The HDAC9-associated risk locus promotes coronary artery disease by governing TWIST1.

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the risk of common disorders. However, since the large majority of these risk SNPs reside outside gene-coding regions, GWAS generally provide no information about causal mechanisms regarding the specific gene(s) that are affected or the tissue(s) in which these candidate gene(s) exert their effect. The 'gold standard' method for understanding causal genes and their mechanisms of action are laborious basic science studies often involving sophisticated knockin or knockout mouse lines, however, these types of studies are impractical as a high-throughput means to understand the many risk variants that cause complex diseases like coronary artery disease (CAD). As a solution, we developed a streamlined, data-driven informatics pipeline to gain mechanistic insights on complex genetic loci. The pipeline begins by understanding the SNPs in a given locus in terms of their relative location and linkage disequilibrium relationships, and then identifies nearby expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) to determine their relative independence and the likely tissues that mediate their disease-causal effects. The pipeline then seeks to understand associations with other disease-relevant genes, disease sub-phenotypes, potential causality (Mendelian randomization), and the regulatory and functional involvement of these genes in gene regulatory co-expression networks (GRNs). Here, we applied this pipeline to understand a cluster of SNPs associated with CAD within and immediately adjacent to the gene encoding HDAC9. Our pipeline demonstrated, and validated, that this locus is causal for CAD by modulation of TWIST1 expression levels in the arterial wall, and by also governing a GRN related to metabolic function in skeletal muscle. Our results reconciled numerous prior studies, and also provided clear evidence that this locus does not govern HDAC9 expression, structure or function. This pipeline should be considered as a powerful and efficient way to understand GWAS risk loci in a manner that better reflects the highly complex nature of genetic risk associated with common disorders.

Wnt signaling enhances macrophage responses to IL-4 and promotes resolution of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a disease of chronic inflammation. We investigated the roles of the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13, the classical activators of STAT6, in the resolution of atherosclerosis inflammation. Using Il4-/-Il13-/- mice, resolution was impaired, and in control mice, in both progressing and resolving plaques, levels of IL-4 were stably low and IL-13 was undetectable. This suggested that IL-4 is required for atherosclerosis resolution, but collaborates with other factors. We had observed increased Wnt signaling in macrophages in resolving plaques, and human genetic data from others showed that a loss-of-function Wnt mutation was associated with premature atherosclerosis. We now find an inverse association between activation of Wnt signaling and disease severity in mice and humans. Wnt enhanced the expression of inflammation resolving factors after treatment with plaque-relevant low concentrations of IL-4. Mechanistically, activation of the Wnt pathway following lipid lowering potentiates IL-4 responsiveness in macrophages via a PGE2/STAT3 axis.

miR-33 Silencing Reprograms the Immune Cell Landscape in Atherosclerotic Plaques.

[Figure: see text].

Characterization of Myocardial Injury in Patients With COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial injury is frequent among patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and is associated with a poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms of myocardial injury remain unclear and prior studies have not reported cardiovascular imaging data. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to characterize the echocardiographic abnormalities associated with myocardial injury and their prognostic impact in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted an international, multicenter cohort study including 7 hospitals in New York City and Milan of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who had undergone transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) and electrocardiographic evaluation during their index hospitalization. Myocardial injury was defined as any elevation in cardiac troponin at the time of clinical presentation or during the hospitalization. RESULTS: A total of 305 patients were included. Mean age was 63 years and 205 patients (67.2%) were male. Overall, myocardial injury was observed in 190 patients (62.3%). Compared with patients without myocardial injury, those with myocardial injury had more electrocardiographic abnormalities, higher inflammatory biomarkers and an increased prevalence of major echocardiographic abnormalities that included left ventricular wall motion abnormalities, global left ventricular dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction grade II or III, right ventricular dysfunction and pericardial effusions. Rates of in-hospital mortality were 5.2%, 18.6%, and 31.7% in patients without myocardial injury, with myocardial injury without TTE abnormalities, and with myocardial injury and TTE abnormalities. Following multivariable adjustment, myocardial injury with TTE abnormalities was associated with higher risk of death but not myocardial injury without TTE abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with COVID-19 who underwent TTE, cardiac structural abnormalities were present in nearly two-thirds of patients with myocardial injury. Myocardial injury was associated with increased in-hospital mortality particularly if echocardiographic abnormalities were present.

Myocardial infarction accelerates breast cancer via innate immune reprogramming.

