Inverse association between the extracellular matrix protein Tenascin-X and concurrent abdominal aortic calcification in patients with primary aldosteronism
- 1Hypertension Center of People’s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Hypertension Institute, National Health Committee Key Laboratory of Hypertension Clinical Research Key Laboratory of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hypertension Research Laboratory, Xinjiang Clinical Medical Research Center for Hypertension (Cardio-Cerebrovascular) Diseases , ,
Abstract
Background: Patients diagnosed with primary aldosteronism (PA) are at significantly increased risk of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and subsequent cardiovascular complications. Notably, abdominal aortic calcification is independently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, to date, no serum proteomic profiling has been specially carried out in PA patients complicated with AAC, leaving an unaddressed research gap. This study was designed to identify serum differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) via DIA-based untargeted proteomics.
Methods: In this translational research project, data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry was utilized to contrast serum proteomic landscapes from two PA subgroups: patients presenting with AAC and those without the calcification lesion. GO and KEGG functional enrichment analyses were conducted to decode biological functions of screened DEPs. Tenascin-X (TNX), an extracellular matrix molecule encoded by the TNXB gene, was selected as the core candidate and validated via aldosterone-exposed vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) as well as aldosterone-intervened mice.
Results: In total, 38 DEPs were distinguished across the two patient cohorts, comprising 6 upregulated proteins and 32 proteins with lowered expression levels. Gene Ontology results illustrated these molecules predominantly reside within extracellular regions and take part in cellular adhesion and immune regulatory activities. KEGG pathway enrichment further highlighted prominent enrichment within the extracellular matrix receptor interaction cascade. Markedly suppressed TNX expression was detected in aldosterone-treated VSMCs ( P < 0.001). In mouse aortic specimens, merely a marginal declining tendency of TNX was observed, which failed to reach statistical significance ( P = 0.054).
Conclusion: This proteomic study analyzes serum protein profiles in primary aldosteronism patients with and without abdominal aortic calcification, and identifies reduced serum TNX expression in PA patients complicated by abdominal aortic calcification. Further cellular experiments and aldosterone-intervened mouse studies revealed downregulation or a downward trend of key candidate molecule TNX, providing partial preliminary experimental support for the proteomic-identified candidate TNX. This study offers new research ideas for subsequent mechanistic investigations into abdominal aortic calcification in patients with primary aldosteronism.
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BibTeX
@article{zhang2026inverse,
title = {{Inverse association between the extracellular matrix protein Tenascin-X and concurrent abdominal aortic calcification in patients with primary aldosteronism}},
author = {Rangrang Zhang and Mubareke Aila and Qing Zhu and Saibire Saiding and Menghui Wang and Ting Wu and Bingxuan Guo and Nanfang Li and Qin Luo},
journal = {Frontiers in endocrinology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fendo.2026.1900237},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668541},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Inverse association between the extracellular matrix protein Tenascin-X and concurrent abdominal aortic calcification in patients with primary aldosteronism
AU - Rangrang Zhang
AU - Mubareke Aila
AU - Qing Zhu
AU - Saibire Saiding
AU - Menghui Wang
AU - Ting Wu
AU - Bingxuan Guo
AU - Nanfang Li
AU - Qin Luo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Frontiers in endocrinology
DO - 10.3389/fendo.2026.1900237
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668541
AB - Background: Patients diagnosed with primary aldosteronism (PA) are at significantly increased risk of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and subsequent cardiovascular complications. Notably, abdominal aortic calcification is independently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, to date, no serum proteomic profiling has been specially carried out in PA patients complicated with AAC, leaving an unaddressed research gap. This study was designed to identify serum differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) via DIA-based untargeted proteomics. Methods: In this translational research project, data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry was utilized to contrast serum proteomic landscapes from two PA subgroups: patients presenting with AAC and those without the calcification lesion. GO and KEGG functional enrichment analyses were conducted to decode biological functions of screened DEPs. Tenascin-X (TNX), an extracellular matrix molecule encoded by the TNXB gene, was selected as the core candidate and validated via aldosterone-exposed vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) as well as aldosterone-intervened mice. Results: In total, 38 DEPs were distinguished across the two patient cohorts, comprising 6 upregulated proteins and 32 proteins with lowered expression levels. Gene Ontology results illustrated these molecules predominantly reside within extracellular regions and take part in cellular adhesion and immune regulatory activities. KEGG pathway enrichment further highlighted prominent enrichment within the extracellular matrix receptor interaction cascade. Markedly suppressed TNX expression was detected in aldosterone-treated VSMCs ( P < 0.001). In mouse aortic specimens, merely a marginal declining tendency of TNX was observed, which failed to reach statistical significance ( P = 0.054). Conclusion: This proteomic study analyzes serum protein profiles in primary aldosteronism patients with and without abdominal aortic calcification, and identifies reduced serum TNX expression in PA patients complicated by abdominal aortic calcification. Further cellular experiments and aldosterone-intervened mouse studies revealed downregulation or a downward trend of key candidate molecule TNX, providing partial preliminary experimental support for the proteomic-identified candidate TNX. This study offers new research ideas for subsequent mechanistic investigations into abdominal aortic calcification in patients with primary aldosteronism.
SN - 1664-2392
ER -