Biology subjects

Keles, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Keles, M..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Identification of drug candidates for rescue of SOX17 gene targets in pulmonary arterial hypertension

BackgroundBoth rare and common variants in the SRY-Box Transcription Factor 17 (SOX17) locus are associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). SOX17 dysregulation leads to pulmonary artery endothelial cell (PAEC) dysfunction and the obstructive remodelling that characterises PAH. HypothesisImpaired SOX17 expression contributes to the pathogenesis of PAH. Restoring the function of SOX17 or its downstream targets using compounds that mimic its transcriptomic signature will rescue PAEC dysfunction and prevent PAH development. Methods and ResultsWe defined thousands of genes with direct SOX17 genomic binding sites and identified important potential binding partners, including ETS-transcription factors such as ERG by ChIP-seq in PAECs. Through the integration of three PAEC RNA-seq datasets involving overexpression and silencing of SOX17, we defined a robust SOX17 transcriptomic signature. In PAH patients, circulating plasma protein levels of 10 SOX17 signature genes were associated with the SOX17 common risk variants. This included EFNB2 and UNC5B; knockdown of these genes altered the viability and apoptosis of PAECs in response to TNF treatment. The drug-transcriptome database Connectivity Map (CMap) was used to predict novel potential therapeutic compounds to correct the SOX17 transcriptomic signature. Five compounds were selected for in vitro testing and were able to partially reinstate SOX17 target gene expression in PAECs. One compound, BX-912, was selected for in vivo testing as it corrected the levels of multiple target genes, including suppressing Runt-related transcription factor-1 (RUNX1). BX-912 blocked the development of pulmonary hypertension in mice lacking the SOX17 enhancer associated with human disease. ConclusionWe have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of targeting SOX17 in PAH through correction of its gene targets, identifying BX-912 as a lead compound with in vivo efficacy.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2026

Loss of cardiomyocyte eukaryotic elongation factor 1 A2 in adult mice triggers cardiomyopathy due to defective proteostasis

Eukaryotic elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) delivers aminoacyl-tRNAs to ribosomes but also has additional, non-canonical functions. Mammals express two paralogs: eEF1A1 is ubiquitous, whereas eEF1A2 is confined to adult cardiomyocytes, skeletal myocytes, and neurons. Mutations in EEF1A2 cause cardiomyopathy, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using adult, cardiomyocyte-specific Eef1a2 knock-out (Eef1a2-cKO) and Eef1a1/Eef1a2 double knock-out mice, we show that Eef1a2-cKO animals develop cardiomyopathy with increased mortality, systolic dysfunction, and fibrosis, despite unchanged global protein synthesis, while double knock-out mice die early in a sudden manner. Multi-omics analyses reveal post-transcriptional upregulation of ribosomal proteins and translational regulators in both models. Eef1a2-cKO hearts accumulate autophagosomes and protein aggregates, indicating defective autophagy. Mechanistically, we found that eEF1A2 functions as a chaperone supporting protein folding and proteostasis in cardiomyocytes. Early Rapamycin treatment (mTORC1 inhibition) normalizes systolic heart function and survival in Eef1a2-cKO mice and clears autophagosomes and protein aggregates. Thus, eEF1A2 maintains cardiac proteostasis, and mTORC1 inhibition may represent a therapeutic strategy for patients with EEF1A2 mutations.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

