TFEB inhibits endothelial cell inflammation and reduces atherosclerosis

Abstract

Transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master regulator of autophagy and lysosome biogenesis. We investigated the function of TFEB in vascular biology and pathophysiology and demonstrated that TFEB in endothelial cells inhibited inflammation and reduced atherosclerosis development. Laminar shear stress, which protects against atherosclerosis, increased TFEB abundance in cultured primary human endothelial cells. Furthermore, TFEB overexpression in these cells was anti-inflammatory, whereas TFEB knockdown aggravated inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effect of TFEB was, at least, partially due to reduced oxidative stress because TFEB overexpression in endothelial cells decreased the concentrations of reactive oxygen species and increased the expression of the antioxidant genes HO1 (which encodes heme oxygenase 1) and SOD2 (which encodes superoxide dismutase 2). In addition, transgenic mice with endothelial cell-specific expression of TFEB exhibited reduced leukocyte recruitment to endothelial cells and decreased atherosclerosis development. Our study suggests that TFEB is a protective transcription factor against endothelial cell inflammation and a potential target for treating atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular diseases.