GIPR mRNA in human monocytes was far higher than in human macrophages and human coronary artery SMCs (Lonza) (Fig. ).

Techniques: Expressing, Quantitative RT-PCR, Western Blot, Immunostaining, Derivative Assay