Open AccessA regulator of G protein signaling 5 marked subpopulation of vascular smooth muscle cells is lost during vascular disease
Author(s) -
Yisha Gao,
Rui-Juan Guo,
Xin Xu,
Xiao-Fu Huang,
Yu Song,
Dandan Zhang,
Ning Chen,
Xiaowei Wang,
Ce Liang,
Pengfei Kong,
Mei Han
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0265132
Subject(s) - vascular smooth muscle , biology , regulator , transcriptome , homeostasis , microbiology and biotechnology , downregulation and upregulation , vascular disease , medicine , endocrinology , gene expression , gene , smooth muscle , genetics
Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) subpopulations relevant to vascular disease and injury repair have been depicted in healthy vessels and atherosclerosis profiles. However, whether VSMC subpopulation associated with vascular homeostasis exists in the healthy artery and how are their nature and fate in vascular remodeling remains elusive. Here, using single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to detect VSMC functional heterogeneity in an unbiased manner, we showed that VSMC subpopulations in healthy artery presented transcriptome diversity and that there was significant heterogeneity in differentiation state and development within each subpopulation. Notably, we detected an independent subpopulation of VSMCs that highly expressed regulator of G protein signaling 5 (RGS5), upregulated the genes associated with inhibition of cell proliferation and construction of cytoskeleton compared with the general subpopulation, and mainly enriched in descending aorta. Additionally, the proportion of RGS5 high VSMCs was markedly decreased or almost disappeared in the vascular tissues of neointimal formation, abdominal aortic aneurysm and atherosclerosis. Specific spatiotemporal characterization of RGS5 high VSMC subpopulation suggested that this subpopulation was implicated in vascular homeostasis. Together, our analyses identify homeostasis-relevant transcriptional signatures of VSMC subpopulations in healthy artery, which may explain the regional vascular resistance to atherosclerosis at some extent.