Abstract
BackgroundAn authentic survey of the transcript-level response of the diabetic endothelium in vivo is key to understanding diabetic cardiovascular complications such as accelerated atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction.MethodsWe used streptozotocin to induce a model of type I diabetes in transgenic mice that express green fluorescent protein under the control of an endothelial-specific promoter (Tie2-GFP) allowing rapid isolation of aortic endothelium. Three weeks after treatment, endothelial cells were isolated from animals with blood glucose > 350 mg/dl. Aortae from the root to the renal bifurcation were rapidly processed by mincing and proteolytic digestion followed by fluorescent activated cell sorting to yield endothelial cell populations of >95% purity. RNA was isolated from >50,000 endothelial cells and subjected to oligo dT amplification prior to transcriptional analysis on microarrays displaying long oligonucleotides representing 32,000 murine transcripts. Five regulated transcripts were selected for analysis by real-time PCR.ResultsWithin replicate microarray experiments, 19 transcripts were apparently dysregulated by at least 70% within diabetic mice. Up-regulation of glycam1, slc36a2, ces3, adipsin and adiponectin was confirmed by real-time PCR.ConclusionBy comprehensively examining cellular gene responses in vivo in a whole animal model of type I diabetes, we have identified novel regulation of key endothelial transcripts that likely contribute to the metabolic and pro-inflammatory responses that accompany diabetes.
Highlights
An authentic survey of the transcript-level response of the diabetic endothelium in vivo is key to understanding diabetic cardiovascular complications such as accelerated atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction
Vascular changes associated with diabetes include endothelial damage and dysfunction [2] that contribute to accelerated atherosclerosis and the development of hypertension [3]
An assessment of the underlying in vivo transcriptional changes associated with the earliest stages of insulin deficiency will enhance our understanding of the endothelial response in diabetes, and suggest pathways and candidate genes that contribute to endothelial dysfunction and vascular disease
Summary
An authentic survey of the transcript-level response of the diabetic endothelium in vivo is key to understanding diabetic cardiovascular complications such as accelerated atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction. Vascular changes associated with diabetes include endothelial damage and dysfunction [2] that contribute to accelerated atherosclerosis and the development of hypertension [3]. Diabetic endothelial damage is likely multifactorial, involving numerous stresses that impinge on the endothelial cells in vivo. These include the generation of advanced glycation end-products [4], the effects of dyslipidemia [5], the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species [6], and altered insulin signaling [7]. An assessment of the underlying in vivo transcriptional changes associated with the earliest stages of insulin deficiency will enhance our understanding of the endothelial response in diabetes, and suggest pathways and candidate genes that contribute to endothelial dysfunction and vascular disease
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