TWIST1 drives endothelial-to-mesenchymal-transition to stabilize atherosclerotic plaques
- Blanca Tardajos Ayllon
- Mannekomba Diagbouga
- Ankita Das
- Siyu Tian
- Andreas Edsfeldt
- Joanna Kalucka
- Jovana Serbanovic-Canic
- Emily Chambers
- Jiangming Sun
- Chrysostomi Gialeli
- Mark Dunning
- Sheila E. Francis
- Xiuying Li
- Akiko Mammoto
- Michael Simons
- Helle F. Jørgensen
- Isabel Goncalves
- Suowen Xu
- Paul C. Evans
2026-02-18
Rupture of unstable atherosclerotic plaques is a major cause of mortality. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition associates with advanced atherosclerotic plaques and contributes to plaque progression. We examined the role of Twist1 , a transcription factor that drives endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, in plaque progression by inducible deletion from endothelial cells in hypercholesterolemic mice ( Twist1 ECKO Apo -/- ). Single-cell RNA sequencing coupled to endothelial cell-tracking reveals that Twist1 promotes endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition in advanced atherosclerotic plaques. Histological analyses demonstrate that endothelial Twist1 promotes plaque growth and hallmarks of plaque stability (collagen, ACTA2-positive cells) and reduces features of instability (necrosis, macrophage accumulation). Analysis of cultured human aortic endothelial cells shows that TWIST1 contributes to endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition by promoting migration and proliferation through the transcriptional coactivator PELP1. Additionally, TWIST1 promotes endothelial cell proliferation via AEBP1-dependent upregulation of COL4A1. These findings challenge the prevailing view that endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition uniquely destabilizes plaques, by suggesting that TWIST1-driven endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition can promote plaque stability, offering new insights into atherosclerosis pathophysiology and therapeutic potential.