OLR1 and Loxin Expression in PBMCs of Women with a History of Unexplained Recurrent Miscarriage: A Pilot Study
GENETIC TESTING AND MOLECULAR BIOMARKERS
Authors: Bruno, Valentina; Rizzacasa, Barbara; Pietropolli, Adalgisa; Capogna, Maria Vittoria; Massoud, Renato; Ticconi, Carlo; Piccione, Emilio; Cortese, Claudio; Novelli, Giuseppe; Amati, Francesca
Abstract
Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of OLR1 and its alternative splicing isoform Loxin in unexplained recurrent miscarriage (uRM). Methods: Sixty-three women of reproductive age were recruited and were divided into four groups: 18 pregnant and 23 non-pregnant women with uRM, and 12 pregnant and 10 non-pregnant women with physiological pregnancies. Complementary DNA derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR to evaluate the expression of OLR1 and Loxin. Oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDLs) were assayed from serum by a commercially available kit. Results: Pregnant uRM women presented with a higher, though not significant, OLR1/Loxin ratio and a higher ox-LDLs serum level (p0.05) compared with pregnant control women. OLR1 and Loxin levels were significantly decreased in non-pregnant uRM women compared with the control (OLR1: 0.00018 vs. 0.00043, p0.005; Loxin: 0.00018 vs. 0.00060, p0.005, respectively). Loxin expression decreased by about two-thirds (p0.005) in pregnant women compared with non-pregnant control women. A higher expression of OLR1 in pregnant women compared with non-pregnant women with uRM (p0.05) was observed, but no variation in Loxin expression was observed. Conclusions: The results of this study show an association of peripheral OLR1 and Loxin expression levels in uRM women, and they suggest the possible existence of an uncontrolled oxidative stress in these women in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Human PAH is characterized by a pattern of lipid-related insulin resistance
JCI INSIGHT
Authors: Hemnes, Anna R.; Luther, J. Matthew; Rhodes, Christopher J.; Burgess, Jason P.; Carlson, James; Fan, Run; Fessel, Joshua P.; Fortune, Niki; Gerszten, Robert E.; Halliday, Stephen J.; Hekmat, Rezzan; Howard, Luke; Newman, John H.; Niswender, Kevin D.; Pugh, Meredith E.; Robbins, Ivan M.; Sheng, Quanhu; Shibao, Cyndya A.; Shyr, Yu; Sumner, Susan; Talati, Megha; Wharton, John; Wilkins, Martin R.; Ye, Fei; Yu, Chang; West, James; Brittain, Evan L.
Abstract
BACKGROUND. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a deadly disease of the small pulmonary vasculature with an increased prevalence of insulin resistance (IR). Insulin regulates both glucose and lipid homeostasis. We sought to quantify glucose-and lipid-related IR in human PAH, testing the hypothesis that lipoprotein indices are more sensitive indices of IR in PAH. METHODS. Oral glucose tolerance testing in PAH patients and triglyceride-matched (TG-matched) controls and proteomic, metabolomics, and lipoprotein analyses were performed in PAH and controls. Results were validated in an external cohort and in explanted human PAH lungs. RESULTS. PAH patients were similarly glucose intolerant or IR by glucose homeostasis metrics compared with control patients when matched for the metabolic syndrome. Using the insulin-sensitive lipoprotein index, TG/HDL ratio, PAH patients were more commonly IR than controls. Proteomic and metabolomic analysis demonstrated separation between PAH and controls, driven by differences in lipid species. We observed a significant increase in long-chain acylcarnitines, phosphatidylcholines, insulin metabolism-related proteins, and in oxidized LDL receptor 1 (OLR1) in PAH plasma in both a discovery and validation cohort. PAH patients had higher lipoprotein axis-related IR and lipoprotein-based inflammation scores compared with controls. PAH patient lung tissue showed enhanced OLR1 immunostaining within plexiform lesions and oxidized LDL accumulation within macrophages. CONCLUSIONS. IR in PAH is characterized by alterations in lipid and lipoprotein homeostasis axes, manifest by elevated TG/HDL ratio, and elevated circulating medium-and long-chain acylcarnitines and lipoproteins. Oxidized LDL and its receptor OLR1 may play a role in a proinflammatory phenotype in PAH.