Chronic endoplasmic reticulum stress activates unfolded protein response in arterial endothelium in regions of susceptibility to atherosclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Endothelial function and dysfunction are central to the focal origin and regional development of atherosclerosis; however, an in vivo endothelial phenotypic footprint of susceptibility to atherosclerosis preceding pathological change remains elusive.


OBJECTIVE
To conduct a comparative multi-site genomics study of arterial endothelial phenotype in atherosusceptible and atheroprotected regions.


RESULTS
Transcript profiles of freshly isolated endothelial cells from 7 discrete arterial regions in normal swine were analyzed to determine the steady state in vivo endothelial phenotypes in regions of varying susceptibilities to atherosclerosis. The most abundant common feature of the endothelium of all atherosusceptible regions was the upregulation of genes associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The unfolded protein response pathway, induced by ER stress, was therefore investigated in detail in endothelium of the atherosusceptible aortic arch and was found to be partially activated. ER transmembrane signal transducers IRE1alpha and ATF6alpha and their downstream effectors, but not PERK, were activated concomitant with a higher transcript expression of protein folding enzymes and chaperones, indicative of ER stress in vivo.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings demonstrate the prevalence of chronic endothelial ER stress and activated unfolded protein response in vivo at atherosusceptible arterial sites. We propose that chronic localized biological stress is linked to spatial susceptibility of the endothelium to the initiation of atherosclerosis.
Civelek
Mete
M
Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1010 Vagelos Laboratories, 3340 Smith Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Manduchi
Elisabetta
E
Riley
Rebecca J
RJ
Stoeckert
Christian J
CJ
Davies
Peter F
PF
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000737:chemistry; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000737:chemistry; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000737:chemistry*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000737:chemistry*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010641:Phenotype; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D017510:Protein Folding; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D013552:Swine
D012333:RNA, Messenger