Search bioRxiv⌕ Search

Biology subjects

Le Goff, W.

Publications and source records attributed to Le Goff, W..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

REGULATION OF HDL DYSFUNCTIONALITY BY PHOSPHATIDYLETHANOLAMINE LINKS POLY-UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS WITH ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

AimsLow plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), potentially reflecting impaired antiatherogenic HDL functions. These latter are strongly influenced by the HDL phospholipidome, which is frequently altered in ASCVD patients. Several studies reported that plasma levels of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) species, particularly PE (36:5), were positively associated with ASCVD, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Plasma PE (36:5) exists as eicosapentaenoic (EPA)-PE and arachidonic acid (ARA)-PE, with the latter predominating in ASCVD. This study investigated whether the association of PE (36:5) with ASCVD might result from an impairment of the antiatherogenic functions of HDL. Methods and ResultsTotal PE and PE (36:5) content of large HDL isolated from 86 women with metabolic syndrome was positively associated with carotid intima-media thickness in multivariate regression analysis adjusted for traditional risk factors. In TgCETP x Ldlr-/- mice fed a high-cholesterol diet, the atherosclerotic plaque size was greater when reconstituted HDL (rHDL) containing ARA-PE was injected retro-orbitally, compared with injection of control rHDL containing only phosphatidylcholine (PC). In vitro, PE rHDL showed reduced cholesterol efflux capacity and impaired anti-inflammatory activity in THP-1 macrophages, together with diminished anti-oxidative activity against LDL oxidation compared to control rHDL. Strikingly, ARA-PE rHDL profoundly weakened of the HDL functions, while EPA-PE counteracted the ARA-PE-induced dysfunction and potentiated the functionality of rHDL. ConclusionThis study reveals a causal link between PE species, particularly ARA-PE, and HDL dysfunction, contributing to atherosclerosis. EPA-PE can restore HDL function, supporting the therapeutic potential of EPA reducing ASCVD risk.

cell biology↗

Enhancer/gene relationships: need for more reliable genome-wide reference sets

Differences in cells functions arise from differential action of regulatory elements, in particular enhancers. Like promoters, enhancers are genomic regions bound by transcription factors (TF) that activate the expression of one or several genes by getting physically close to them in the 3D space of the nucleus. As there is increasing evidence that variants associated with common diseases are located in enhancers active in cell types relevant to these diseases, knowing the set of enhancers and more importantly the sets of genes activated by each enhancer (the so-called enhancer/gene or E/G relationships) in a cell type, will certainly help understanding these diseases. There are three broad approaches for the genome-wide identification of E/G relationships in a cell type: (1) genetic link methods or eQTL, (2) functional link methods based on 1D functional data such as open chromatin, histone mark and gene expression and (3) spatial link methods based on 3D data such as HiC. Since (1) and (3) are costly, there has been a focus on developing functional link methods and using data from (1) and (3) to evaluate them, however there is still no consensus on the best functional link method to date. For this reason we decided to start from the two latest benchmarks of the field, namely from the CRISPRi-FlowFISH (CRiFF) technique and from 3D and eQTL data in BENGI, and to evaluate the two methods claimed to be the best one on each of these benchmark studies, namely the ABC model and the Average-Rank method respectively, on the other methods reference data. Not only did we manage to reproduce the results of the two benchmarks but we also saw that none of the two methods performed best on the two reference data. While CRiFF reference data are very reliable, it is not genome-wide and is mostly available on a cancer cell type. On the other hand BENGI is genome-wide but may contain many false positives. This study therefore calls for new reliable and genome-wide E/G reference data rather than new functional link E/G identification methods.

bioinformatics↗

PCSK9 affects expression of key surface proteins in human pancreatic beta cells through intra- and extracellular regulatory circuits

