Publications
245 results found
Sofianopoulou E, Kaptoge S, Gräf S, et al., 2019, Traffic exposures, air pollution and outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension: A United Kingdom cohort study analysis., European Respiratory Journal, Vol: 53, Pages: 1-12, ISSN: 0903-1936
While traffic and air pollution exposure is associated with increased mortality in numerous diseases, its association with disease severity and outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains unknown.Exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 μm3 (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and indirect measures of traffic-related air pollution (distance to main road and length of roads within buffer zones surrounding residential addresses) were estimated for 301 patients with idiopathic/heritable PAH recruited in the UK PAH national Cohort study. Associations with transplant-free survival and pulmonary hemodynamic severity at baseline were assessed, adjusting for confounding variables defined a priori.Higher estimated exposure to PM2.5 was associated with higher risk of death or lung transplant (Unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.68; 95% CI 1.11-6.47 per 3 μg·m-3, p=0.028). This association remained similar when adjusted for potential confounding variables (HR 4.38; 95% CI 1.44-13.36 per 3 μg·m-3, p=0.009). No associations were found between NO2 exposure or other traffic pollution indicators and transplant-free survival Conversely, indirect measures of exposure to traffic-related air pollution within the 500-1000 m buffer zones correlated with the ERS/ESC risk categories as well as pulmonary hemodynamics at baseline. This association was strongest for pulmonary vascular resistance.In idiopathic/heritable PAH, indirect measures of exposure to traffic-related air pollution were associated with disease severity at baseline, whereas higher PM2.5 exposure may independently predict shorter transplant-free survival.
Harbaum L, Ghataorhe P, Wharton J, et al., 2019, Reduced plasma levels of small HDL particles transporting fibrinolytic proteins in pulmonary arterial hypertension, Thorax, Vol: 74, Pages: 380-389, ISSN: 1468-3296
Background Aberrant lipoprotein metabolism has been implicated in experimental pulmonary hypertension, but the relevance to patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is inconclusive.Objective To investigate the relationship between circulating lipoprotein subclasses and survival in patients with PAH.Methods Using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, 105 discrete lipoproteins were measured in plasma samples from two cohorts of patients with idiopathic or heritable PAH. Data from 1124 plasma proteins were used to identify proteins linked to lipoprotein subclasses. The physical presence of proteins was confirmed in plasma lipoprotein subfractions separated by ultracentrifugation.Results Plasma levels of three lipoproteins from the small high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subclass, termed HDL-4, were inversely related to survival in both the discovery (n=127) and validation (n=77) cohorts, independent of exercise capacity, comorbidities, treatment, N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide, C reactive protein and the principal lipoprotein classes. The small HDL subclass rich in apolipoprotein A-2 content (HDL-4-Apo A-2) exhibited the most significant association with survival. None of the other lipoprotein classes, including principal lipoprotein classes HDL and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, were prognostic. Three out of nine proteins identified to associate with HDL-4-Apo A-2 are involved in the regulation of fibrinolysis, namely, the plasmin regulator, alpha-2-antiplasmin, and two major components of the kallikrein–kinin pathway (coagulation factor XI and prekallikrein), and their physical presence in the HDL-4 subfraction was confirmed.Conclusion Reduced plasma levels of small HDL particles transporting fibrinolytic proteins are associated with poor outcomes in patients with idiopathic and heritable PAH.
