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Objective This study determined whether angiotensinogen (AGT) has angiotensin (Ang)II-independent effects using multiple genetic and pharmacological manipulations. Approach and Results All study mice were in LDL receptor -/- background and fed a saturated fat-enriched diet. In mice with floxed alleles and a neomycin cassette in intron 2 of the AGT gene (hypoAGT mice), plasma AGT concentrations were > 90% lower compared to their wild type littermates. HypoAGT mice had lower SBP, less atherosclerosis, and diminished body weight gain and liver steatosis. Low plasma AGT concentrations and all phenotypes were recapitulated in mice with hepatocyte-specific deficiency of AGT or pharmacological inhibition of AGT by antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) administration. In contrast, inhibition of AGT cleavage by a renin inhibitor, aliskiren, failed to alter body weight gain and liver steatosis in LDL receptor -/- mice. In mice with established adiposity, administration of AGT ASO versus aliskiren led to equivalent reductions of SBP and atherosclerosis. AGT ASO administration ceased body weight gain and further reduced body weight, whereas aliskiren did not affect body weight gain during continuous saturated fat-enriched diet feeding. Structural comparisons of AGT proteins in zebrafish, mouse, rat and human revealed 4 highly conserved sequences within the des(AngI)AGT domain. des(AngI)AGT, through adeno-associated viral infection in hepatocyte-specific AGT deficient mice, increased body weight gain and liver steatosis, but did not affect atherosclerosis. Conclusions AGT contributes to body weight gain and liver steatosis through functions of the des(AngI)AGT domain, which are independent of AngII production.

Enhancing the functional uptake of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) in the muscle will be beneficial for developing ASO therapeutics targeting genes expressed in the muscle. We hypothesized that improving albumin binding will facilitate traversal of ASO from the blood compartment to the interstitium of the muscle tissues to enhance ASO functional uptake. We synthesized structurally diverse saturated and unsaturated fatty acid conjugated ASOs with a range of hydrophobicity. The binding affinity of ASO fatty acid conjugates to plasma proteins improved with fatty acid chain length and highest binding affinity was observed with ASO conjugates containing fatty acid chain length from 16 to 22 carbons. The degree of unsaturation or conformation of double bond appears to have no influence on protein binding or activity of ASO fatty acid conjugates. Activity of fatty acid ASO conjugates correlated with the affinity to albumin and the tightest albumin binder exhibited the highest activity improvement in muscle. Palmitic acid conjugation increases ASO plasma Cmax and improved delivery of ASO to interstitial space of mouse muscle. Conjugation of palmitic acid improved potency of DMPK, Cav3, CD36 and Malat-1 ASOs (3- to 7-fold) in mouse muscle. Our approach provides a foundation for developing more effective therapeutic ASOs for muscle disorders.

Objective Gain-of-function mutations of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) lead to hypercholesterolemia. This study was to determine whether infection of normocholesterolemic mice with an adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) expressing a gain-of-function mutation of mouse PCSK9 increased angiotensin II (AngII)-induced abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Approach and Results In an initial study, male C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with either an empty vector or PCSK9 gain-of-function mutation (D377Y).AAV at three doses and fed a saturated fat-enriched diet for 6 weeks. Two weeks after AAV injection, mice were infused with AngII for 4 weeks. Plasma PCSK9 concentrations were increased dose-dependently in mice injected with AAV containing PCSK9D377Y mutation, and positively associated with elevations of plasma cholesterol concentrations. Infection with intermediate and high doses of PCSK9D377Y.AAV led to equivalent increases of maximal width of abdominal aortas in C57BL/6 mice infused with AngII. Therefore, the intermediate dose was used in subsequent experiments. We then determined effects of PCSK9D377Y.AAV infection on 5 normolipidemic mouse strains, demonstrating that C57BL/6 mice were the most susceptible to this AAV infection. PCSK9D377Y.AAV infected male C57BL/6 mice were also compared with age-matched male low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor −/− mice. Although plasma cholesterol concentrations were lower in mice infected with PCSK9D377Y.AAV, these mice had equivalent AAA formation, compared to LDL receptor −/− mice. In a separate study, reduced plasma PCSK9 concentrations by PCSK9 antisense oligonucleotides in male LDL receptor −/− mice did not influence AngII-induced AAAs. Conclusion AAV-mediated infection with a mouse PCSK9 gain-of-function mutation is a rapid, easy, and efficient approach for inducing hypercholesterolemia and promoting AAAs in C57BL/6 mice infused with AngII.