Disruption of systemic homeostasis by either chronic or acute stressors, such as obesity1 or surgery2, alters cancer pathogenesis. Patients with cancer, particularly those with breast cancer, can be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to treatment toxicity and changes in lifestyle behaviors3-5. While elevated risk and incidence of cardiovascular events in breast cancer is well established, whether such events impact cancer pathogenesis is not known. Here we show that myocardial infarction (MI) accelerates breast cancer outgrowth and cancer-specific mortality in mice and humans. In mouse models of breast cancer, MI epigenetically reprogrammed Ly6Chi monocytes in the bone marrow reservoir to an immunosuppressive phenotype that was maintained at the transcriptional level in monocytes in both the circulation and tumor. In parallel, MI increased circulating Ly6Chi monocyte levels and recruitment to tumors and depletion of these cells abrogated MI-induced tumor growth. Furthermore, patients with early-stage breast cancer who experienced cardiovascular events after cancer diagnosis had increased risk of recurrence and cancer-specific death. These preclinical and clinical results demonstrate that MI induces alterations in systemic homeostasis, triggering cross-disease communication that accelerates breast cancer.

RAGE impairs murine diabetic atherosclerosis regression and implicates IRF7 in macrophage inflammation and cholesterol metabolism.

Despite advances in lipid-lowering therapies, people with diabetes continue to experience more limited cardiovascular benefits. In diabetes, hyperglycemia sustains inflammation and preempts vascular repair. We tested the hypothesis that the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) contributes to these maladaptive processes. We report that transplantation of aortic arches from diabetic, Western diet-fed Ldlr-/- mice into diabetic Ager-/- (Ager, the gene encoding RAGE) versus WT diabetic recipient mice accelerated regression of atherosclerosis. RNA-sequencing experiments traced RAGE-dependent mechanisms principally to the recipient macrophages and linked RAGE to interferon signaling. Specifically, deletion of Ager in the regressing diabetic plaques downregulated interferon regulatory factor 7 (Irf7) in macrophages. Immunohistochemistry studies colocalized IRF7 and macrophages in both murine and human atherosclerotic plaques. In bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), RAGE ligands upregulated expression of Irf7, and in BMDMs immersed in a cholesterol-rich environment, knockdown of Irf7 triggered a switch from pro- to antiinflammatory gene expression and regulated a host of genes linked to cholesterol efflux and homeostasis. Collectively, this work adds a new dimension to the immunometabolic sphere of perturbations that impair regression of established diabetic atherosclerosis and suggests that targeting RAGE and IRF7 may facilitate vascular repair in diabetes.

Regulatory T Cells License Macrophage Pro-Resolving Functions During Atherosclerosis Regression.

RATIONALE: Regression of atherosclerosis is an important clinical goal; however, the pathways that mediate the resolution of atherosclerotic inflammation and reversal of plaques are poorly understood. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to be atheroprotective, yet the numbers of these immunosuppressive cells decrease with disease progression, and whether they contribute to atherosclerosis regression is not known. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the roles of Tregs in the resolution of atherosclerotic inflammation, tissue remodeling, and plaque contraction during atherosclerosis regression. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using multiple independent mouse models of atherosclerosis regression, we demonstrate that an increase in plaque Tregs is a common signature of regressing plaques. Single-cell RNA-sequencing of plaque immune cells revealed that unlike Tregs from progressing plaques that expressed markers of natural Tregs derived from the thymus, Tregs in regressing plaques lacked Nrp1 expression, suggesting that they are induced in the periphery during lipid-lowering therapy. To test whether Tregs are required for resolution of atherosclerotic inflammation and plaque regression, Tregs were depleted using CD25 monoclonal antibody in atherosclerotic mice during apolipoprotein B antisense oligonucleotide-mediated lipid lowering. Morphometric analyses revealed that Treg depletion blocked plaque remodeling and contraction, and impaired hallmarks of inflammation resolution, including dampening of the T helper 1 response, alternative activation of macrophages, efferocytosis, and upregulation of specialized proresolving lipid mediators. CONCLUSIONS: Our data establish essential roles for Tregs in resolving atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and provide mechanistic insight into the pathways governing plaque remodeling and regression of disease.

Single-cell analysis of fate-mapped macrophages reveals heterogeneity, including stem-like properties, during atherosclerosis progression and regression.

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of death worldwide in industrialized countries. Disease progression and regression are associated with different activation states of macrophages derived from inflammatory monocytes entering the plaques. The features of monocyte-to-macrophage transition and the full spectrum of macrophage activation states during either plaque progression or regression, however, are incompletely established. Here, we use a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing and genetic fate mapping to profile, for the first time to our knowledge, plaque cells derived from CX3CR1+ precursors in mice during both progression and regression of atherosclerosis. The analyses revealed a spectrum of macrophage activation states with greater complexity than the traditional M1 and M2 polarization states, with progression associated with differentiation of CXC3R1+ monocytes into more distinct states than during regression. We also identified an unexpected cluster of proliferating monocytes with a stem cell-like signature, suggesting that monocytes may persist in a proliferating self-renewal state in inflamed tissue, rather than differentiating immediately into macrophages after entering the tissue.