Rhodes CJ, Batai K, Bleda M, et al., 2019, Genetic determinants of risk in pulmonary arterial hypertension: international case-control studies and meta-analysis, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Vol: 7, Pages: 227-238, ISSN: 2213-2600
BackgroundRare genetic variants cause pulmonary arterial hypertension, but the contribution of common genetic variation to disease risk and natural history is poorly characterised. We tested for genome-wide association for pulmonary arterial hypertension in large international cohorts and assessed the contribution of associated regions to outcomes.MethodsWe did two separate genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and a meta-analysis of pulmonary arterial hypertension. These GWAS used data from four international case-control studies across 11 744 individuals with European ancestry (including 2085 patients). One GWAS used genotypes from 5895 whole-genome sequences and the other GWAS used genotyping array data from an additional 5849 individuals. Cross-validation of loci reaching genome-wide significance was sought by meta-analysis. Conditional analysis corrected for the most significant variants at each locus was used to resolve signals for multiple associations. We functionally annotated associated variants and tested associations with duration of survival. All-cause mortality was the primary endpoint in survival analyses.FindingsA locus near SOX17 (rs10103692, odds ratio 1·80 [95% CI 1·55–2·08], p=5·13 × 10–15) and a second locus in HLA-DPA1 and HLA-DPB1 (collectively referred to as HLA-DPA1/DPB1 here; rs2856830, 1·56 [1·42–1·71], p=7·65 × 10–20) within the class II MHC region were associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The SOX17 locus had two independent signals associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (rs13266183, 1·36 [1·25–1·48], p=1·69 × 10–12; and rs10103692). Functional and epigenomic data indicate that the risk variants near SOX17 alter gene regulation via an enhancer active in endothelial cells. Pulmonary arterial hypertension risk variants determined haplotype-specific enhancer activity, and CRISPR-media
Hemnes AR, Luther JM, Rhodes CJ, et al., 2019, Human PAH is characterized by a pattern of lipid-related insulin resistance, JCI Insight, Vol: 4, Pages: 1-13, ISSN: 2379-3708
BACKGROUND. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a deadly disease of the small pulmonary vasculature with an increased prevalence of insulin resistance (IR). Insulin regulates both glucose and lipid homeostasis. We sought to quantify glucose- and lipid-related IR in human PAH, testing the hypothesis that lipoprotein indices are more sensitive indices of IR in PAH.METHODS. Oral glucose tolerance testing in PAH patients and triglyceride-matched (TG-matched) controls and proteomic, metabolomics, and lipoprotein analyses were performed in PAH and controls. Results were validated in an external cohort and in explanted human PAH lungs.RESULTS. PAH patients were similarly glucose intolerant or IR by glucose homeostasis metrics compared with control patients when matched for the metabolic syndrome. Using the insulin-sensitive lipoprotein index, TG/HDL ratio, PAH patients were more commonly IR than controls. Proteomic and metabolomic analysis demonstrated separation between PAH and controls, driven by differences in lipid species. We observed a significant increase in long-chain acylcarnitines, phosphatidylcholines, insulin metabolism–related proteins, and in oxidized LDL receptor 1 (OLR1) in PAH plasma in both a discovery and validation cohort. PAH patients had higher lipoprotein axis–related IR and lipoprotein-based inflammation scores compared with controls. PAH patient lung tissue showed enhanced OLR1 immunostaining within plexiform lesions and oxidized LDL accumulation within macrophages.CONCLUSIONS. IR in PAH is characterized by alterations in lipid and lipoprotein homeostasis axes, manifest by elevated TG/HDL ratio, and elevated circulating medium- and long-chain acylcarnitines and lipoproteins. Oxidized LDL and its receptor OLR1 may play a role in a proinflammatory phenotype in PAH.FUNDING. NIH DK096994, HL060906, UL1 RR024975-01, UL1 TR000445-06, DK020593, P01 HL108800-01A1, and UL1 TR002243; American Heart Association 13FTF16070002.
