Elevated ENO2 Disrupts VSMCs Homeostasis Facilitating the Development of Aortic Dissection

OBJECTIVE Aortic dissection (AD) is a dangerous cardiovascular disease. However, its regulatory mechanism remains poorly understood. Autophagy is an important pathway for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Recent studies have shown that glycolysis and autophagy are essential for the development of AD. Elevated glycolysis can promote cells autophagy, but the relationship between the two is unclear. Enolase 2 (ENO2) is a glycolytic enzyme. Here, we investigated whether ENO2 can regulate autophagy in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) involved in the progression of AD. APPROACH AND RESULTS The levels of ENO2 and autophagy-related proteins in aortic tissues from AD patients were identified by qRT-PCR, Western blot and IHC. We found that autophagosome clearance was impaired in aortic tissues and positively correlated with elevated ENO2 expression. Furthermore, aortic application of smooth muscle-specific adeno-associated virus (AAV) inhibiting ENO2 expression attenuated the development of AD in mice. in vitro experiments, downregulation of ENO2 partially restored PDGF-BB-induced impairment of autophagic flux, as evidenced by reduced expression of Beclin-1, SQSTM1, LC3BII/I and increased levels of LAMP2 in human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HAVSMCs). Similarly, increased levels of ENO2 exacerbated the autophagic dysfunction in HAVSMCs. Mechanistically, ENO2 may block autophagic flux through the ENO2-GAP43-ATF4 pathway and disrupt cellular homeostasis. CONCLUSIONS Our data reveal a perturbing role of ENO2 in the homeostasis of VSMCs, suggesting ENO2 as a potential target for intervention in AD.