Insights From Pre-Clinical and Clinical Studies on the Role of Innate Inflammation in Atherosclerosis Regression.

Atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of coronary artery (CAD) and other cardiovascular diseases, is initiated by macrophage-mediated immune responses to lipoprotein and cholesterol accumulation in artery walls, which result in the formation of plaques. Unlike at other sites of inflammation, the immune response becomes maladaptive and inflammation fails to resolve. The most common treatment for reducing the risk from atherosclerosis is low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering. Studies have shown, however, that while significant lowering of LDL-C reduces the risk of heart attacks to some degree, there is still residual risk for the majority of the population. We and others have observed "residual inflammatory risk" of atherosclerosis after plasma cholesterol lowering in pre-clinical studies, and that this phenomenon is clinically relevant has been dramatically reinforced by the recent Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study (CANTOS) trial. This review will summarize the role of the innate immune system, specifically macrophages, in atherosclerosis progression and regression, as well as the pre-clinical and clinical models that have provided significant insights into molecular pathways involved in the resolution of plaque inflammation and plaque regression. Partnered with clinical studies that can be envisioned in the post-CANTOS period, including progress in developing targeted plaque therapies, we expect that pre-clinical studies advancing on the path summarized in this review, already revealing key mechanisms, will continue to be essential contributors to achieve the goals of dampening plaque inflammation and inducing its resolution in order to maximize the therapeutic benefits of conventional risk factor modifications, such as LDL-C lowering.

Inflammatory Ly6Chi monocytes and their conversion to M2 macrophages drive atherosclerosis regression.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, and developing therapies to promote its regression is an important clinical goal. We previously established that atherosclerosis regression is characterized by an overall decrease in plaque macrophages and enrichment in markers of alternatively activated M2 macrophages. We have now investigated the origin and functional requirement for M2 macrophages in regression in normolipidemic mice that received transplants of atherosclerotic aortic segments. We compared plaque regression in WT normolipidemic recipients and those deficient in chemokine receptors necessary to recruit inflammatory Ly6Chi (Ccr2-/- or Cx3cr1-/-) or patrolling Ly6Clo (Ccr5-/-) monocytes. Atherosclerotic plaques transplanted into WT or Ccr5-/- recipients showed reduced macrophage content and increased M2 markers consistent with plaque regression, whereas plaques transplanted into Ccr2-/- or Cx3cr1-/- recipients lacked this regression signature. The requirement of recipient Ly6Chi monocyte recruitment was confirmed in cell trafficking studies. Fate-mapping and single-cell RNA sequencing studies also showed that M2-like macrophages were derived from newly recruited monocytes. Furthermore, we used recipient mice deficient in STAT6 to demonstrate a requirement for this critical component of M2 polarization in atherosclerosis regression. Collectively, these results suggest that continued recruitment of Ly6Chi inflammatory monocytes and their STAT6-dependent polarization to the M2 state are required for resolution of atherosclerotic inflammation and plaque regression.

microRNA-33 Regulates Macrophage Autophagy in Atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Defective autophagy in macrophages leads to pathological processes that contribute to atherosclerosis, including impaired cholesterol metabolism and defective efferocytosis. Autophagy promotes the degradation of cytoplasmic components in lysosomes and plays a key role in the catabolism of stored lipids to maintain cellular homeostasis. microRNA-33 (miR-33) is a post-transcriptional regulator of genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis, yet the complete mechanisms by which miR-33 controls lipid metabolism are unknown. We investigated whether miR-33 targeting of autophagy contributes to its regulation of cholesterol homeostasis and atherogenesis. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Using coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy, we show that miR-33 drives lipid droplet accumulation in macrophages, suggesting decreased lipolysis. Inhibition of neutral and lysosomal hydrolysis pathways revealed that miR-33 reduced cholesterol mobilization by a lysosomal-dependent mechanism, implicating repression of autophagy. Indeed, we show that miR-33 targets key autophagy regulators and effectors in macrophages to reduce lipid droplet catabolism, an essential process to generate free cholesterol for efflux. Notably, miR-33 regulation of autophagy lies upstream of its known effects on ABCA1 (ATP-binding cassette transporter A1)-dependent cholesterol efflux, as miR-33 inhibitors fail to increase efflux upon genetic or chemical inhibition of autophagy. Furthermore, we find that miR-33 inhibits apoptotic cell clearance via an autophagy-dependent mechanism. Macrophages treated with anti-miR-33 show increased efferocytosis, lysosomal biogenesis, and degradation of apoptotic material. Finally, we show that treating atherosclerotic Ldlr-/- mice with anti-miR-33 restores defective autophagy in macrophage foam cells and plaques and promotes apoptotic cell clearance to reduce plaque necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data provide insight into the mechanisms by which miR-33 regulates cellular cholesterol homeostasis and atherosclerosis.