Pileckyte E, Kaakinen M, Rhodes CJ, et al., 2018, Multi-phenotype genome-wide association study of protein levels in individuals with pulmonary arterial hypertension, 27th Annual Meeting of the International-Genetic-Epidemiology-Society (IGES), Publisher: WILEY, Pages: 724-724, ISSN: 0741-0395
Farmery JHR, Smith ML, Huissoon A, et al., 2018, Publisher Correction: Telomerecat: A ploidy-agnostic method for estimating telomere length from whole genome sequencing data, Scientific Reports, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2045-2322
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Wilkins M, Aman J, Harbaum L, et al., 2018, Recent advances in pulmonary arterial hypertension [version 1; referees: 2 approved], F1000Research, Vol: 7, ISSN: 2046-1402
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disorder with a high mortality rate. Treatment options have improved in the last 20 years, but patients still die prematurely of right heart failure. Though rare, it is heterogeneous at the genetic and molecular level, and understanding and exploiting this is key to the development of more effective treatments. BMPR2 , encoding bone morphogenetic receptor type 2, is the most commonly affected gene in both familial and non-familial PAH, but rare mutations have been identified in other genes. Transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies looking for endophenotypes are under way. There is no shortage of candidate new drug targets for PAH, but the selection and prioritisation of these are challenges for the research community.
Ito Y, Carss KJ, Duarte ST, et al., 2018, De Novo truncating mutations in WASF1 cause intellectual disability with seizures, American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol: 103, Pages: 144-153, ISSN: 0002-9297
Next-generation sequencing has been invaluable in the elucidation of the genetic etiology of many subtypes of intellectual disability in recent years. Here, using exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing, we identified three de novo truncating mutations in WAS protein family member 1 (WASF1) in five unrelated individuals with moderate to profound intellectual disability with autistic features and seizures. WASF1, also known as WAVE1, is part of the WAVE complex and acts as a mediator between Rac-GTPase and actin to induce actin polymerization. The three mutations connected by Matchmaker Exchange were c.1516C>T (p.Arg506Ter), which occurs in three unrelated individuals, c.1558C>T (p.Gln520Ter), and c.1482delinsGCCAGG (p.Ile494MetfsTer23). All three variants are predicted to partially or fully disrupt the C-terminal actin-binding WCA domain. Functional studies using fibroblast cells from two affected individuals with the c.1516C>T mutation showed a truncated WASF1 and a defect in actin remodeling. This study provides evidence that de novo heterozygous mutations in WASF1 cause a rare form of intellectual disability.
Whitworth J, Smith PS, Martin J-E, et al., 2018, Comprehensive cancer-predisposition gene testing in an adult multiple primary tumor series shows a broad range of deleterious variants and atypical tumor phenotypes, American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol: 103, Pages: 3-18, ISSN: 0002-9297
Multiple primary tumors (MPTs) affect a substantial proportion of cancer survivors and can result from various causes, including inherited predisposition. Currently, germline genetic testing of MPT-affected individuals for variants in cancer-predisposition genes (CPGs) is mostly targeted by tumor type. We ascertained pre-assessed MPT individuals (with at least two primary tumors by age 60 years or at least three by 70 years) from genetics centers and performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 460 individuals from 440 families. Despite previous negative genetic assessment and molecular investigations, pathogenic variants in moderate- and high-risk CPGs were detected in 67/440 (15.2%) probands. WGS detected variants that would not be (or were not) detected by targeted resequencing strategies, including low-frequency structural variants (6/440 [1.4%] probands). In most individuals with a germline variant assessed as pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP), at least one of their tumor types was characteristic of variants in the relevant CPG. However, in 29 probands (42.2% of those with a P/LP variant), the tumor phenotype appeared discordant. The frequency of individuals with truncating or splice-site CPG variants and at least one discordant tumor type was significantly higher than in a control population (χ2 = 43.642; p ≤ 0.0001). 2/67 (3%) probands with P/LP variants had evidence of multiple inherited neoplasia allele syndrome (MINAS) with deleterious variants in two CPGs. Together with variant detection rates from a previous series of similarly ascertained MPT-affected individuals, the present results suggest that first-line comprehensive CPG analysis in an MPT cohort referred to clinical genetics services would detect a deleterious variant in about a third of individuals.
