A large accumulation of non-muscle myosin occurs at first entry into M phase in rat vascular smooth-muscle cells

Upregulation of Nox4 by TGF{beta}1 oxidizes SERCA and inhibits NO in arterial smooth muscle of the prediabetic Zucker rat

RATIONALE

Vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration is an important pathological process in several vascular occlusive diseases, including atherosclerosis and restenosis, both of which are accelerated by diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the mechanisms of abnormal vascular SMC migration in type 2 diabetes, the obese Zucker rat (ZO), a model of obesity and insulin resistance, was studied.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In culture, ZO aortic SMCs showed a significant increase in Nox4 mRNA and protein levels compared with the control lean Zucker rat (ZL). The sarco-/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA) nitrotyrosine-294,295 and cysteine-674 (C674)-SO(3)H were increased in ZO SMCs, indicating oxidant stress. Unlike ZL SMC, nitric oxide (NO) failed to inhibit serum-induced SMC migration in ZO. Transfection of Nox4 small interference RNA or overexpression of SERCA2b wild type, but not C674S mutant SERCA, restored the response to NO. Knockdown of Nox4 also decreased SERCA oxidation in ZO SMCs. In addition, transforming growth factor-β1 via Smad2 was necessary and sufficient to upregulate Nox4, oxidize SERCA, and block the antimigratory action of NO in ZO SMCs. Corresponding to the results in cultured SMCs, immunohistochemistry confirmed that Nox4 and SERCA C674-SO(3)H were significantly increased in ZO aorta. After common carotid artery injury, knockdown of Nox4 by adenoviral Nox4 short hairpin RNA decreased Nox4 and SERCA C674-SO(3)H staining and significantly decreased injury-induced neointima.

CONCLUSION

These studies indicate that the upregulation of Nox4 by transforming growth factor-β1 in ZO SMCs is responsible for the impaired response to NO by a mechanism involving the oxidation of SERCA C674. Knockdown of Nox4 inhibits oxidation of SERCA, as well as neointima formation, after ZO common carotid artery injury.

Regulated proteolysis of nonmuscle myosin IIA stimulates osteoclast fusion

The nonmuscle myosin IIA heavy chain (Myh9) is strongly associated with adhesion structures of osteoclasts. In this study, we demonstrate that during osteoclastogenesis, myosin IIA heavy chain levels are temporarily suppressed, an event that stimulates the onset of cell fusion. This suppression is not mediated by changes in mRNA or translational levels but instead is due to a temporary increase in the rate of myosin IIA degradation. Intracellular activity of cathepsin B is significantly enhanced at the onset of osteoclast precursor fusion, and specific inhibition of its activity prevents myosin IIA degradation. Further, treatment of normal cells with cathepsin B inhibitors during the differentiation process reduces cell fusion and bone resorption capacity, whereas overexpression of cathepsin B enhances fusion. Ongoing suppression of the myosin IIA heavy chain via RNA interference results in formation of large osteoclasts with significantly increased numbers of nuclei, whereas overexpression of myosin IIA results in less osteoclast fusion. Increased multinucleation caused by myosin IIA suppression does not require RANKL. Further, knockdown of myosin IIA enhances cell spreading and lessens motility. These data taken together strongly suggest that base-line expression of nonmuscle myosin IIA inhibits osteoclast precursor fusion and that a temporary, cathepsin B-mediated decrease in myosin IIA levels triggers precursor fusion during osteoclastogenesis.

Selective modulation of the SM22alpha promoter by the binding of BTEB3 (basal transcription element-binding protein 3) to TGGG repeats

We have previously identified a C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor [BTEB3 (basal transcription element-binding protein 3)/KLF13 (Krüppel-like factor 13)] that activates the minimal promoter for the smooth muscle-specific SM22alpha gene in other types of cell. We show that recombinant BTEB3 binds to three TGGG motifs in the minimal SM22alpha promoter. By mutation analysis, only one of these boxes is required for BTEB3-dependent promoter activation in P19 cells and BTEB3 activates or inhibits reporter gene expression depending on the TGGG box to which it binds. Transient transfection experiments show that BTEB3 also activates reporter gene expression from the SM22alpha promoter in VSMCs (vascular smooth muscle cells). Similar studies showed that BTEB3 did not activate expression from the promoter regions of the smooth muscle myosin heavy chain or smooth muscle alpha-actin promoters, which contain similar sequences, implying that promoter activation by BTEB3 is selective. The expression of BTEB3 is readily detectable in VSMCs in vitro and is modulated in response to injury in vivo.

