Open AccessAngiogenesis‐Related Genes in Endothelial Progenitor Cells May Be Involved in Sickle Cell Stroke
Author(s) -
Ito Mirta T.,
Silva Costa Sueli M.,
Baptista Letícia C.,
CarvalhoSiqueira Gabriela Q.,
Albuquerque Dulcinéia M.,
Rios Vinicius M.,
OspinaPrieto Stephanie,
Saez Roberta C.,
Vieira Karla P.,
Cendes Fernando,
Ozelo Margareth C.,
Saad Sara Teresinha O.,
Costa Fernando F.,
Melo Mônica B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the american heart association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.494
H-Index - 85
ISSN - 2047-9980
DOI - 10.1161/jaha.119.014143
Subject(s) - angiogenesis , medicine , endothelial stem cell , stroke (engine) , progenitor cell , endothelial progenitor cell , sickle cell anemia , gene expression profiling , immunology , gene , gene expression , pathology , cancer research , stem cell , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , disease , genetics , in vitro , mechanical engineering , engineering
Background The clinical aspects of sickle cell anemia ( SCA ) are heterogeneous, and different patients may present significantly different clinical evolutions. Almost all organs can be affected, particularly the central nervous system. Transient ischemic events, infarcts, and cerebral hemorrhage can be observed and affect ≈25% of the patients with SCA . Differences in the expression of molecules produced by endothelial cells may be associated with the clinical heterogeneity of patients affected by vascular diseases. In this study, we investigated the differential expression of genes involved in endothelial cell biology in SCA patients with and without stroke. Methods and Results Endothelial progenitor cells from 4 SCA patients with stroke and 6 SCA patients without stroke were evaluated through the polymerase chain reaction array technique. The analysis of gene expression profiling identified 29 differentially expressed genes. Eleven of these genes were upregulated, and most were associated with angiogenesis (55%), inflammatory response (18%), and coagulation (18%) pathways. Downregulated expression was observed in 18 genes, with the majority associated with angiogenesis (28%), apoptosis (28%), and cell adhesion (22%) pathways. Remarkable overexpression of the MMP 1 (matrix metalloproteinase 1) gene in the endothelial progenitor cells of all SCA patients with stroke (fold change: 204.64; P =0.0004) was observed. Conclusions Our results strongly suggest that angiogenesis is an important process in sickle cell stroke, and differences in the gene expression profile of endothelial cell biology, especially MMP 1 , may be related to stroke in SCA patients.