Gräf S, Haimel M, Bleda M, et al., 2018, Identification of rare sequence variation underlying heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension, Nature Communications, Vol: 9, Pages: 1-16, ISSN: 2041-1723
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disorder with a poor prognosis. Deleterious variation within components of the transforming growth factor-β pathway, particularly the bone morphogenetic protein type 2 receptor (BMPR2), underlies most heritable forms of PAH. To identify the missing heritability we perform whole-genome sequencing in 1038 PAH index cases and 6385 PAH-negative control subjects. Case-control analyses reveal significant overrepresentation of rare variants in ATP13A3, AQP1 and SOX17, and provide independent validation of a critical role for GDF2 in PAH. We demonstrate familial segregation of mutations in SOX17 and AQP1 with PAH. Mutations in GDF2, encoding a BMPR2 ligand, lead to reduced secretion from transfected cells. In addition, we identify pathogenic mutations in the majority of previously reported PAH genes, and provide evidence for further putative genes. Taken together these findings contribute new insights into the molecular basis of PAH and indicate unexplored pathways for therapeutic intervention.
Farmery JHR, Smith ML, Lynch AG, et al., 2018, Telomerecat: A ploidy-agnostic method for estimating telomere length from whole genome sequencing data, Scientific Reports, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2045-2322
Telomere length is a risk factor in disease and the dynamics of telomere length are crucial to our understanding of cell replication and vitality. The proliferation of whole genome sequencing represents an unprecedented opportunity to glean new insights into telomere biology on a previously unimaginable scale. To this end, a number of approaches for estimating telomere length from whole-genome sequencing data have been proposed. Here we present Telomerecat, a novel approach to the estimation of telomere length. Previous methods have been dependent on the number of telomeres present in a cell being known, which may be problematic when analysing aneuploid cancer data and non-human samples. Telomerecat is designed to be agnostic to the number of telomeres present, making it suited for the purpose of estimating telomere length in cancer studies. Telomerecat also accounts for interstitial telomeric reads and presents a novel approach to dealing with sequencing errors. We show that Telomerecat performs well at telomere length estimation when compared to leading experimental and computational methods. Furthermore, we show that it detects expected patterns in longitudinal data, repeated measurements, and cross-species comparisons. We also apply the method to a cancer cell data, uncovering an interesting relationship with the underlying telomerase genotype.
Rhodes CJ, Batai K, Bleda M, et al., 2018, Genetic Determinants of Risk and Survival in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society, Publisher: AMER THORACIC SOC, ISSN: 1073-449X
Tojais NF, Cao A, Lai YJ, et al., 2017, Co-dependence of BMPR2 and TGFβ in elastic fiber assembly and its perturbation in pulmonary arterial hypertension, Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, Vol: 37, Pages: 1559-1569, ISSN: 1524-4636
Objective—We determined in patients with pulmonary arterial (PA) hypertension (PAH) whether in addition to increased production of elastase by PA smooth muscle cells previously reported, PA elastic fibers are susceptible to degradation because of their abnormal assembly.Approach and Results—Fibrillin-1 and elastin are the major components of elastic fibers, and fibrillin-1 binds bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and the large latent complex of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1). Thus, we considered whether BMPs like TGFβ1 contribute to elastic fiber assembly and whether this process is perturbed in PAH particularly when the BMP receptor, BMPR2, is mutant. We also assessed whether in mice with Bmpr2/1a compound heterozygosity, elastic fibers are susceptible to degradation. In PA smooth muscle cells and adventitial fibroblasts, TGFβ1 increased elastin mRNA, but the elevation in elastin protein was dependent on BMPR2; TGFβ1 and BMP4, via BMPR2, increased extracellular accumulation of fibrillin-1. Both BMP4- and TGFβ1-stimulated elastic fiber assembly was impaired in idiopathic (I) PAH-PA adventitial fibroblast versus control cells, particularly those with hereditary (H) PAH and a BMPR2 mutation. This was related to profound reductions in elastin and fibrillin-1 mRNA. Elastin protein was increased in IPAH PA adventitial fibroblast by TGFβ1 but only minimally so in BMPR2 mutant cells. Fibrillin-1 protein increased only modestly in IPAH or HPAH PA adventitial fibroblasts stimulated with BMP4 or TGFβ1. In Bmpr2/1a heterozygote mice, reduced PA fibrillin-1 was associated with elastic fiber susceptibility to degradation and more severe pulmonary hypertension.Conclusions—Disrupting BMPR2 impairs TGFβ1- and BMP4-mediated elastic fiber assembly and is of pathophysiologic significance in PAH.
