Dual Lineage Tracing Identifies Cellular Mechanisms Underlying Radiation-Associated Changes in Atherosclerotic Lesion...

Phenotypic plasticity of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) contributes to atherosclerotic plaque composition and stability, yet how shifts in one population influence the contribution and function of the other under conditions of vascular stress, such as irradiation, is poorly understood. A major limitation has been the inability to simultaneously fate-map both cell types within the same lesion, with most studies mapping one lineage while inferring the other using unreliable dynamically changing marker genes, risking false-positive and false-negative assignment.

We generated dual lineage-tracing Apoe -deficient mice, enabling simultaneous fate mapping of SMCs and ECs. This model was used to extend prior findings from single lineage-tracing models demonstrating irradiation-induced loss of SMC lesion investment and expansion of EC-derived cells. Dual lineage-tracing mice were subjected to irradiation and bone marrow transplantation, followed by Western diet feeding to induce atherosclerosis. Lineage tracing, immunostaining and scRNA-seq analysis were used to define coordinated SMC and EC responses and identify changes relevant to plaque instability.

Dual lineage tracing specifically and simultaneously labeled SMC- and EC-derived cells in healthy and atherosclerotic vessels. Irradiation induced divergent responses: SMC-derived cells failed to invest in lesions and upregulated stress-activated inflammatory genes, whereas EC-derived cells expanded and upregulated SMC-associated genes. However, EC-derived cells within lesions failed to induce extracellular matrix genes, and lesions from irradiated mice exhibited reduced collagen content and fewer ACTA2 ⁺ cells within the fibrous cap, consistent with reduced plaque stability.

Dual lineage-tracing of SMCs and ECs demonstrated that irradiation-induced loss of lesional SMC and expansion of EC-derived ACTA2 ⁺ cells are not artifacts of false lineage assignment. By resolving SMC and EC fate within the same lesion, we identify irradiation-induced cell dynamics including stress-activated inflammatory reprogramming of SMCs, EC phenotypic modulation, impaired extracellular matrix organization, and reduced ACTA2⁺ fibrous cap cellularity that may contribute to radiotherapy-associated increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk.

What Is New? We developed a dual lineage-tracing mouse model that enables simultaneous fate mapping of smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells within the same atherosclerotic lesion.This model reveals coordinated arterial cell wall responses to vascular injury that cannot be resolved using single lineage-tracing approaches. Extending prior observations, we show that irradiation-induced inflammatory reprogramming of smooth muscle cells and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition of endothelial cells towards a smooth muscle cell-like state are associated with reduced total lesion collagen content and decreased overall ACTA2 ⁺ fibrous cap cellularity. This dual lineage-tracing mouse establishes a broadly applicable model for investigating arterial wall cell dynamics across diverse vascular disease states. What Are the Clinical Implications? Cancer therapies involving radiotherapy are associated with increased long-term risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.Our findings identify a potential cellular mechanism underlying this risk, in which irradiation-induced smooth muscle cell loss is not functionally compensated by endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition toward a SMC-like state.This dual lineage-tracing model provides a tool to evaluate how cancer therapies and other vascular stressors may alter arterial wall cell fate and indices of plaque stability in atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases.