TY - JOUR
T1 - Exosomes facilitate intercellular communication between uterine perivascular adipose tissue and vascular smooth muscle cells in pregnant rats
AU - Osikoya, Oluwatobiloba
AU - Cushen, Spencer C.
AU - Gardner, Jennifer J.
AU - Raetz, Megan M.
AU - Nagarajan, Bhavani
AU - Raut, Sangram
AU - Goulopoulou, Styliani
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grants R01HL0146562 (to S.G.) and T32AG020494 (to S.C.C.) and a Basic Research Seed Funding Program from the University of North Texas Health Science Center (to S.G.).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors.
PY - 2022/9
Y1 - 2022/9
N2 - Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is distinct from other adipose depots, as it has differential gene and protein profiles and vasoactive functions. We have shown that pregnancy affects the morphology of PVAT surrounding the uterine arteries (utPVAT) differentially than the morphology of nonperivascular reproductive adipose depots (i.e., periovarian adipose tissue, OVAT). Here, we hypothesized that pregnancy modifies the profile (size and molecular mass) of exosome-like extracellular vesicles released by utPVAT (Exo-utPVAT) compared with exosome-like extracellular vesicles released by OVAT (Exo-OVAT) and that primary uterine vascular smooth muscle cells (utVSMCs) can internalize Exo-utPVAT. Our findings indicate that utPVAT from pregnant and nonpregnant rats secrete exosome-like vesicles. Exo-utPVAT from pregnant rats were smaller (i.e., molecular size) and heavier (i.e., molecular mass) than those from nonpregnant rats, whereas pregnancy did not affect the size of Exo-OVAT. Immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy showed that primary utVSMCs internalized Exo-utPVAT (both tissues from the same pregnant rat) labeled by the lipophilic tracer DiO. Treatment of isolated uterine arteries with Exo-utPVAT did not affect relaxation responses to acetylcholine in pregnant or nonpregnant rats. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a novel type of intercellular communication between Exo-utPVAT and utVSMCs and indicate pregnancy modulates the morphology and cargo of Exo-utPVAT.
AB - Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is distinct from other adipose depots, as it has differential gene and protein profiles and vasoactive functions. We have shown that pregnancy affects the morphology of PVAT surrounding the uterine arteries (utPVAT) differentially than the morphology of nonperivascular reproductive adipose depots (i.e., periovarian adipose tissue, OVAT). Here, we hypothesized that pregnancy modifies the profile (size and molecular mass) of exosome-like extracellular vesicles released by utPVAT (Exo-utPVAT) compared with exosome-like extracellular vesicles released by OVAT (Exo-OVAT) and that primary uterine vascular smooth muscle cells (utVSMCs) can internalize Exo-utPVAT. Our findings indicate that utPVAT from pregnant and nonpregnant rats secrete exosome-like vesicles. Exo-utPVAT from pregnant rats were smaller (i.e., molecular size) and heavier (i.e., molecular mass) than those from nonpregnant rats, whereas pregnancy did not affect the size of Exo-OVAT. Immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy showed that primary utVSMCs internalized Exo-utPVAT (both tissues from the same pregnant rat) labeled by the lipophilic tracer DiO. Treatment of isolated uterine arteries with Exo-utPVAT did not affect relaxation responses to acetylcholine in pregnant or nonpregnant rats. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a novel type of intercellular communication between Exo-utPVAT and utVSMCs and indicate pregnancy modulates the morphology and cargo of Exo-utPVAT.
KW - exosomes
KW - perivascular adipose tissue
KW - pregnancy
KW - uterine arteries
KW - vascular reactivity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85137152625&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1152/ajpheart.00322.2022
DO - 10.1152/ajpheart.00322.2022
M3 - Article
C2 - 35904885
AN - SCOPUS:85137152625
SN - 0363-6135
VL - 323
SP - H577-H584
JO - American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology
JF - American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology
IS - 3
ER -