[HTML][HTML] Redistribution of the chromatin remodeler Brg1 directs smooth muscle–derived adventitial progenitor–to–myofibroblast differentiation and vascular fibrosis

AJ Jolly, S Lu, AM Dubner, KA Strand, MF Mutryn… - JCI insight, 2023 - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
AJ Jolly, S Lu, AM Dubner, KA Strand, MF Mutryn, A Pilotti-Riley, EP Danis, RA Nemenoff…
JCI insight, 2023ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Vascular smooth muscle–derived Sca1+ adventitial progenitor (AdvSca1-SM) cells are
tissue-resident, multipotent stem cells that contribute to progression of vascular remodeling
and fibrosis. Upon acute vascular injury, AdvSca1-SM cells differentiate into myofibroblasts
and are embedded in perivascular collagen and the extracellular matrix. While the
phenotypic properties of AdvSca1-SM–derived myofibroblasts have been defined, the
underlying epigenetic regulators driving the AdvSca1-SM–to–myofibroblast transition are …
Abstract
Vascular smooth muscle–derived Sca1+ adventitial progenitor (AdvSca1-SM) cells are tissue-resident, multipotent stem cells that contribute to progression of vascular remodeling and fibrosis. Upon acute vascular injury, AdvSca1-SM cells differentiate into myofibroblasts and are embedded in perivascular collagen and the extracellular matrix. While the phenotypic properties of AdvSca1-SM–derived myofibroblasts have been defined, the underlying epigenetic regulators driving the AdvSca1-SM–to–myofibroblast transition are unclear. We show that the chromatin remodeler Smarca4/Brg1 facilitates AdvSca1-SM myofibroblast differentiation. Brg1 mRNA and protein were upregulated in AdvSca1-SM cells after acute vascular injury, and pharmacological inhibition of Brg1 by the small molecule PFI-3 attenuated perivascular fibrosis and adventitial expansion. TGF-β 1 stimulation of AdvSca1-SM cells in vitro reduced expression of stemness genes while inducing expression of myofibroblast genes that was associated with enhanced contractility; PFI blocked TGF-β 1–induced phenotypic transition. Similarly, genetic knockdown of Brg1 in vivo reduced adventitial remodeling and fibrosis and reversed AdvSca1-SM–to–myofibroblast transition in vitro. Mechanistically, TGF-β 1 promoted redistribution of Brg1 from distal intergenic sites of stemness genes and recruitment to promoter regions of myofibroblast-related genes, which was blocked by PFI-3. These data provide insight into epigenetic regulation of resident vascular progenitor cell differentiation and support that manipulating the AdvSca1-SM phenotype will provide antifibrotic clinical benefits.
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