@article{fd34fa9b-a1b2-4d0b-9523-f4296bd38716,
  abstract     = {{<p>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<sup>ECKO</sup>Apo<sup>-/-</sup>). 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.</p>}},
  author       = {{Tardajos Ayllon, Blanca and Diagbouga, Mannekomba and Das, Ankita and Tian, Siyu and Edsfeldt, Andreas and Kalucka, Joanna and Serbanovic-Canic, Jovana and Chambers, Emily and Sun, Jiangming and Gialeli, Chrysostomi and Dunning, Mark and Francis, Sheila E. and Li, Xiuying and Mammoto, Akiko and Simons, Michael and Jørgensen, Helle F. and Goncalves, Isabel and Xu, Suowen and Evans, Paul C.}},
  issn         = {{2041-1723}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Communications}},
  title        = {{TWIST1 drives endothelial-to-mesenchymal-transition to stabilize atherosclerotic plaques}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69808-z}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41467-026-69808-z}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}