Aims/hypothesisProprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) is involved in the degradation of LDLR. However, PCSK9 can target other proteins in a cell-type specific manner. While PCSK9 has been detected in pancreatic islets, its expression in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells is debated. Herein, we studied PCSK9 expression, regulation and function in the human pancreatic beta cell line EndoC-{beta}H1. MethodsWe assessed PCSK9 expression in mouse and human pancreatic islets, and in the pancreatic beta cell line EndoC-{beta}H1. We also studied PCSK9 regulation by cholesterol, lipoproteins, Mevastatin, and by SREBPs transcription factors. To evaluate PCSK9 function in pancreatic beta cells, we performed PCSK9 gain-and loss-of-function experiments in EndoC-{beta}H1 using siPCSK9 or recombinant PCSK9 treatments, respectively. ResultsWe demonstrate that PCSK9 is expressed and secreted by pancreatic beta cells. In EndoC-{beta}H1 cells, PCSK9 expression is regulated by cholesterol and by SREBPs transcription factors. Importantly, PCSK9 knockdown results in multiple transcriptome, proteome and secretome deregulations and impaired insulin secretion. By gain- and loss-of-function experiments, we observed that PCSK9 regulates the expression levels of LDLR and VLDLR through an extracellular mechanism while CD36, PD-L1 and HLA-ABC are regulated through an intracellular mechanism. Conclusions/interpretationCollectively, these results highlight PCSK9 as an important regulator of CD36, PD-L1 and HLA-ABC cell surface expression in pancreatic beta cells. Data availabilityRNA-seq data have been deposited to GEO database with accession number GSE182016. Mass spectrometry proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the following identifiers: PXD027921, PXD027911 and PXD027913.

cell biology↗

HIGH FAT DIET STIMULATES BETA-OXIDATION, ALTERS ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES AND INDUCES ADIPOGENICITY OF ATRIA IN OBESE MICE

Metabolic disorders such as obesity are risk factors of atrial fibrillation, not only by sharing comorbidities but likely through their direct impact on atria, notably its adipogenicity. Here, we submitted mice that lack cardiac adipose tissue to a high fat diet and first studied the atrial metabolomic and lipidomic phenotypes using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. We found an increased consumption of free fatty acid by the beta-oxidation and an accumulation of long-chain lipids in atria of obese mice. Free fatty acid was the main substrate of mitochondrial respiration studied in the saponin-permeabilized atrial muscle. Conducted action potential recorded in atrial trabeculae was short, and ATP-sensitive potassium current was increased in perforated patch-clamp atrial myocytes of obese mice. There was histological and phenotypical evidence for an accumulation of adipose tissue in obese mice atria. Thus, an obesogenic diet transforms the energy metabolism, causes fat accumulation and induces electrical remodeling of atria myocardium. HIGHLIGHTS- Untargeted metabolomic and lipidomic analysis revealed that a high fat diet induces profound transformation of atrial energy metabolism with beta-oxidation activation and long-chain lipid accumulation. - Mitochondria respiration studied in atrial myocardial trabecula preferentially used Palmitoyl-CoA as energy substrate in obese mice. - Atria of obese mice become vulnerable to atrial fibrillation and show short action potential due to the activation of K-ATP dependent potassium current. - Adipocytes and fat molecular markers were detected in atria of obese mice together with an inflammatory profile consistence with a myocardial accumulation of fat.

physiology↗

Multitrait genetic-phenotype associations to connect disease variants and biological mechanisms

BackgroundGenome-wide association studies (GWAS) uncovered a wealth of associations between common variants and human phenotypes. These results, widely shared across the scientific community as summary statistics, fostered a flurry of secondary analysis: heritability and genetic correlation assessment, pleiotropy characterization and multitrait association test. Amongst these secondary analyses, a rising new field is the decomposition of multitrait genetic effects into distinct profiles of pleiotropy. ResultsWe conducted an integrative analysis of GWAS summary statistics from 36 phenotypes to decipher multitrait genetic architecture and its link to biological mechanisms. We started by benchmarking multitrait association tests on a large panel of phenotype sets and established the Omnibus test as the most powerful in practice. We detected 322 new associations that were not previously reported by univariate screening. Using independent significant associations, we investigated the breakdown of genetic association into clusters of variants harboring similar multitrait association profile. Focusing on two subsets of immunity and metabolism phenotypes, we then demonstrate how SNPs within clusters can be mapped to biological pathways and disease mechanisms, providing a putative insight for numerous SNPs with unknown biological function. Finally, for the metabolism set, we investigate the link between gene cluster assignment and success of drug targets in random control trials. We report additional uninvestigated drug targets classified by clusters. ConclusionsMultitrait genetic signals can be decomposed into distinct pleiotropy profiles that reveal consistent with pathways databases and random control trials. We propose this method for the mapping of unannotated SNPs to putative pathways.

genetics↗