Cell volume and rate of proliferation, but not protein expression pattern, distinguish pup/intimal smooth muscle cells from subcultured adult smooth muscle cells

Smooth muscle cells from neonatal rats and from injured blood vessels grow with a characteristic cobblestone morphology that distinguishes them from adult smooth muscle cells. This has led to the proposition that there are two distinct types of smooth muscle cells with different proliferative capacity. Here we systematically compare the properties of subcultured adult smooth muscle cells in culture and clonal lines of cobblestone smooth muscle cells from both neonatal rats and injured vessels. The cobblestone smooth muscle cells have a significantly smaller average cell volume, estimated using two different flow cytometry measurements. However, the two types of smooth muscle cells have indistinguishable protein expression patterns when the levels of more than 20 different proteins (including cytoskeletal proteins, matrix proteins, cytokines, cytokine receptors, adhesion molecules and enzymes) are measured by quantitative immunofluorescence. Furthermore, in contrast to previous observations, we demonstrate that both types of smooth muscle cells secrete a powerful mitogenic activity. The higher cell density achieved by the cobblestone smooth muscle cells in culture was responsible for the earlier reports that this mitogenic activity was secreted only by cobblestone smooth muscle cells. We conclude that many of the differences seen between cobblestone smooth muscle cells and adult smooth muscle cells in vitro (proliferation rate, morphology, protein expression pattern, secretion of mitogenic activity) could be attributable to a stable difference in the median cell volume of the cultures.

A polymorphism of the human matrix gamma-carboxyglutamic acid protein promoter alters binding of an activating protein-1 complex and is associated with altered transcription and serum levels

Matrix gamma-carboxyglutamic acid protein (MGP) is a mineral-binding extracellular matrix protein synthesized by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and chondrocytes that is thought to be a key regulator of tissue calcification. In this study, we identified four polymorphisms in the promoter region of the human MGP gene. Transfection studies showed that the G-7A and T-138C polymorphisms have an important impact on in vitro promoter activity when transiently transfected into VSMCs. We found that one of these polymorphisms (T-138C) is significantly correlated with serum MGP levels in human subjects. Promoter deletion analysis showed that this polymorphism lies in a region of the promoter critical for transcription in VSMCs. This region contains a potential activating protein-1 (AP-1) binding element located between -142 and -136. We have demonstrated that the T-138C polymorphism results in altered binding of an AP-1 complex to this region. The -138T allelic variant binds AP-1 complexes consisting primarily of c-Jun, JunB and its partners Fra-1 and Fra-2 in rat VSMC. Furthermore, the -138T variant form of the promoter was induced following phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment, while the -138C variant was refractive to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment, confirming that AP-1 factors preferentially bind to the -138T variant. This study therefore suggests that a common polymorphism of the MGP promoter influences binding of the AP-1 complex, which may lead to altered transcription and serum levels. This could have important implications for diseases such as atherosclerosis and aortic valve stenosis, since it strongly suggests a genetic basis for regulation of tissue calcification.

Matrix gla protein is regulated by a mechanism functionally related to the calcium-sensing receptor

Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is a mineral binding extra-cellular matrix protein which is thought to be a key inhibitor of tissue and vascular calcification. It is known to be upregulated in areas of extracellular calcification possibly to limit further harmful calcification. In this study we have demonstrated that extracellular ionic calcium (high levels of which induce calcification) is a key signal for MGP regulation and that this effect is mediated by a G protein mediated cation-sensing mechanism, functionally related to, but molecularly distinct from the calcium-sensing receptor. We therefore propose that this novel cation sensing mechanism may play a homeostatic role in preventing pathological calcification.

