Gene expression profiling of mouse cavernous endothelial cells for diagnostic targets in diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction

PURPOSE: To investigate potential target genes associated with the diabetic condition in mouse cavernous endothelial cells (MCECs) for the treatment of diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction (ED). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mouse cavernous tissue was embedded into Matrigel, and sprouted cells were subcultivated for other studies. To mimic diabetic conditions, MCECs were exposed to normal-glucose (NG, 5 mmoL) or high-glucose (HG, 30 mmoL) conditions for 72 hours. An RNA-sequencing assay was performed to evaluate gene expression profiling, and RT-PCR was used to validate the sequencing data. RESULTS: We isolated MCECs exposed to the two glucose conditions. MCECs showed well-organized tubes and dynamic migration in the NG condition, whereas tube formation and migration were significantly decreased in the HG condition. RNA-sequencing analysis showed that MCECs had different gene profiles in the NG and HG conditions. Among the significantly changed genes, which we classified into 14 major gene categories, we identified that aging-related (9.22%) and angiogenesis-related (9.06%) genes were changed the most. Thirteen genes from the two gene categories showed consistent changes on the RNA-sequencing assay, and these findings were validated by RT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS: Our gene expression profiling studies showed that Cyp1a1, Gclm, Igfbp5, Nqo1, Il6, Cxcl5, Olr1, Ctgf, Hbegf, Serpine1, Cyr61, Angptl4, and Loxl2 may play a critical role in diabetes-induced ED through aging and angiogenesis signaling. Additional research is necessary to help us understand the potential mechanisms by which these genes influence diabetes-induced ED.