雌激素/自噬/ECSCR调控轴通过血管内皮细胞促进子宫内膜异位症血管生成
Estrogen/autophagy/ECSCR regulatory axis in vascular endothelial cells facilitates angiogenesis in endometriosis
摘要
该研究聚焦子宫内膜异位症(EMs)异位病灶中血管内皮细胞(VEC)功能异常及血管生成机制。作者整合单细胞RNA测序与GEO数据,结合免疫组化及体外qRT-PCR、Western blot、自噬检测、细胞骨架形成、成管和划痕实验,并在小鼠模型中进行验证。发现EMs病灶血管密度增加、VEC自噬和骨架形成增强;雌激素通过上调ERα促进VEC自噬,自噬增强则下调ECSCR,进而促进VEC骨架形成、迁移和成管,形成促血管生成微环境。结论提示雌激素-自噬-ECSCR轴是EMs异常血管生成和疾病进展的关键调控机制。
原文摘要
INTRODUCTION: Aberrant angiogenesis contributes greatly to endometriosis (EMs) progression, whereas the biological dysfunction of vascular endothelial cells (VECs) in EMs ectopic lesions and the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms remain largely elusive. METHODS: To uncover the characteristics of VECs and their microenvironment, as well as the key regulatory mechanisms underlying this dysfunctional state in EMs lesions, the proportions of VEC clusters in normal endometrium and EMs lesions were determined by analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data and verified by immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of VEC markers (such as vWF, CDH5, PECAM-1, and CD34) and genes enriched in angiogenesis-, autophagy-, and cytoskeleton formation-related pathways were analyzed in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. In addition, qRT-PCR, western blotting, autophagy detection, cytoskeleton formation, tube formation, and wound healing assays were performed in vitro. Furthermore, EMs mouse models were established in vivo to verify the pro-angiogenic state of ectopic lesions under high-estrogen and enhanced-autophagy conditions. RESULTS: We found that EMs lesions displayed increased vascular density, aberrant angiogenesis, and a characteristic pro-angiogenic microenvironment. Autophagy levels and cytoskeleton formation in VECs were also significantly increased in EMs. In addition, upregulating autophagy in VECs greatly contributed to accelerated angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Estrogen treatment promoted autophagy in VECs by upregulating estrogen receptor α (ERα) expression. Estrogen-mediated autophagy augmentation also promoted cytoskeleton formation, migration, and tube formation in VECs by downregulating endothelial cell-specific chemotaxis receptor (ECSCR) expression. Moreover, ECSCR expression showed a decreasing trend in EMs VECs compared to VECs in normal endometrium. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, high estrogen levels in EMs ectopic lesions contribute to increased autophagy in VECs by upregulating ERα expression. Enhanced autophagy promotes cytoskeleton formation, migration, and tube formation of VECs by downregulating ECSCR expression, thereby contributing to the characteristic pro-angiogenic microenvironment, aberrant angiogenesis in EMs lesions, and disease progression.
推荐理由:研究整合单细胞测序、公共数据集、体外功能实验与小鼠模型,较完整地揭示雌激素-自噬-ECSCR轴调控EMs血管生成的新机制,对理解异位病灶微环境及探索抗血管生成靶点有参考价值;但与ART临床决策的直接关联有限。
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