(GSNOR) Enhances Vasculogenesis by Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) enhances vasculogenesis by mesenchymal stem cells Samirah A. Gomesa, Erika B. Rangela, Courtney Premera, Raul A. Dulcea, Yenong Caoa, Victoria Floreaa, Wayne Balkana, Claudia O. Rodriguesa,b, Andrew V. Schallyc,d,e,1, and Joshua M. Harea,f,1 aInterdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, bDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, cDepartment of Pathology, dDivision of Hematology/Oncology, and fDivision of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136; and eEndocrine, Polypeptide and Cancer Institute, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL 33136 Contributed by Andrew V. Schally, November 27, 2012 (sent for review October 31, 2012) Although nitric oxide (NO) signaling promotes differentiation and differentiation of EPCs and MSCs, we reasoned that NO plays maturation of endothelial progenitor cells, its role in the differen- an equivalent role in this process. tiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into endothelial cells Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that NO signaling, me- remains controversial. We tested the role of NO signaling in MSCs diated by small molecular weight thiols (molecular weight < 500), derived from WT mice and mice homozygous for a deletion of promotes MSC differentiation into endothelial cells. To test our − − S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR / ), a denitrosylase that hypothesis, we assessed the functional consequences of deletion − − regulates S-nitrosylation. GSNOR / MSCs exhibited markedly of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR), which in turn diminished capacity for vasculogenesis in an in vitro Matrigel increases S-nitrosothiols (17, 18), on MSC-mediated vasculo- − − tube–forming assay and in vivo relative to WT MSCs. This decrease genesis. We report that paradoxically, MSCs from GSNOR / was associated with down-regulation of the PDGF receptorα mice exhibit diminished endothelial differentiation, thereby − − (PDGFRα) in GSNOR / MSCs, a receptor essential for VEGF-A demonstrating an inhibitory effect of S-nitrosylation on vascu- action in MSCs. Pharmacologic inhibition of NO synthase with logenesis mediated by MSCs. G L-N -nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and stimulation of growth hormone–releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR) with GHRH agonists Results −/− augmented VEGF-A production and normalized tube formation in Murine Bone Marrow MSC Characterization. Both WT and GSNOR - −/− GSNOR MSCs, whereas NO donors or PDGFR antagonist re- derived MSCs were spindle shaped, adherent to plastic tissue duced tube formation ∼50% by murine and human MSCs. The culture dishes (Fig. S1A), and negative for Lineage, a mixture of antagonist also blocked the rescue of tube formation in hematopoietic markers, CD34 and CD45, and positive for stem −/− GSNOR MSCs by L-NAME or the GHRH agonists JI-38, MR-409, cell antigens SCA-1, CD73, CD90.2, and CD105 (Fig. S1 B and C). and MR-356. Therefore, GSNOR−/− MSCs have a deficient capacity for endothelial differentiation due to downregulation of PDGFRα NO Signaling and MSCs. Denitrosylation is controlled in significant related to NO/GSNOR imbalance. These findings unravel important part by GSNOR, a unique and specific enzyme for which S-nitro- aspects of modulation of MSCs by VEGF-A activation of the PDGFR soglutathione (GSNO) is the substrate (18) (Fig. S2A). Neither −/− and illustrate a paradoxical inhibitory role of S-nitrosylation sig- MSCs (Fig. S2 B and C) nor liver (Fig. S2D)fromGSNOR mice naling in MSC vasculogenesis. Accordingly, disease states charac- expresses GSNOR. NOS1 and NOS2 were constitutively expressed terized by NO deficiency may trigger MSC-mediated vasculogenesis. in both strains of MSCs (Fig. S2 E and F), whereas NOS3 expres- fi These ndings have important implications for therapeutic applica- sion was absent from both strains (Fig. S2G). Interestingly, NOS1 −/− tion of GHRH agonists to ischemic disorders. mRNA was ∼100-fold higher in GSNOR mice (2.7 × 103 ± 3 × 102 absolute number of transcripts, ΔCt) compared with WT MSCs – angiogenesis | nitroso redox imbalance (2 × 104 ± 2 × 103, P < 0.05; Fig. S2E). Despite the up-regulation of NOS1, actual NO production, measured by 4,5-diamino-fluores- itric oxide (NO) and VEGF signaling promotes vasculogenesis cein diacetate (DAF-2DA), was nearly identical between the Nby endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) (1–5). For example, strains (Fig. S2H). Thus, GSNOR deficiency up-regulates NOS1 −/− mice deficient in endothelial NO synthase (NOS3 ) show re- but does not lead to increased NO production. duced VEGF-induced mobilization of bone marrow progenitor − − cells to sites of injury (4). In EPC-mediated vasculogenesis, VEGF-A GSNOR / MSCs Exhibit Impaired Formation of Capillary Tube–Like activates its major receptor [VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2)], trig- Structures