KLF6 in Pulmonary Hypertension: The Dual Role of Friend and Foe

BackgroundPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe lung condition with unmet clinical needs, marked by endothelial damage, excessive repair, and arterial narrowing, though mechanisms remain unclear. MethodsThis study investigates Kruppel-like transcription factor 6 (KLF6), known for its role in tissue injury response and cancer onset, in PAH through functional and expression analyses in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) and human and rodent PAH lung tissues. FindingsKLF6 expression increased in early experimental PAH in response to hypoxia and inflammation, while the expression of endothelial homeostasis regulators KLF2 and KLF4, previously linked to PAH, decreased. KLF6 overexpression enhanced pulmonary endothelial survival and angiogenesis through broad transcriptomic remodelling, including changes in genes governing endothelial homeostasis and arterial identity (e.g., SOX17, ERG, BMPR2) and promoted human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs) proliferation, which was inhibited by bosentan and imatinib. KLF6 functional and transcriptomic responses differed from those of KLF2 and KLF4. Comparative analysis of RNA-seq PAH databases and spatial transcriptomic analysis of human idiopathic PAH (IPAH) tissues highlighted strong association of KLF6 with vascular remodelling, especially with the formation of angioproliferative (plexiform) lesions. High KLF6 expression was observed in IPAH vascular endothelium and IPAH blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells. Single nucleus RNA-seq in PAH associated with Alveolar Capillary Dysplasia confirmed disease-related elevated KLF6 expression in arterial endothelial cells. InterpretationAccumulation and reorganization of KLF6+ endothelial cells characterize human PAH. KLF6 drives endothelial repair and an apoptosis-resistant, angioproliferative endothelial phenotype. Targeting KLF6 could be a novel therapeutic approach for PAH. RESEARCH IN CONTEXTO_ST_ABSEvidence before this studyC_ST_ABSPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive and life-shortening lung disease with no cure. In PAH development, endothelial damage is believed to initiate an abnormal repair process, leading to extensive vascular remodelling and the formation of complex angio-proliferative (plexiform) lesions. We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed database to identify transcription factors potentially involved in driving endothelial repair and promoting an apoptosis-resistant, angio-proliferative vascular phenotype. Previous research has linked the loss of endothelial homeostasis in PAH to the inhibition of transcription factors KLF2 and KLF4. While KLF6 is known to play a vital role in vascular development and supports endothelial repair, its specific role in PAH remains unexplored. Added value of this studyThis study is the first to establish a connection between KLF6 and PAH pathogenesis. Our findings reveal that KLF6 activation is a key feature of an apoptosis-resistant, angio-proliferative endothelial phenotype characteristic of human PAH-associated plexogenic arteriopathy. Furthermore, we identify both overlapping and unique activation patterns and transcriptional programs regulated by KLF2, KLF4, and KLF6 in lung endothelial cells, highlighting KLF6s unique role in driving endothelial dysfunction in PAH. Implications of all the available evidenceTargeting KLF6 offers a promising therapeutic strategy to counteract excessive vascular repair and prevent the vascular remodelling in PAH. FUNDINGPhD studentship from the University of Hafr Al Batin, KSA, and the Saudi Cultural Bureau in London (UKSACB) (Rehab Alharbi). Spatial transcriptomic reagents were funded by the British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence Award and Senior BHF Fellowship FS/18/52/33808 (Allan Lawrie). Human samples used in this research project were obtained from the Imperial College Healthcare Tissue Bank (ICHTB) supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Secreted long non-coding RNAs Gadlor1 and Gadlor2 affect multiple cardiac cell types and aggravate cardiac remodeling during pressure overload

BackgroundPathological overload triggers maladaptive myocardial remodeling that leads to heart failure. Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate cardiac remodeling. This study investigates two recently discovered, secreted lncRNAs, Gadlor1 and Gadlor2 (Gadlor 1/2). MethodsWe generated compound Gadlor1/2 knock-out (KO) mice and compared their response to pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction (TAC) to that of wild-type (WT) littermates. Endothelial cells, fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes were isolated from the hearts of both genotypes after TAC and their transcriptome was investigated by RNA sequencing. Gadlor target proteins were identified by RNA antisense purification coupled with mass spectrometry (RAP-MS) in cardiomyocytes. In addition, we investigated the effects of cardiac overexpression of Gadlor1/2. ResultsGadlor1/2 are jointly upregulated in failing mouse hearts as well as in the myocardium of heart failure patients. Cardiac overexpression of Gadlor1 and Gadlor2 aggravated myocardial dysfunction and enhanced hypertrophic and fibrotic remodeling in mice exposed to pressure overload. Compound Gadlor1/2 KO mice, in turn, exerted markedly reduced myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis and dysfunction, but more angiogenesis during short and long-standing pressure overload. Paradoxically, Gadlor1/2 KO mice suffered from sudden death during prolonged overload, possibly due to cardiac arrhythmia. Gadlor1 and Gadlor2, which are mainly expressed in endothelial cells (ECs) in the heart, where they inhibit pro-angiogenic gene-expression, are strongly secreted within extracellular vesicles (EVs). These EVs transfer Gadlor lncRNAs to cardiomyocytes, where they bind and activate calmodulin-dependent kinase II, induce pro-hypertrophic gene-expression and enhance calcium re-uptake into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. ConclusionGadlor1 and Gadlor2 are lncRNAs that are mainly enriched in EC-derived EVs and are jointly upregulated in mouse and human hearts during pathological overload. We reveal a crucial endothelial cell-cardiomyocyte crosstalk, which aims at restoring calcium homeostasis in cardiomyocytes during overload at the cost of aggravated hypertrophy and fibrosis.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Tetraspanin Tspan15 is an essential subunit of an ADAM10 scissor complex

A disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) is essential for embryonic development and impacts on diseases such as cancer, Alzheimers and inflammatory diseases. ADAM10 is a molecular scissor that proteolytically cleaves the extracellular region from over 100 substrates, including Notch, amyloid precursor protein, cadherins, growth factors and chemokines. ADAM10 was recently proposed to function as six distinct scissors with different substrates, depending on its association with one of six regulatory tetraspanins, termed TspanC8s. However, it remains unclear to what degree ADAM10 function is critically dependent on a TspanC8 partner. To address this, we generated the first monoclonal antibodies to Tspan15 as a model TspanC8. These were used to show that ADAM10 is the principal Tspan15-interacting protein, that Tspan15 expression requires ADAM10 in cell lines and primary cells, and that a synthetic ADAM10/Tspan15 fusion protein is a functional scissor. Together these findings suggest that ADAM10 exists as an intimate ADAM10/TspanC8 scissor complex.

cell biology↗