(858.2) Identification of Disease-relevant, Sex-based Proteomic Differences in iPSC-derived Vascular Smooth Muscle

Poster Board Number: E142

Nethika Ariyasinghe (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Sean Escopete (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Roberta De Souza Santos (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Andrew Gross (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Dhruv Sareen (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Sarah Parker (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease varies with sex, and the impact of intrinsic sex-based differences on vasculature is not well understood. As animal models have limited utility in the exploration of sex-based differences in humans, we used iPSC-derived vascular smooth muscle cells from healthy patients of both sexes to identify sex-based proteomic differences and their possible effects on cardiovascular pathophysiology. Our analysis confirmed that differentiated cells have a proteomic profile more similar to healthy primary aortic smooth muscle than iPSCs. We also identified sex-based differences in iPSC-derived vascular smooth muscle in pathways related to integrins, extracellular matrix proteins, focal adhesions, and metabolism of amino acids. Exploration of these pathways can lead to the discovery of sex-specific pharmacological targets for cardiovascular disease.

Support or Funding Information

NIH T32HL1162713 – Advanced Heart Disease Research

NIH T32HL1162713 amp;ndash; Advanced Heart Disease Research