Thrombospondin 1 does not activate transforming growth factor beta1 in a chemically defined system or in smooth-muscle-cell cultures

The cytokine transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) is secreted in a latent form that has no known biological activity. The conversion of latent TGF-beta1 into its biologically active 25 kDa form is thought to be an important step in the regulation of TGF-beta activity both in cell culture and in vivo. Thrombospondin (TSP)-1, a 360 kDa platelet alpha-granule and extracellular matrix protein, has been shown to participate in TGF-beta1 activation. We have used a chemically defined system to examine the mechanism of TSP-1-mediated TGF-beta1 activation. However, the addition of two different preparations of TSP-1 to recombinant small latent TGF-beta1 in the test tube resulted in only a very small increase in the proportion of the TGF-beta1 able to bind to the TGF-beta type II receptor: from 0.1% to a maximum of 0.4%. This small effect was not specific for TSP-1: matrix metalloproteinase 2, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and active plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, but not transglutaminase, human serum albumin or immunoglobulin, had quantitatively similar effects on latent TGF-beta1. Furthermore, no change in the activity associated with small latent TGF-beta1 was noted in either mink lung epithelial cell or rat aortic smooth-muscle cell culture systems in the presence of TSP-1 (or TSP-1-derived peptides). We conclude that TSP-1, either alone or in the presence of cultured smooth-muscle cells (a cell type known to activate latent TGF-beta in vitro and in vivo) is unable to activate latent TGF-beta1. Any TSP-mediated activation of TGF-beta1 must depend on additional factor(s) not present in our systems.

Nov gene encodes adhesion factor for vascular smooth muscle cells and is dynamically regulated in response to vascular injury

Nephroblastoma overexpressed (NOV) is a member of the CCN family (connective tissue growth factor, CYR61, and NOV) of proteins that are involved in regulating the proliferation, differentiation, and adhesion of a variety of cell types. We have examined the expression of the NOV: gene and NOV protein by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), in vitro and in vivo, and the effects of recombinant NOV on VSMCs. Rat aortic VSMCs were found to express NOV: mRNA and NOV protein in vitro and in vivo. NOV: expression in adult rat tissues was very high in the aorta and was detected only weakly in the brain and lung by Northern analysis (relative levels 33:3:1). During postnatal development (3 days to 12 weeks), the expression of NOV: was correlated with markers of the differentiated smooth muscle cell phenotype (smooth muscle myosin heavy chain and SM22 alpha). In the rat carotid artery balloon injury model, NOV: was detectable by in situ hybridization and was downregulated in the media of the injured artery compared with the uninjured artery at 7 and 14 days after injury. Expression in the developing intima was barely detectable at 7 days after injury except for strong expression at the luminal surface. At 14 days after injury, NOV: expression was substantially increased throughout the intima. In vitro studies of the function of NOV protein showed that it promoted VSMC adhesion via a mechanism that was divalent cation and Arg-Gly-Asp independent but that it did not modulate VSMC proliferation or phenotype. The strong expression and dynamic regulation of NOV: in the arterial wall, together with its ability to promote VSMC adhesion, suggest that it may be involved in homeostasis and repair.

Neonatal pulmonary hypertension prevents reorganisation of the pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cytoskeleton after birth

The pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) cytoskeleton was studied in tissue from 36 piglets aged from within 5 min of birth to 21 d of age, and in 8 adults. An additional 16 piglets were made pulmonary hypertensive by exposure to hypobaric hypoxia (50.8 kPa) for 3 d. In conduit intrapulmonary elastic arteries alpha, beta and gamma actin, the 204, 200 and 196 kDa myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms and vinculin were localised by immunohistochemistry. The total actin content, the proportion of monomeric to filamentous alpha and gamma actin and changes in the proportions of the MHC isoforms were determined biochemically. Dividing SMCs were localised and quantified using Ki-67. We found a transient reduction in immunohistochemical expression of gamma actin, 204 kDa MHC isoform and vinculin at 3 and 6 d in the inner media, associated with a transient increase in Ki-67 labelling. The actin content also decreased at 3 and 6 d (P < 0.05), but there was a postnatal, permanent increase in monomeric actin, first the alpha then the gamma isoform. The relative proportions of the MHC isoforms did not change between birth and adulthood in elastic pulmonary arteries but in muscular arteries the 200 kDa isoform increased between 14 d and adulthood. Pulmonary hypertension prevented both the immunohistochemical changes and the postnatal burst of SMC replication and prevented the transient postnatal reduction in actin content. These findings suggest that rapid remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton is an essential prerequisite of a normal postnatal fall in pulmonary vascular resistance.