Rhodes CJ, Wharton J, Ghataorhe P, et al., 2017, Plasma proteome analysis in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: an observational cohort study, Lancet Respiratory Medicine, Vol: 5, Pages: 717-726, ISSN: 2213-2600
BACKGROUND: Idiopathic and heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension form a rare but molecularly heterogeneous disease group. We aimed to measure and validate differences in plasma concentrations of proteins that are associated with survival in patients with idiopathic or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension to improve risk stratification. METHODS: In this observational cohort study, we enrolled patients with idiopathic or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension from London (UK; cohorts 1 and 2), Giessen (Germany; cohort 3), and Paris (France; cohort 4). Blood samples were collected at routine clinical appointment visits, clinical data were collected within 30 days of blood sampling, and biochemical data were collected within 7 days of blood sampling. We used an aptamer-based assay of 1129 plasma proteins, and patient clinical details were concealed to the technicians. We identified a panel of prognostic proteins, confirmed with alternative targeted assays, which we evaluated against the established prognostic risk equation for pulmonary arterial hypertension derived from the REVEAL registry. All-cause mortality was the primary endpoint. FINDINGS: 20 proteins differentiated survivors and non-survivors in 143 consecutive patients with idiopathic or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension with 2 years' follow-up (cohort 1) and in a further 75 patients with 2·5 years' follow-up (cohort 2). Nine proteins were both prognostic independent of plasma NT-proBNP concentrations and confirmed by targeted assays. The functions of these proteins relate to myocardial stress, inflammation, pulmonary vascular cellular dysfunction and structural dysregulation, iron status, and coagulation. A cutoff-based score using the panel of nine proteins provided prognostic information independent of the REVEAL equation, improving the C statistic from area under the curve 0·83 (for REVEAL risk score, 95% CI 0·77-0·89; p<0·0001) to 0·91 (for p
Ghataorhe P, Rhodes CJ, Harbaum L, et al., 2017, Pulmonary arterial hypertension - progress in understanding the disease and prioritizing strategies for drug development, Journal of Internal Medicine, Vol: 282, Pages: 129-141, ISSN: 0954-6820
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), at one time a largely overlooked disease, is now the subject of intense study in many academic and biotech groups. The availability of new treatments has increased awareness of the condition. This in turn has driven a change in the demographics of PAH, with an increase in the mean age at diagnosis. The diagnosis of PAH in more elderly patients has highlighted the need for careful phenotyping of patients and for further studies to understand how best to manage pulmonary hypertension associated with, for example, left heart disease. The breadth and depth of expertise focused on unravelling the molecular pathology of PAH has yielded novel insights, including the role of growth factors, inflammation and metabolic remodelling. The description of the genetic architecture of PAH is accelerating in parallel, with novel variants, such as those reported in potassium two-pore domain channel subfamily K member 3 (KCNK3), adding to the list of more established mutations in genes associated with bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 2 (BMPR2) signalling. These insights have supported a paradigm shift in treatment strategies away from simply addressing the imbalance of vasoactive mediators observed in PAH towards tackling more directly the structural remodelling of the pulmonary vasculature. Here, we summarize the changing clinical and molecular landscape of PAH. We highlight novel drug therapies that are in various stages of clinical development, targeting for example cell proliferation, metabolic, inflammatory/immune and BMPR2 dysfunction, and the challenges around developing these treatments. We argue that advances in the treatment of PAH will come through deep molecular phenotyping with the integration of clinical, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic information in large populations of patients through international collaboration. This approach provides the best opportunity for identifying key signalling pathways, both a
