Altered cargo proteins of human plasma endothelial cell-derived exosomes in atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease

Abstract

Plasma endothelial cell-derived exosomes (EDEs) and platelet-derived exosomes (PDEs) were precipitated and enriched separately by immunospecific absorption procedures for analyses of cargo proteins relevant to atherosclerosis. EDEs had usual exosome size and marker protein content, and significantly higher levels than PDEs of the endothelial proteins vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, whereas PDEs had significantly higher levels of platelet glycoprotein VI. EDE levels of VCAM-1, von Willebrand factor, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB, angiopoietin-1, and lysyl oxidase-2 and the cerebrovascular-selective proteins glucose transporter 1, permeability-glycoprotein, and large neutral amino acid transporter 1 were significantly higher for 18 patients with cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) than for 18 age- and gender-matched control subjects. PDE levels of PDGF-AA, platelet glycoprotein VI, integrin-linked kinase-1, high mobility group box-1 protein, chemokine CXCL4, and thrombospondin-1 were significantly higher in patients with CeVD than in control subjects, but differences were less with greater overlaps than for EDE proteins. EDE levels of Yes-associated protein (YAP) were higher and of P(S127)-YAP lower in patients with CeVD than in control subjects, consistent with heightened activity of this mechanical force-sensitive system in atherosclerosis. Elevated EDE and PDE levels of atherosclerosis-promoting proteins in CeVD justify clinical studies of their potential value as biomarkers.-Goetzl, E. J., Schwartz, J. B., Mustapic, M., Lobach, I. V., Daneman, R., Abner, E. L., Jicha, G. A. Altered cargo proteins of human plasma endothelial cell-derived exosomes in atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease.

Keywords: angiogenesis; blood biomarkers; cellular adhesion; platelets; stroke.

Figure 1.

Elevated levels of endothelial cell biomarkers and proteins implicated in atherosclerosis in plasma EDEs of patients with CeVD relative to those of matched control subjects (C). Each point represents the value for one of the 18 patients or control subjects or for 14 (a different set of 14 patients and control subjects than for Table 1) of the 18 for vWF, and horizontal lines depict the respective mean levels. The significance of differences between levels for patients with CeVD and control subjects was calculated by an unpaired Student’s t test. *P < 0.001, **P < 0.0001.

Figure 2.

Elevated levels of platelet biomarkers and proteins implicated in atherosclerosis in plasma PDEs of patients with CeVD relative to those of matched control subjects. Each point represents the value for one of 14 patients or control subjects, and horizontal lines depict the respective mean levels. The significance of differences between levels for patients with CeVD and control subjects was calculated by an unpaired Student’s t test. *P < 001, ^‡P < 0.01.