Identification and characterisation of transforming growth factor beta-regulated vascular smooth muscle cell genes

Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) is thought to play an important role in the development and/or progression of a number of vascular disorders through its numerous effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In this study we sought to identify and characterize TGFbeta-regulated VSMC genes using differential mRNA display (DD-RT-PCR) analysis of RNA isolated from TGFbeta-stimulated cultured rat aortic VSMCs. Northern blot analysis was used to demonstrate that five of 19 differentially displayed bands identified represented VSMC transcripts differentially expressed by TGFbeta. DNA sequencing revealed that three of these TGFbeta regulated genes were novel whilst the remaining two were identified through homologies to known genes. One TGFbeta upregulated transcript represented the protease cathepsin B. Since cathepsins may play a role in TGFbeta activation, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for active TGFbeta1 was used to demonstrate an effect of cathepsin B on TGFbeta1 activation in vitro using both recombinant and human serum platelet-derived latent TGFbeta1 as substrate. These results suggest that induction of cathepsin B by TGFbeta, and its ability to activate TGFbeta1, may represent a mechanism whereby the autocrine action of TGFbeta is facilitated through expression of a protein which can process its latent form.

Molecular mechanisms in intimal hyperplasia

Intimal hyperplasia is the process by which the cell population increases within the innermost layer of the arterial wall, such as occurs physiologically during closure of the ductus arteriosus and during involution of the uterus. It also occurs pathologically in pulmonary hypertension, atherosclerosis, after angioplasty, in transplanted organs, and in vein grafts. The underlying causes of intimal hyperplasia are migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells provoked by injury, inflammation, and stretch. This review discusses, at a molecular level, both the final common pathways leading to smooth muscle migration and proliferation and their (patho)-physiological triggers. It emphasizes the key roles played by growth factors and extracellular matrix-degrading metalloproteinases, which act in concert to remodel the extracellular matrix and permit cell migration and proliferation.

Heparin rapidly and selectively regulates protein tyrosine phosphorylation in vascular smooth muscle cells

Aberrant vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) hyperplasia is the hallmark of atherosclerosis and restenosis seen after vascular surgery. Heparin inhibits VSMC proliferation in animal models and in cell culture. To test our hypothesis that heparin mediates its antiproliferative effect by altering phosphorylation of key mitogenic signaling proteins in VSMC, we examined tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins in quiescent VSMC stimulated with serum in the presence or absence of heparin. Western blot analysis with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies shows that heparin specifically alters the tyrosine phosphorylation of only two proteins (42 kDa and 200 kDa). The 200 kDa protein (p200) is dephosphorylated within 2.5 min after heparin treatment with an IC50 that closely parallels the IC50 for growth inhibition. Studies using the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, sodium orthovanadate, indicate that heparin blocks p200 phosphorylation by inhibiting a kinase. Phosphorylation of p200 is not altered in heparin-resistant cells, supporting a role for p200 in mediating the antiproliferative effect of heparin. Purification and sequence analysis indicate that p200 exhibits very high homology to the heavy chain of nonmuscle myosin IIA. The 42 kDa protein, identified as mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), undergoes dephosphorylation within 15 min after heparin treatment, and this effect is also not seen in heparin-resistant cells. The identification of only two heparin-regulated tyrosine phosphoproteins suggests that they may be key mediators of the antiproliferative effect of heparin.

Beta3 integrins are upregulated after vascular injury and modulate thrombospondin- and thrombin-induced proliferation of cultured smooth muscle cells

BACKGROUND

Treatment with an antibody that binds beta3 integrins (abciximab; c7E3 Fab) at the time of coronary angioplasty decreases the need for repeat revascularization. Two potential mechanisms have been proposed to explain this effect: (1) inhibition of platelet aggregation or (2) interruption of ligand binding to beta3 integrins on the smooth muscle cell (SMC) surface. We examined the latter hypothesis by determining (1) if beta3 integrin expression is upregulated after vascular injury in the baboon, (2) if 7E3 binds beta3 integrins on cultured SMC, and (3) if beta3 integrin activation plays a role in proliferation of cultured SMC.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Results demonstrated that immunostaining for beta3 integrins was present in the neointima 1 week after balloon withdrawal injury of baboon brachial arteries and that beta3 integrin expression colocalized with alpha-actin-positive cells. In contrast, staining for beta3 integrins was undetectable in contralateral uninjured brachial arteries. 7E3 bound to cultured human aortic SMC with an affinity (KD=3.3 nmol/L) similar to 7E3 binding to endothelial cells or platelets. Cotreatment with 7E3 partially inhibited thrombospondin-induced or alpha-thrombin-induced proliferation but not PDGF-induced or serum-induced proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, these studies demonstrate that vascular cell beta3 integrin expression is increased after injury, that 7E3 binds to cultured SMC with high affinity, and that beta3 activation is important for thrombospondin-induced or alpha-thrombin-induced proliferation. These results support the hypothesis that beta3 integrins play a role in SMC growth responses after balloon injury.

