Trimethylamine-N-oxide affects cell type-specific pathways and networks in mouse aorta to promote atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability

We performed single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq) identify which aortic cell types, differentially expressed genes, and biological pathways are affected by trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). We also modeled cell-cell communications and intracellular gene regulatory networks to identify gene networks perturbed by TMAO feeding. The objective of this study was to characterize the cell type-dependent and independent effects of TMAO on key vascular cell types involved in atherosclerosis progression in vivo. Overall design: We performed single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq) on aortic athero-prone regions, including the acsending aorta, aortic arch, and thoracic aorta, of female Ldlr-/- mice fed control Chow, high-cholesterol (HC), or HC+TMAO diets for three months