Background: Rupture and erosion of advanced atherosclerotic lesions with a resultant myocardial infarction or stroke are the leading worldwide cause of death. However, we have a limited understanding of the identity, origin, and function of many cells that make up late-stage atherosclerotic lesions, as well as the mechanisms by which they control plaque stability. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive single-cell RNA sequencing of advanced human carotid endarterectomy samples and compared these with single-cell RNA sequencing from murine microdissected advanced atherosclerotic lesions with smooth muscle cell (SMC) and endothelial lineage tracing to survey all plaque cell types and rigorously determine their origin. We further used chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), bulk RNA sequencing, and an innovative dual lineage tracing mouse to understand the mechanism by which SMC phenotypic transitions affect lesion pathogenesis. Results: We provide evidence that SMC-specific Klf4- versus Oct4-knockout showed virtually opposite genomic signatures, and their putative target genes play an important role regulating SMC phenotypic changes. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed remarkable similarity of transcriptomic clusters between mouse and human lesions and extensive plasticity of SMC- and endothelial cell-derived cells including 7 distinct clusters, most negative for traditional markers. In particular, SMC contributed to a Myh11 - , Lgals3 + population with a chondrocyte-like gene signature that was markedly reduced with SMC- Klf4 knockout. We observed that SMCs that activate Lgals3 compose up to two thirds of all SMC in lesions. However, initial activation of Lgals3 in these cells does not represent conversion to a terminally differentiated state, but rather represents transition of these cells to a unique stem cell marker gene–positive, extracellular matrix-remodeling, “pioneer” cell phenotype that is the first to invest within lesions and subsequently gives rise to at least 3 other SMC phenotypes within advanced lesions, including Klf4-dependent osteogenic phenotypes likely to contribute to plaque calcification and plaque destabilization. Conclusions: Taken together, these results provide evidence that SMC-derived cells within advanced mouse and human atherosclerotic lesions exhibit far greater phenotypic plasticity than generally believed, with Klf4 regulating transition to multiple phenotypes including Lgals3 + osteogenic cells likely to be detrimental for late-stage atherosclerosis plaque pathogenesis.

The presence of lymph node (LN)-like vasculature in tumors, characterized by expression of peripheral node addressin and chemokine CCL21, is correlated with T-cell infiltration and positive prognosis in breast cancer and melanoma patients. However, mechanisms controlling the development of LN-like vasculature and how it might contribute to a beneficial outcome for cancer patients are unknown. Here we demonstrate that LN-like vasculature is present in murine models of melanoma and lung carcinoma. It enables infiltration by naïve T-cells that significantly delay tumor outgrowth after intratumoral activation. Development of this vasculature is controlled by a mechanism involving effector CD8 T-cells and NK cells that secrete LTα3 and IFNγ. LN-like vasculature is also associated with organized aggregates of B-lymphocytes and gp38+ fibroblasts that resemble tertiary lymphoid organs that develop in models of chronic inflammation. These results establish LN-like vasculature as both a consequence of and key contributor to anti-tumor immunity.

Despite decades of research, our understanding of the processes controlling late-stage atherosclerotic plaque stability remains poor. A prevailing hypothesis is that reducing inflammation may improve advanced plaque stability, as recently tested in the Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcome Study (CANTOS) trial, in which post-myocardial infarction subjects were treated with an IL-1β antibody. Here, we performed intervention studies in which smooth muscle cell (SMC) lineage-tracing Apoe mice with advanced atherosclerosis were treated with anti-IL-1β or IgG control antibodies. Surprisingly, we found that IL-1β antibody treatment between 18 and 26 weeks of Western diet feeding induced a marked reduction in SMC and collagen content, but increased macrophage numbers in the fibrous cap. Moreover, although IL-1β antibody treatment had no effect on lesion size, it completely inhibited beneficial outward remodeling. We also found that SMC-specific knockout of Il1r1 (encoding IL-1 receptor type 1) resulted in smaller lesions nearly devoid of SMCs and lacking a fibrous cap, whereas macrophage-selective loss of IL-1R1 had no effect on lesion size or composition. Taken together, these results show that IL-1β has multiple beneficial effects in late-stage murine atherosclerosis, including promotion of outward remodeling and formation and maintenance of an SMC- and collagen-rich fibrous cap.

Stable atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by a thick extracellular matrix (ECM)-rich fibrous cap populated by protective ACTA2 + myofibroblast (MF)-like cells, assumed to be almost exclusively derived from smooth muscle cells (SMC). Herein, we show that in murine and human lesions, 20 to 40% of ACTA2 + fibrous caps cells, respectively, are derived from non-SMC sources, including endothelial cells (EC) or macrophages that have undergone Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal (EndoMT) or Macrophage-to-Mesenchymal (MMT) transitions. In addition, we show that SMC-specific knockout of the platelet derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB) in Apoe −/− mice fed a Western diet (WD) for 18 weeks resulted in brachiocephalic artery (BCA) lesions nearly devoid of SMC but with no changes in lesion size, remodeling, or indices of stability including percent of ACTA2 + fibrous cap cells. However, prolonged WD feeding of SMC-PDGFRB knockout mice resulted in reduced indices of stability, indicating that EndoMT and MMT-derived MFs cannot compensate indefinitely for loss of SMC-derived MFs. Using single cell and bulk RNA-seq analyses of the BCA region and in vitro models, we provide evidence that SMC to MF transitions (SMC-MFT) are induced by PDGF and TFGβ and dependent on aerobic glycolysis, while EndoMT is induced by IL1β and TGFβ. Together, we provide evidence that the ACTA2 + fibrous cap originates from a tapestry of cell types, which transition to an MF state through distinct signaling pathways that are either dependent on or associated with extensive metabolic reprogramming.

The stem cell pluripotency factor Oct4 serves a critical protective role during atherosclerotic plaque development by promoting smooth muscle cell (SMC) investment. Here, we show using Myh11-CreER T2 lineage-tracing with inducible SMC and pericyte (SMC-P) knockout of Oct4 that Oct4 regulates perivascular cell migration and recruitment during angiogenesis. Knockout of Oct4 in perivascular cells significantly impairs perivascular cell migration, increases perivascular cell death, delays endothelial cell migration, and promotes vascular leakage following corneal angiogenic stimulus. Knockout of Oct4 in perivascular cells also impairs perfusion recovery and decreases angiogenesis following hindlimb ischemia. Transcriptomic analyses demonstrate that expression of the migratory gene Slit3 is reduced following loss of Oct4 in cultured SMCs, and in Oct4-deficient perivascular cells in ischemic hindlimb muscle. Together, these results provide evidence that Oct4 plays an essential role within perivascular cells in injury- and hypoxia-induced angiogenesis.