Identification of osteoglycin as a component of the vascular matrix. Differential expression by vascular smooth muscle cells during neointima formation and in atherosclerotic plaques

Using differential cDNA screening, we demonstrated that the bone-associated glycoprotein osteoglycin was highly expressed in differentiated adult rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) but downregulated in VSMCs that had undergone proliferation in vitro. Further experiments in vitro revealed that osteoglycin gene expression was downregulated by a number of cytokines expressed in vivo (often in association with vascular injury) including basic fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta, platelet-derived growth factor, and angiotensin II. In the normal adult rat carotid artery, osteoglycin was expressed in both the media and adventitia. However, osteoglycin mRNA expression was substantially increased in the adventitia and neointima 14 days after balloon injury, implying a role for this protein in vessel remodeling. Northern analysis of mRNA from neonatal rat aortas demonstrated upregulation of osteoglycin mRNA at week 2, after VSMC proliferation had ceased and when matrix modeling was maximal. In situ hybridization studies in human coronary arteries showed that osteoglycin mRNA was expressed by normal medial VSMCs but was downregulated in a subset of intimal VSMCs. Osteoglycin was not expressed in the VSMCs of adventitial vessels but was expressed in a subset of adventitial cells. This expression pattern contrasted with that of SM22 alpha, a contractile protein marker of VSMC differentiation, which was highly expressed in the media of all vessels. These data indicate that osteoglycin is a new marker of differentiated VSMCs and may be an essential component of the normal vascular matrix.

Redifferentiation of smooth muscle cells after coronary angioplasty determined via myosin heavy chain expression

BACKGROUND

The pathophysiology of phenotypic modulation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) involved in restenosis after angioplasty is not well understood. Smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SM MHC) isoforms (SM1 and SM2) are specific markers for SMC differentiation. In particular, SM2 is useful as a marker of mature SMCs. SMemb is a nonmuscle myosin heavy chain (NM MHC) whose expression is upregulated in immature or activated SMC.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To determine SMC phenotypes in neointimal tissues after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), we performed immunohistochemistry on human coronary arteries with antibodies against alpha-SM actin, SM1, SM2, and SMemb. Tissues were obtained from six autopsied patients and from atherectomy specimens from 16 patients who had undergone PTCA. Medial SMCs were positive for alpha-actin, SM1, and SM2. Expression of SM1 and SM2 in the neointima varied with the time after intervention, whereas alpha-actin was constitutively expressed in all cases studied. Neointimal cells at 16 and 20 days after PTCA contained alpha-actin but little or no SM1 or SM2, indicating that these cells modulated their phenotype to the immature state. Neointimal SMCs recovered SM MHC expression, first SM1 and then SM2, by 6 months after PTCA. Increased expression of SMemb was found in the neointima but without apparent relationship to the time after PTCA.

CONCLUSIONS

Neointimal SMCs show features of an undifferentiated state, indicated by altered expression of SM MHC, and undergo redifferentiation in a time-dependent manner. The expression of SM MHC isoforms provides insight into the biology of healing after angioplasty and furnishes useful tools for the understanding of the roles of differentiation and phenotypic modulation of SMCs in human vascular lesions.

Myosin isoform heterogeneity in single smooth muscle cells

We review the current understanding of the myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms and show that the mRNA levels of smooth muscle (SM)1 and SM2 mimic the expressed levels of SM1 and SM2 protein. The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction technique has been shown to be sufficiently sensitive to examine SM-MHC expression at the single cell level. Most single smooth muscle cells isolated from adult rabbit carotid express both SM1 and SM2. However, expression of these SM-MHC isoforms at the cellular level is nonuniform and highly variable. This work provides a foundation for future investigations as to the possible unique functional characteristics of the SM-MHC isoforms, SM1 and SM2. This methodology may also prove useful when used with mechanical studies to determine the physiological significance of the alternatively spliced myosin isoforms, including the SM-MHC-head and LC17 isoforms.

