• Ablajan Mahmut, Marie-Chloé Boulanger, Rihab Bouchareb, Fayez Hadji, and Patrick Mathieu.
• Laboratoire d'Études Moléculaires des Valvulopathies (LEMV), Groupe de Recherche en Valvulopathies (GRV), Quebec Heart and Lung Institute/Research Center, Department of Surgery, Laval University, 2725 Chemin Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada G1V-4G5.
• Cardiovasc. Res. 2015 Apr 1; 106 (1): 109-20.

AimsIn this study, we sought to determine the role of ecto-nucleotidases and adenosine receptors in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). The expression of ecto-nucleotidases, which modify the levels of extracellular nucleotides/nucleosides, may control the mineralization of valve interstitial cells (VICs). We hypothesized that expression of ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 (NPP1), which generates AMP, and 5'-nucleotidase (CD73), an enzyme using AMP as a substrate to produce adenosine, may co-regulate the mineralization of the aortic valve.Methods And ResultsWe have investigated the expression of NPP1 and 5'-nucleotidase in CAVD tissues and determined the role of these ecto-nucleotidases on the mineralization of isolated VICs. In CAVD tissues (stenotic and sclerotic), we documented that NPP1 and 5'-nucleotidase were overexpressed by VICs. In isolated VICs, we found that mineralization induced by adenosine triphosphate was decreased by silencing NPP1 and 5'-nucleotidase, suggesting a role for adenosine. Adenosine and specific A2a adenosine receptor (A2aR) agonist increased the mineralization of VICs. Silencing of A2aR in human VICs and the use of A2aR(-/-) mouse VICs confirmed that A2aR promotes the mineralization of cells. Also, A2aR-mediated mineralization was negated by the transfection of a mutant dominant-negative Gαs vector. Through several lines of evidence, we next documented that adenosine stimulated the mineralization of VICs through a cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA)/cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) pathway, and found that CREB positively regulated the expression of NPP1 in a positive feedback loop by physically interacting with the promoter.ConclusionExpression of NPP1 and 5'-nucleotidase by VICs promotes the mineralization of the aortic valve through A2aR and a cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway.Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2015. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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