in Vitro. Next we used a Matrigel assay to analyze the gering cell differentiation into mature endothelial cells (ECs) and ability of MSCs to form tube-like structures in vitro. Cells were grown in endothelial medium (EGM-2; Lonza) for 1 wk before enhancing angiogenesis (6, 7). −/− Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) also participate in postnatal plating on Matrigel. Surprisingly, GSNOR -derived MSCs angiogenesis (8, 9), and vascular pericytes, which are crucial for formed significantly fewer (29.9 ± 11.75 vs. 50.2 ± 14.04, P < maintaining vascular integrity, share similar phenotypic features 0.001) and shorter (62.8 ± 14.0 vs. 124.2 ± 49.0 μm, P < 0.001) with MSCs (10). Exogenously administered, MSCs readily form new capillaries and medium-sized arteries (11, 12), properties important for the tissue regenerative capacity of MSCs (13). We Author contributions: S.A.G., W.B., and J.M.H. designed research; S.A.G., E.B.R., C.P., R.A.D., Y.C., V.F., and C.O.R. performed research; S.A.G. and J.M.H. analyzed data; A.V.S. and J.M.H. and others have shown that MSCs differentiate into endothelial contributed new reagents/analytic tools; and S.A.G., E.B.R., C.O.R., A.V.S., and J.M.H. wrote cells in vitro (14) and in vivo and contribute to neovascularization, the paper. particularly during tissue ischemia and tumor vascularization (8, The authors declare no conflict of interest. 11, 12, 15). As with EPCs, VEGF also plays an important role in Freely available online through the PNAS open access option. stimulating MSC differentiation, but does so by activating the See Commentary on page 2695. PDGF receptor (PDGFR) as opposed to the VEGFR2, which is 1To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: [email protected] or jhare@ absent on MSCs (16). However, the impact of NO signaling in the med.miami.edu. differentiation of MSCs into endothelial cells has not been pre- This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10. viously tested. Given the similar signaling involved in endothelial 1073/pnas.1220185110/-/DCSupplemental. 2834–2839 | PNAS | February 19, 2013 | vol. 110 | no. 8 www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1220185110 Downloaded by guest on September 27, 2021 SEE COMMENTARY − − − − Fig. 1. Impaired capillary tube–like formation from GSNOR / MSCs in vitro. (A) Representative images of tube-like formation by WT and GSNOR / MSCs plated on Matrigel-coated plates for 0, 6, and 24 h in the presence of vehicle (rows 1 and 3) or 15 μmol/L L-NAME (rows 2 and 4) (magnification: 10×). Quantification of the number (B) and length (μm) (C) of tubes at 24 h (n ≥ 3, *P < 0.001 vs. WT, †P < 0.001 vs. GSNOR−/−). tubes than those derived from WT mice (Fig. 1 A–C). To test (Fig. 2K). Furthermore, incubation with GSNO down-regu- whether this impairment was NO-mediated, we inhibited NO lated PDGFRα by approximately twofold and up-regulated −/− production in GSNOR MSCs with the NO synthase inhibitor VEGF-A by ∼2.5-fold in WT MSCs, supporting the actions of low- G L-N -nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME). This treatment molecular-weight thiols in mediating this phenotype (Fig. S5A). completely normalized the number (49.9 ± 14.8, P < 0.001) and −/− Finally, in GSNOR MSCs, inhibition of NOS with L-NAME CELL BIOLOGY ± μ P < −/− length (82.8 20.5 m, 0.001) of GSNOR tubes (Fig. 1 augmented VEGF-A production ∼4.5-fold (Fig. 3A), demon- A–C ), indicating that inhibition of NO production restores net- strating that NO levels modulate VEGF-A production. Activa- work formation by MSCs. L-NAME had no effect on WT MSC tion of the GHRH receptor, with JI-38, a synthetic agonist, also − − tube formation; however, treatment with the NO donors, increased VEGF-A production by 2.8-fold in GSNOR / MSCs S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) and S-nitroso-N-acetyl-D,L-penicil- (Fig. 3B). lamine (SNAP), impaired tube formation (15.6 ± 9.0 and 31.8 ± P < ± ± 9.9, 0.001) and decreased tube length (98.4 56.6 and 57.1 VEGF-A/PDGFR Signaling Is a Key in MSC-Mediated Vasculogenesis. 24.9 μm, P < 0.001) by WT MSCs, confirming that small molecular α S We next examined whether inhibition of PDGFR , using a spe- weight -nitrosothiols inhibit the vasculogenic potential of MSCs cific PDGFR IV antagonist (PIV), could reduce tube formation (Fig. S3 A–C). by MSCs. Treatment with PIV (0.1 μmol/L) impaired tube for- − − ∼ C D A MSCs from NOS2 / Mice Produce Enhanced Capillary Tube–Like mation in both WT ( 2.6-fold; Fig. 3 and ; Fig. S6 ) and −/− ∼ E F B Formation in Vitro. We also tested the impact of reducing in- GSNOR MSCs ( 4.1 fold; Fig. 3 and ; Fig. S6 ). How- −/− tracellular NO production by assessing the vasculogenic potential ever, the impact of PIV was much greater on GSNOR tubes − − of MSCs isolated from mice lacking NOS2 (NOS2 / ). Signifi- than WT. In addition, while treatment with L-NAME rescued − − − − cantly, MSCs from NOS2 / mice formed more tubes (92.8 ± 26.0 tube formation by GSNOR / MSCs, PIV counteracted this ef- −/− vs.