%0 Journal Article
%T SPAG5 deficiency activates autophagy to reduce atherosclerotic plaque formation in ApoE-/- mice.
%A Guo L
%A Yuan H
%A Zhu H
%A Zhou J
%A Wan Z
%A Zhou Y
%J BMC Cardiovasc Disord
%V 24
%N 1
%D 2024 May 28
%M 38807081
%F 2.174
%R 10.1186/s12872-024-03945-5
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Autophagy, as a regulator of cell survival, plays an important role in atherosclerosis (AS). Sperm associated antigen 5 (SPAG5) is closely associated with the classical autophagy pathway, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. This work attempted to investigate whether SPAG5 can affect AS development by regulating autophagy.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with oxidized-low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) to induce cell damage. ApoE-/- mice were fed a Western diet to establish an AS mouse model. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Oil Red O staining evaluated the pathological changes and in lipid deposition in aortic tissues. CCK-8 and flow cytometry detected cell proliferation and apoptosis. Immunohistochemistry, Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, qRT-PCR and western blotting assessed the levels of mRNA and proteins.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Ox-LDL treatment elevated SPAG5 expression and the expression of autophagy-related proteins, LC3-I, LC3-II, Beclin-1, and p62, in HUVECs. GFP-LC3 dots were increased in ox-LDL-treated HUVECs and LPS-treated HUVECs. SPAG5 knockdown reversed both ox-LDL and LPS treatment-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation and promotion of apoptosis in HUVECs. SPAG5 silencing further elevated autophagy and repressed the expression of PI3K, p-Akt/Akt, and p-mTOR/mTOR in ox-LDL-treated HUVECs. 3-MA (autophagy inhibitor) treatment reversed SPAG5 silencing-mediated increase of cell proliferation and decrease of apoptosis in ox-LDL-treated HUVECs. In vivo, SPAG5 knockdown reduced atherosclerotic plaques in AS mice through activating autophagy and inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>This work demonstrated that SPAG5 knockdown alleviated AS development through activating autophagy. Thus, SPAG5 may be a potential target for AS therapy.