Differential expression of nonmuscle myosin II isoforms in human atherosclerotic plaque

Intimal proliferation and functional changes involving vascular smooth muscle cells are key events in the development of atherosclerosis, including restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Nonmuscle myosin (NMM) is required for cytokinesis and has been shown in cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells to undergo changes of isoform expression depending on the stage of proliferation and differentiation. The purpose of this study was to examine the differential expression of the two most recently identified nonmuscle myosin heavy chain isoform II (NMMHC-II) isoforms A and B in atherosclerotic plaque. Primary atherosclerotic and restenotic atherectomy specimens and non-atherosclerotic controls, were analyzed by Western Blot analysis, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Nonmuscle myosin heavy chain isoform IIA (NMMHC-IIA) was equally expressed in all types of tissue specimens both at the protein and mRNA levels. In contrast, NMMHC-IIB protein was found in restenotic specimens and normal artery but was at very low levels in primary atherosclerotic plaque. By in situ hybridization NMMHC-IIB mRNA levels were significantly greater in restenotic versus primary atherosclerotic lesions. NMMHC-IIB expression is associated with vascular restenosis but is downregulated in stable atherosclerotic lesions, whereas NMMHC-IIA is expressed in both. These results indicate that these new myosin isoforms have different functions and should be regarded separately with respect to smooth muscle proliferation and restenosis. They should prove to be useful molecular markers for the study of atherosclerosis and restenosis.

Proteases involved in the metabolism of angiotensin II, bradykinin, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and neuropeptide Y by vascular smooth muscle cells

To understand the regulation of the vasoactive peptides bradykinin, angiotensin II, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and neuropeptide Y (NPY), their proteolytic catabolism by cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells and A7r5 cells was investigated. Endopeptidase-24.11 (EC 3.4.24.11, CD 10) was responsible for the final inactivation of bradykinin, angiotensin II, and CGRP, but not of NPY, which was degraded by a different metallo-endopeptidase. Exopeptidases, namely the aminopeptidases A (EC 3.4.11.7), N (EC 3.4.11.2, CD 13), and P (EC 3.4.11.9) and the carboxypeptidases M (EC 3.4.17.12) and P (EC 3.4.17.16), were important for their differential, receptor subtype-specific activation or inactivation. Aminopeptidase A and N generated angiotensins III and IV from angiotensin II. Aminopeptidase P liberated the terminal amino acids from bradykinin and NPY, yielding the Y2 receptor specific-agonist NPY(2-36). Carboxypeptidase P produced AT II(1-7) and carboxypeptidase M produced the BK1 receptor agonist [des-Arg9]bradykinin. Thus, peptidases at the surface of vascular smooth muscle cells exert a complex influence on the level of biologically active vasoactive peptides.

Osteopontin is not a marker for proliferating human vascular smooth muscle cells

Osteopontin (OP) is a secreted glycoprotein that contains the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) cell-binding sequence that binds calcium and is chemotactic and adhesive for rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). OP gene expression is upregulated in cultured rat VSMCs in vitro and after balloon carotid injury in vivo, suggesting that OP may be a marker for proliferating VSMCs in vivo and in vitro. Our in situ hybridization studies of human atherosclerotic coronary vessels, however, have shown OP mRNA expression in plaque macrophages but not VSMCs. The current study investigated OP mRNA expression in cultured human VSMCs and macrophages and in an organ culture model of neointima formation in human saphenous vein. OP mRNA expression was not detected by Northern blot analysis of total RNA from subconfluent or confluent cultures of human VSMCs of any passage maintained in normal growth medium or after stimulation with TGF beta 1 (20 ng/mL), angiotensin II (1 mumol/L), or basic fibroblast growth factor (10 mg/mL) but was just detectable after stimulation with activation vitamin D3 (1 mumol/L). In contrast, cultured human macrophages expressed high levels of OP mRNA that were not dependent on lipid loading. OP mRNA was detected in isolated foci in all layers of saphenous veins maintained in organ culture for 14 days, including <2% of neointimal cells, a distribution that paralleled that of tissue macrophages. These results suggest that OP gene expression is not a marker for proliferation of human VSMCs in vitro and highlight a fundamental difference in the biology of human and rodent VSMCs.

