Mst1 participates in the atherosclerosis progression through macrophage autophagy inhibition and macrophage apoptosis enhancement

Emerging evidence favors the notion that macrophage autophagy plays a prominent role in the pathogenesis of vulnerable plaque, suggesting the therapeutic potential of targeting autophagy in atherosclerosis. Here ApoE−/− mice were crossed with Mst1 knockout or Mst1 Tg mice to generate ApoE−/−:Mst1−/− and ApoE−/−:Mst1Tg mice. All animals were fed high-fat-diet for 4 months to induce arterial atherosclerosis. Murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells were subjected to ox-LDL (50 μg/mL) in an effort to examine the cellular mechanisms. A significant increase in the levels of Mst1 and p-Mst1 was observed in the aorta of ApoE−/− mice. Mst1 knockout significantly reduced atherosclerotic area, decreased lipid core area and macrophage accumulation as compared with ApoE−/− mice. Along the same line, Mst1 overexpression increased plaque area, lipid core and macrophage accumulation as compared with ApoE−/− mice. Mst1 deficiency significantly increased levels of Beclin1 and LC3II, while decreased that of p62 in aortic atherosclerosis. Moreover, in vitro data indicated that Mst1 knockdown prompted more typical autophagosomes upon ox-LDL challenge. Mst1 knockdown also enhanced autophagic flux as evidenced by GFP-mRFP-LC3 staining, increased LC3-II expression and decreased p62 expression in the presence of bafilomycin A1. Mst1 knockdown decreased, while Mst1 overexpression increased macrophage apoptosis upon ox-LDL exposure. In conclusion, Mst1 deficiency diminishes atherosclerosis and stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques in ApoE−/− mice. Mst1 may participate in atherosclerosis progression through inhibition of macrophage autophagy and promotion of macrophage apoptosis.