Dawes T, Simoes monteiro de marvao A, Shi W, et al., 2017, Machine learning of three-dimensional right ventricular motion enables outcome prediction in pulmonary hypertension: a cardiac MR imaging study, Radiology, Vol: 283, Pages: 381-390, ISSN: 1527-1315
Purpose: To determine if patient survival and mechanisms of right ventricular (RV) failure in pulmonary hypertension (PH) could be predicted using supervised machine learning of three dimensional patterns of systolic cardiac motion. Materials and methods: The study was approved by a research ethics committee and participants gave written informed consent. 256 patients (143 females, mean age 63 ± 17) with newly diagnosed PH underwent cardiac MR imaging, right heart catheterization (RHC) and six minute walk testing (6MWT) with a median follow up of 4.0 years. Semi automated segmentation of short axis cine images was used to create a three dimensional model of right ventricular motion. Supervised principal components analysis identified patterns of systolic motion which were most strongly predictive of survival. Survival prediction was assessed by the difference in median survival time and the area under the curve (AUC) using time dependent receiver operator characteristic for one year survival. Results: At the end of follow up 33% (93/256) died and one underwent lung transplantation. Poor outcome was predicted by a loss of effective contraction in the septum and freewall coupled with reduced basal longitudinal motion. When added to conventional imaging, hemodynamic, functional and clinical markers, three dimensional cardiac motion improved survival prediction (area under the curve 0.73 vs 0.60, p<0.001) and provided greater differentiation by difference in median survival time between high and low risk groups (13.8 vs 10.7 years, p<0.001). Conclusion:Three dimensional motion modeling with machine learning approaches reveal the adaptations in function that occur early in right heart failure and independently predict outcomes in newly diagnosed PH patients.
Rhodes CJ, Ghataorhe P, Wharton J, et al., 2017, Plasma metabolomics implicate modified transfer RNAs and altered bioenergetics in the outcome of pulmonary arterial hypertension, Circulation, Vol: 135, Pages: 460-475, ISSN: 0009-7322
Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a heterogeneous disorder with high mortality.Methods: We conducted a comprehensive study of plasma metabolites using ultraperformance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to identify patients at high risk of early death, to identify patients who respond well to treatment, and to provide novel molecular insights into disease pathogenesis.Results: Fifty-three circulating metabolites distinguished well-phenotyped patients with idiopathic or heritable PAH (n=365) from healthy control subjects (n=121) after correction for multiple testing (P<7.3e-5) and confounding factors, including drug therapy, and renal and hepatic impairment. A subset of 20 of 53 metabolites also discriminated patients with PAH from disease control subjects (symptomatic patients without pulmonary hypertension, n=139). Sixty-two metabolites were prognostic in PAH, with 36 of 62 independent of established prognostic markers. Increased levels of tRNA-specific modified nucleosides (N2,N2-dimethylguanosine, N1-methylinosine), tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates (malate, fumarate), glutamate, fatty acid acylcarnitines, tryptophan, and polyamine metabolites and decreased levels of steroids, sphingomyelins, and phosphatidylcholines distinguished patients from control subjects. The largest differences correlated with increased risk of death, and correction of several metabolites over time was associated with a better outcome. Patients who responded to calcium channel blocker therapy had metabolic profiles similar to those of healthy control subjects.Conclusions: Metabolic profiles in PAH are strongly related to survival and should be considered part of the deep phenotypic characterization of this disease. Our results support the investigation of targeted therapeutic strategies that seek to address the alterations in translational regulation and energy metabolism that characterize these patients.
