Analysis of chromatin accessibility in human umbilical artery endothelial cells stimulated with BMP9 and fluid shear stress

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling and fluid shear stress (FSS), the frictional force exerted on endothelial cells by blood flowing over them, have complementary functions in vascular homeostasis and disease development. Both induce a wide range of target genes, not only independently but also in a synergistic or antagonistic manner. Despite thorough research into genetic regulation downstream of BMP9 and FSS, detailed information on how both regulate chromatin accessibility is still missing. Here, we investigated whether BMP9 and FSS act independently, synergistically, or antagonistically in chromatin remodeling. To this end, we employed Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin followed by sequencing (ATAC-seq) to analyze arterial endothelial cells stimulated with BMP9 and FSS either individually or in combination. Bulk ATAC-seq of human umbilical artery endothelial cells (HUAECs) was performed in duplicates for a total number of 4 conditions (8 samples in total). Static, unstimulated cells were included as a control.