Cloning and analysis of the promoter region of the rat SM22 alpha gene

We have cloned and sequenced a 1.9 kb fragment of the 5'-upstream sequence of the smooth-muscle-specific gene SM22 alpha. The region cloned consisted of the SM22 alpha promoter, a 65 bp exon containing most of the 5'-untranslated region and 307 bp of the first intron. A 1.5 kb fragment at the 5' end of this sequence was able to drive the expression of a reporter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene in both vascular smooth-muscle cells and Rat-1 fibroblasts. This promoter region did not contain a consensus TATAA box but contained the sequence TTTAAA 25 bp from the major start site identified by primer extension. Deletion analysis showed that a fragment of the promoter from +65 to -303 was more active in both cell types than the 1.5 kb fragment suggesting that there are silencer sequences in the region 5' to the core promoter. CAT activity was also observed with fragments containing bases +65 to -193 and +65 to -117 in smooth-muscle cells. In contrast with the smooth-muscle cells, no CAT activity was detected in Rat-1 fibroblasts with the smallest two fragments. The residual promoter activity in the smallest fragment of the SM22 alpha promoter tested suggested that, unlike the smooth-muscle alpha-actin promoter, transcription from the SM22 alpha promoter can occur in smooth-muscle cells in the absence of factors binding to CC(A/Trich)6GG (CArG box) or CANNTG (E box) motifs.

ID--a dominant negative regulator of skeletal muscle differentiation--is not involved in maturation or differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells

Rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) expressing the MyoD gene formed myotubes at a low frequency in the presence of serum but at a high frequency in the absence of serum. Expression of an antisense Id gene increased myotube formation in the presence of serum indicating that a reduction in Id levels is a major mechanism by which serum withdrawal promotes myotube formation. The role of Id in the development of VSMCs was investigated by expressing an antisense Id gene in neonatal VSMCs. No evidence was found for the conversion of neonatal VSMCs to adult VSMCs in the presence of the antisense Id gene. Similarly reduction in Id by serum withdrawal also failed to cause conversion of the neonatal VSMCs to the adult phenotype. These data suggest that the maturation of neonatal smooth muscle cells is not controlled by a VSMC homologue of the skeletal muscle basic-helix-loop-helix proteins.

Mechanism of anti-proliferation caused by YC-1, an indazole derivative, in cultured rat A10 vascular smooth-muscle cells

An indazole derivative, YC-1, was identified in this study to be capable of reversibly and effectively inhibiting proliferation of rat A10 vascular smooth-muscle cells (VSMCs) in vitro. YC-1 (1-100 microM) dose-dependently inhibited [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA in rat A10 VSMCs that were synchronized by serum depletion and then restimulated by addition of 10% foetal calf serum (FCS), whereas FCS-induced [3H]thymidine incorporation into rat synchronized endothelial cells was unaffected by this agent. The dose of YC-1 required to cause inhibition of FCS-induced proliferation was similar to that necessary for the formation of cellular cyclic GMP (cGMP). Guanylate cyclase activity in soluble fractions of VSMCs was activated by YC-1 (1-100 microM), whereas cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase activity was unaffected by this compound. The anti-proliferative effect of YC-1 was mimicked by 8-bromo-cGMP, a membrane-permeable cGMP analogue, and was antagonized by KT 5823 (0.2 microM), a selective inhibitor of protein kinase G. The anti-proliferative effect of YC-1 was also antagonized by Methylene Blue (50 microM), a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, and was potentiated by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (500 microM), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. These results verified that YC-1 is a direct soluble guanylate cyclase activator in A10 VSMCs, and the anti-proliferative effect of YC-1 is mediated by cGMP. YC-1 still inhibited FCS-induced DNA synthesis even when added 10-18 h after restimulation of the serum-deprived A10 VSMCs with 10% FCS. Flow cytometry in synchronized populations revealed an acute blockage of FCS-inducible cell-cycle progression at a point in the G1/S-phase in YC-1 (100 microM)-treated cells. The inhibition of proliferation by YC-1 was demonstrated to be independent of cell damage, as documented by several criteria of cell viability. In conclusion, YC-1 reversibly and effectively inhibited the proliferation of VSMCs, suggesting that it has potential as a therapeutic agent in the prevention of vascular diseases.

