Articles

< Previous         Next >  
Exendin-4 attenuates atherosclerosis progression via controlling hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell proliferation
Cen Yan1,† , Xiaojuan Ma2,† , Sin Man Lam3,† , Yuejie Zhang1 , Yu Cao1 , Yuan Dong1 , Li Su4 , Guanghou Shui3,* , Yingmei Feng1,*
1Department of Science and Development, Beijing Youan hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
2Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China
3State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
4Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University Center of Medical and Health Analysis, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
These authors contributed equally to this work
*Correspondence to:Guanghou Shui , Email:ghshui@genetics.ac.cn Yingmei Feng , Email:yingmeif13@sina.com
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 15, Issue 2, February 2023, mjad014,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjad014
Keyword: glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, proliferation, metabolomics, atherosclerosis

Beyond glycemic control, applications of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1r) agonists (GLP-1 RAs) inhibit inflammation and plaque development in murine atherosclerotic models. However, whether they modulate hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) to prohibit skewed myelopoiesis in hypercholesteremia remains unknown. In this study, GLP-1r expression in fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-sorted wild-type HSPCs was determined by capillary western blotting. Bone marrow cells (BMCs) of wild-type or GLP-1r−/− mice were transplanted into lethally irradiated low-density lipoprotein receptor deficient (LDLr−/−) recipients followed by high-fat diet (HFD) for chimerism analysis by FACS. In parallel, LDLr−/− mice were placed on HFD for 6 weeks and then treated with saline or Exendin-4 (Ex-4) for another 6 weeks. HSPC frequency and cell cycle were analyzed by FACS, and intracellular metabolite levels were assessed by targeted metabolomics. The results demonstrated that HSPCs expressed GLP-1r and transplantation of GLP-1r−/− BMCs resulted in skewed myelopoiesis in hypercholesterolemic LDLr−/− recipients. In vitro, Ex-4 treatment of FACS-purified HSPCs suppressed cell expansion and granulocyte production induced by LDL. In vivo, Ex-4 treatment inhibited plaque progression, suppressed HSPC proliferation, and modified glycolytic and lipid metabolism in HSPCs of hypercholesteremic LDLr−/− mice. In conclusion, Ex-4 could directly inhibit HSPC proliferation induced by hypercholesteremia.