Changes in inflammation and oxidative stress signalling pathways in coarcted aorta triggered by bicuspid aortic valve and growth in young children

Neonates with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) combined with a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) show significant structural differences compared to neonatal CoA patients with a normal tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). These effects are likely to change over time in response to growth. This study investigated proteomic differences between coarcted aortic tissue of BAV and TAV patients in children older than one month. Aortic tissue just proximal to the coarctation site was collected from 10 children (BAV; n=6, 1.9±1.7 years, TAV; n=4, 1.7±1.5 years, (mean ± SEM, P=0.92.) Tissue were snap frozen, proteins extracted, and the extracts used for proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis using Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) analysis. A total of 1811 protein and 76 phosphoprotein accession numbers were detected, of which 40 proteins and 6 phosphoproteins were significantly differentially expressed between BAV and TAV patients. Several canonical pathways involved in inflammation demonstrated enriched protein expression, including acute phase response signalling, EIF2 signalling and macrophage production of IL12 and reactive oxygen species. Acute phase response signalling also demonstrated enriched phosphoprotein expression, as did Th17 activation. Other pathways with significantly enriched protein expression include degradation of superoxide radicals and several pathways involved in apoptosis. This work suggests that BAV CoA patients older than one month have an altered proteome consistent with changes in inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress compared to TAV CoA patients of the same age. There is no evidence of structural differences, suggesting the pathology associated with BAV evolves with age in paediatric CoA patients.