Carss KJ, Arno G, Erwood M, et al., 2017, Comprehensive Rare Variant Analysis via Whole-Genome Sequencing to Determine the Molecular Pathology of Inherited Retinal Disease, AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS, Vol: 100, Pages: 75-90, ISSN: 0002-9297
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Kaakinen M, Rhodes CJ, Prokopenko I, et al., 2017, Genome-Wide Association Study of 1,124 Protein Levels in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Patients Identifies a Novel <i>trans</i>-pQTL at <i>ELK2AP</i> for Death Receptor 3, 46th European Mathematical Genetics Meeting (EMGM), Publisher: KARGER, Pages: 13-13, ISSN: 0001-5652
Lythgoe MP, Rhodes CJ, Ghataorhe P, et al., 2016, Why drugs fail in clinical trials in pulmonary arterial hypertension, and strategies to succeed in the future, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Vol: 164, Pages: 195-203, ISSN: 0163-7258
The past three decades have witnessed a welcome expansion of the therapeutic armamentarium for the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, against this backdrop, there have been some notable disappointments in drug development. Here we use these as case studies to emphasize the importance of informed drug target selection, the early evaluation of dose-response relationships in human studies, and the value of the deep phenotyping of patients in clinical studies to better understand inter-individual variation in patient response. The integration of "omics" technologies and advanced clinical imaging offer the potential to reduce the risk, and so cost, of drug development in PAH and bring much needed new medicines to those patients most likely to benefit with greater efficiency.
Hopper RK, Moonen JA, Diebold I, et al., 2016, In pulmonary arterial hypertension, reduced BMPR2 promotes rndothelial-to-mesenchymal transition via HMGA1 and its target slug, Circulation, Vol: 133, Pages: 1783-1794, ISSN: 0009-7322
Background—We previously reported high-throughput RNA sequencing analyses that identified heightened expression of the chromatin architectural factor High Mobility Group AT-hook 1 (HMGA1) in pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs) from patients who had idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in comparison with controls. Because HMGA1 promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cancer, we hypothesized that increased HMGA1 could induce transition of PAECs to a smooth muscle (SM)–like mesenchymal phenotype (endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition), explaining both dysregulation of PAEC function and possible cellular contribution to the occlusive remodeling that characterizes advanced idiopathic PAH.Methods and Results—We documented increased HMGA1 in PAECs cultured from idiopathic PAH versus donor control lungs. Confocal microscopy of lung explants localized the increase in HMGA1 consistently to pulmonary arterial endothelium, and identified many cells double-positive for HMGA1 and SM22α in occlusive and plexogenic lesions. Because decreased expression and function of bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) is observed in PAH, we reduced BMPR2 by small interfering RNA in control PAECs and documented an increase in HMGA1 protein. Consistent with transition of PAECs by HMGA1, we detected reduced platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (CD31) and increased endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers, αSM actin, SM22α, calponin, phospho-vimentin, and Slug. The transition was associated with spindle SM-like morphology, and the increase in αSM actin was largely reversed by joint knockdown of BMPR2 and HMGA1 or Slug. Pulmonary endothelial cells from mice with endothelial cell–specific loss of Bmpr2 showed similar gene and protein changes.Conclusions—Increased HMGA1 in PAECs resulting from dysfunctional BMPR2 signaling can transition endothelium to SM-like cells associated with PAH.
