RNA sequencing of CTRL and siFBLN4 HAECs

Fibulin-4 (Fbln4) is an extracellular protein, expressed throughout the aortic wall including endothelial cells (EC), smooth muscle cells (SMC) and fibroblasts. SMC-specific deletion of Fbln4 in mice led to formation of ascending aortic aneurysm with disruption of elastic fibers and Fbln4 is known to play role in elastic fiber formation. However, the function of Fbln4 in EC is unknown. To examine if Fbln4 deletion induces any changes in cellular phenotype of EC, we knocked down FBLN4 in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) by FBLN4 siRNA (siFBLN4) compared with scramble siRNA-treated control cells (CTRL). RNA sequencing was performed to compare the differences in gene expression between CTRL and siFBLN4 cells. Overall design: mRNA expression was compared between CTRL cells and siFBLN4 cells. Triplicate was used for each treatment.