Targeting deubiquitinase OTUB1 protects vascular smooth muscle cells in atherosclerosis by modulating PDGFRβ  

作　　者：Fei Xu Han Chen Changyi Zhou Tongtong Zang Rui Wang Shutong Shen Chaofu Li Yue Yu Zhiqiang Pei Li Shen Juying Qian Junbo Ge 

机构地区：[1]Department of Cardiology and Laboratory of Heart Valve Disease,West China Hospital,Sichuan University,Chengdu,610041,China [2]Department of Cardiology,Zhongshan Hospital,Fudan University,Research Unit of Cardiovascular Techniques and Devices,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,Shanghai,200032,China [3]Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases,Shanghai,200032,China [4]National Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine&Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine(19MC1910300),Shanghai,200032,China

出　　处：《Frontiers of Medicine》2024年第3期465-483,共19页医学前沿（英文版）

基　　金：supported by grants from the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2021YFC2500500);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.T2288101 and 82170342);Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Interventional Medicine(No.19DZ2250300);Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine(No.19MC1910300).

摘　　要：Atherosclerosis is a chronic artery disease that causes various types of cardiovascular dysfunction.Vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs),the main components of atherosclerotic plaque,switch from contractile to synthetic phenotypes during atherogenesis.Ubiquitylation is crucial in regulating VSMC phenotypes in atherosclerosis,and it can be reversely regulated by deubiquitinases.However,the specific effects of deubiquitinases on atherosclerosis have not been thoroughly elucidated.In this study,RNAi screening in human aortic smooth muscle cells was performed to explore the effects of OTU family deubiquitinases,which revealed that silencing OTUB1 inhibited PDGF-BB-stimulated VSMC phenotype switch.Further in vivo studies using Apoe−/−mice revealed that knockdown of OTUB1 in VSMCs alleviated atherosclerosis plaque burden in the advanced stage and led to a stable plaque phenotype.Moreover,VSMC proliferation and migration upon PDGF-BB stimulation could be inhibited by silencing OTUB1 in vitro.Unbiased RNA-sequencing data indicated that knocking down OTUB1 influenced VSMC differentiation,adhesion,and proliferation.Mass spectrometry of ubiquitinated protein confirmed that proteins related to cell growth and migration were differentially ubiquitylated.Mechanistically,we found that OTUB1 recognized the K707 residue ubiquitylation of PDGFRβwith its catalytic triad,thereby reducing the K48-linked ubiquitylation of PDGFRβ.Inhibiting OTUB1 in VSMCs could promote PDGFRβdegradation via the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway,so it was beneficial in preventing VSMCs’phenotype switch.These findings revealed that knocking down OTUB1 ameliorated VSMCs’phenotype switch and atherosclerosis progression,indicating that OTUB1 could be a valuable translational therapeutic target in the future.

关 键 词：ATHEROSCLEROSIS vascular smooth muscle cell UBIQUITYLATION deubiquitinase OTUB1 PDGFRβ 

分 类 号：R543.5[医药卫生—心血管疾病]