In search of markers useful for evaluation of graft patency - molecular analysis of ‘muscle system process’ for internal thoracic artery and saphenous vein conduits

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is the surgical method most commonly used to treat coronary artery disease (CAD). The vessels that are used in CABG are usually the internal thoracic artery (ITA) and the saphenous vein (SV). Transplant patency is one of the most important factors affecting transplant success. In this study, we used an expressive microarray method, approved by RT-qPCR, for transcriptome analysis of arterial and venous grafts. In the search for potential molecular factors, we analyzed gene ontologies of different expression based on the muscular system. Among interesting groups, we distinguished muscle cell proliferation, muscle contraction, muscle system process, regulation of smooth muscle cell proliferation and smooth muscle cell proliferation. The highest increase in gene expression was observed in: ACTN2, RBPMS2, NR4A3, KCNA5, while the smallest decrease in expression was shown by the P2RX1, KCNH2, DES and MYOT genes. Particularly noteworthy are the ACTN2 and NR4A3 genes, which can have a significant impact on vascular patency. ACTN2 is a gene that can affect the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, while NR4A3 occurs in 4 of the 5 ontological groups discussed and can affect the inflammatory process in the blood vessel. To summarize, the presented study provided valuable insight into the molecular aspects characterizing the vessels used in CABG, and in particular identified genes that may be the target for further studies on duct patency.

Running title: CABG grafts’ molecular analysis of ‘muscle system process’