Dawes T, de Marvao A, Shi W, et al., 2016, Use of artificial intelligence to predict survival in pulmonary hypertension, Spring Meeting on Clinician Scientists in Training, Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC, Pages: 35-35, ISSN: 0140-6736
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Ghataorhe P, Rhodes C, Wharton J, et al., 2016, Metabonomic Phenotype Analysis In Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension, International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society (ATS), Publisher: AMER THORACIC SOC, ISSN: 1073-449X
Rhodes C, Wharton J, Ghataorhe P, et al., 2016, Plasma Proteome Analysis In Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Identifies A Panel Of Prognostic Proteins, International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society (ATS), Publisher: AMER THORACIC SOC, ISSN: 1073-449X
Iremonger J, Rothman AM, Rhodes C, et al., 2016, Investigating The Diagnostic Potential Of Circulating Mirna Signatures In Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society (ATS), Publisher: AMER THORACIC SOC, ISSN: 1073-449X
Rhodes CJ, Im H, Cao A, et al., 2015, RNA Sequencing Analysis Detection of a Novel Pathway of Endothelial Dysfunction in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension., American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Vol: 192, Pages: 356-366, ISSN: 1535-4970
RATIONALE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is characterized by endothelial dysregulation, but global changes in gene expression have not been related to perturbations in function. OBJECTIVES: RNA sequencing was used to discriminate changes in transcriptomes of endothelial cells cultured from lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension versus control subjects and to assess the functional significance of major differentially expressed transcripts. METHODS: The endothelial transcriptomes from the lungs of seven control subjects and six patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension were analyzed. Differentially expressed genes were related to bone morphogenetic protein type 2 receptor (BMPR2) signaling. Those down-regulated were assessed for function in cultured cells and in a transgenic mouse. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Fold differences in 10 genes were significant (P < 0.05), four increased and six decreased in patients versus control subjects. No patient was mutant for BMPR2. However, knockdown of BMPR2 by siRNA in control pulmonary arterial endothelial cells recapitulated 6 of 10 patient-related gene changes, including decreased collagen IV (COL4A1, COL4A2) and ephrinA1 (EFNA1). Reduction of BMPR2-regulated transcripts was related to decreased β-catenin. Reducing COL4A1, COL4A2, and EFNA1 by siRNA inhibited pulmonary endothelial adhesion, migration, and tube formation. In mice null for the EFNA1 receptor, EphA2, versus control animals, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor blockade and hypoxia caused more severe pulmonary hypertension, judged by elevated right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, and loss of small arteries. CONCLUSIONS: The novel relationship between BMPR2 dysfunction and reduced expression of endothelial COL4 and EFNA1 may underlie vulnerability to injury in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Tojais NF, Cao A, Chen P-I, et al., 2015, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Patients With Bmpr2 Mutation Show Impaired Vascular Elastin Fiber Assembly, International Conference of the American-Thoracic-Society (ATS), Publisher: AMER THORACIC SOC, ISSN: 1073-449X
Wilkins MR, Aldashev AA, Wharton J, et al., 2014, α1-A680T Variant in GUCY1A3 as a Candidate Conferring Protection From Pulmonary Hypertension Among Kyrgyz Highlanders, CIRCULATION-CARDIOVASCULAR GENETICS, Vol: 7, Pages: 920-U505, ISSN: 1942-325X
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Iannone L, Zhao L, Dubois O, et al., 2014, <i>miR</i>-<i>21</i>/DDAH1 pathway regulates pulmonary vascular responses to hypoxia, BIOCHEMICAL JOURNAL, Vol: 462, Pages: 103-112, ISSN: 0264-6021
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Wojciak-Stothard B, Abdul-Salam VB, Lao KH, et al., 2014, Aberrant chloride intracellular channel 4 expression contributes to endothelial dysfunction in pulmonary arterial hypertension, Circulation, Vol: 129, Pages: 1770-1780, ISSN: 0009-7322
Background—Chloride intracellular channel 4 (CLIC4) is highly expressed in the endothelium of remodeled pulmonary vessels and plexiform lesions of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. CLIC4 regulates vasculogenesis through endothelial tube formation. Aberrant CLIC4 expression may contribute to the vascular pathology of pulmonary arterial hypertension.Methods and Results—CLIC4 protein expression was increased in plasma and blood-derived endothelial cells from patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and in the pulmonary vascular endothelium of 3 rat models of pulmonary hypertension. CLIC4 gene deletion markedly attenuated the development of chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in mice. Adenoviral overexpression of CLIC4 in cultured human pulmonary artery endothelial cells compromised pulmonary endothelial barrier function and enhanced their survival and angiogenic capacity, whereas CLIC4 shRNA had an inhibitory effect. Similarly, inhibition of CLIC4 expression in blood-derived endothelial cells from patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension attenuated the abnormal angiogenic behavior that characterizes these cells. The mechanism of CLIC4 effects involves p65-mediated activation of nuclear factor-κB, followed by stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and increased downstream production of vascular endothelial growth factor and endothelin-1.Conclusion—Increased CLIC4 expression is an early manifestation and mediator of endothelial dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension.
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