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Vascular development is essential for the establishment of the circulatory system during embryonic development and requires the proliferation of endothelial cells. However, the underpinning regulatory mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we report that geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP), a metabolite involved in protein geranylgeranylation, plays an indispensable role in embryonic vascular development. GGPP is synthesized by geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (GGPPS) in the mevalonate pathway. The selective knockout of Ggpps in endothelial cells led to aberrant vascular development and embryonic lethality, resulting from the decreased proliferation and enhanced apoptosis of endothelial cells during vasculogenesis. The defect in protein geranylgeranylation induced by GGPP depletion inhibited the membrane localization of RhoA and enhanced yes-associated protein (YAP) phosphorylation, thereby prohibiting the entry of YAP into the nucleus and the expression of YAP target genes related to cell proliferation and the antiapoptosis process. Moreover, inhibition of the mevalonate pathway by simvastatin induced endothelial cell proliferation defects and apoptosis, which were ameliorated by GGPP. Geranylgeraniol (GGOH), a precursor of GGPP, ameliorated the harmful effects of simvastatin on vascular development of developing fetuses in pregnant mice. These results indicate that GGPP-mediated protein geranylgeranylation is essential for endothelial cell proliferation and the antiapoptosis process during embryonic vascular development.

Metaflammation is a primary inflammatory complication of metabolic disorders characterized by altered production of many inflammatory cytokines, adipokines, and lipid mediators. Whereas multiple inflammation networks have been identified, the mechanisms by which metaflammation is initiated have long been controversial. As the mevalonate pathway (MVA) produces abundant bioactive isoprenoids and abnormal MVA has a phenotypic association with inflammation/immunity, we speculate that isoprenoids from the MVA may provide a causal link between metaflammation and metabolic disorders. Using a line with the MVA isoprenoid producer geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase (GGPPS) deleted, we find that geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) depletion causes an apparent metaflammation as evidenced by abnormal accumulation of fatty acids, eicosanoid intermediates, and proinflammatory cytokines. We also find that GGPP prenylate cytochrome b(5) reductase 3 (CYB5R3) and the prenylated CYB5R3 then translocate from the mitochondrial to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) pool. As CYB5R3 is a critical NADH-dependent reductase necessary for eicosanoid metabolism in ER, we thus suggest that GGPP-mediated CYB5R3 prenylation is necessary for metabolism. In addition, we observe that pharmacological inhibition of the MVA pathway by simvastatin is sufficient to inhibit CYB5R3 translocation and induces smooth muscle death. Therefore, we conclude that the dysregulation of MVA intermediates is an essential mechanism for metaflammation initiation, in which the imbalanced production of eicosanoid intermediates in the ER serve as an important pathogenic factor. Moreover, the interplay of MVA and eicosanoid metabolism as we reported here illustrates a model for the coordinating regulation among metabolite pathways.

Aims With the maturation of placenta, ventricular chamber maturation enhances cardiac contractile performance to adapt to the metabolic demand of growing embryo. The organization of cardiomyocytes is required for the morphological remodelling in ventricular chamber maturation. However, the mechanism governing the establishment of cardiac cytoarchitecture during ventricular chamber maturation is still poorly studied. Methods and results Here, we found that the expression of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate synthase (Ggpps), which mediates protein geranylgeranylation, increased in the mouse heart after the onset of placental function. By using different Cre lines, we found that the cardiac inactivation of Ggpps by the Nkx2.5Cre/+ line disrupted protein geranylgeranylation as early as E9.5, which affected ventricular chamber maturation and resulted in mid-gestational embryonic lethality. In contrast, α-SMA-Cre line mediated the disruption of protein geranylgeranylation from E13.5 did not affect embryonic heart development. Further analysis of Nkx2.5Cre/+; Ggppsfl/fl mutants showed that the loss of Ggpps caused disorganized cardiac cytoarchitecture as early as E11.5 by disturbing cell-cell junctions. Ggpps inactivation decreased Rho GTPase geranylgeranylation and their activity, which might account for the disruption of cell-cell junctions. Moreover, elevating the protein geranylgeranylation by supplement of geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) could recover the Ggpps deficient induced defects of cytoarchitecture and cell-cell junctions in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion Our present study demonstrates that GGPPS-mediated protein geranylgeranylation plays an indispensable role in the ventricular chamber maturation and acts as a stage-specific signal to regulate the establishment of cardiac cytoarchitecture during mid-gestation.