A regulatory element downstream of the rat SM22 alpha gene transcription start point enhances reporter gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells

SM22 alpha is a 22-kDa protein of unknown function, the mRNA of which is highly and specifically expressed in smooth muscle cells (SMC). The 5' untranslated leader sequence of the rat SM22 alpha gene was found to contain two introns of 3.6 and 2.9 kb. Two transcripts of SM22 alpha exist in all SMC types examined, and genomic mapping of the gene suggests these transcripts result from different 5' transcription start points, split by the 2.9-kb intron. A small intron (102 bp), which contains an E-box consensus sequence, was found within the coding region 178 bp from the ATG start codon. The 3.6-kb intron contains 82 bp which show 98% homology at the RNA level with the rat identifier sequence (ID). Transient reporter gene assays demonstrate that a 576-bp fragment, including the ID, contains a regulatory element which may contribute to the SMC-specific expression of SM22 alpha.

Antiproliferative effects of A02011-1, an adenylyl cyclase activator, in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells of rat

1. The effects of A02011-1, a pyrazole derivative, on the proliferation of rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were examined. 2. A02011-1 (1-100 microM) concentration-dependently inhibited [3H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA in rat VSMCs that were synchronized by 48 h serum depletion and then re-stimulated by addition of foetal calf serum (FCS, 10%), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF, 10 ng ml-1), 5-hydroxytryptamine (10 microM) or ADP (10 microM). The inhibitory effect of A02011-1 was fully reversible. However, FCS-induced [3H]-thymidine incorporation into rat endothelial cells was unaffected by A02011-1. 3. The concentration of A02011-1 necessary for inhibition of the FCS-induced proliferation was similar to that necessary for adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) formation. Adenylyl cyclase activity was increased in A02011-1-treated VSMCs, whereas cyclic AMP-specific phosphodiesterase activity was unchanged. 4. A02011-1 was equipotent with forskolin but was more potent than 8-bromo-cyclic AMP against FCS (10%)-induced proliferation. 5. The antiproliferative action of A02011-1 was mimicked by 8-bromo-cyclic AMP, a membrane-permeable cyclic AMP analogue and was antagonized by 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine, an adenylyl cyclase inhibitor and by Rp-cyclic AMPS, a competitive inhibitor of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) type I and II. 3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) caused significant potentiation of the antiproliferative activity of A02011-1. However, Rp-8-bromo-cyclic GMPS and staurosporine did not affect the antiproliferative activity of A02011-1. 6. A02011-1 still inhibited the FCS-induced DNA synthesis even when added 10-18h after restimulation of the serum-starved VSMCs with 10% FCS. Flow cytometry in synchronized cells revealed an acute blockade of FCS-inducible cell cycle progression at a point in the G,/S phase in A02011-1-treated cells. The inhibition of proliferation by A0201 1-1 was shown to be independent of cell damage,as documented by several criteria of cell viability.7. These results indicate that A0201 1-1 inhibition of VSMC proliferation was mediated by cyclic AMP and was due to a delay in the progression from the G1 into S phase of the cell cycle. A02011-1 did not cause cell toxicity and may thus hold promising potential for the prevention of atherosclerosis or vascular diseases.

Hyperplastic growth of aortic smooth muscle cells in renovascular hypertensive rabbits is characterized by the expansion of an immature cell phenotype

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of rabbit aorta undergo marked changes in myosin isoform content during development. Analysis of nonmuscle myosin composition at the protein level has permitted the identification of three phases in the SMC differentiation process: fetal, postnatal, and adult. Using monoclonal antibodies specific for smooth muscle and nonmuscle myosins and extra domain A of fibronectin as well as cDNA probes for platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF) and various procollagens, we have evaluated the differentiation pattern of aortic SMCs in two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rabbits. Morphometric and bromo-deoxyuridine studies indicate that hypertrophy of aortic media along with intimal thickening occurring in hypertensive animals is due to SMC hyperplasia. Western blotting experiments performed on aortic specimens from hypertensive animals with antimyosin antibodies revealed the appearance of a myosin isoform pattern of the "immature" type. Immunofluorescence tests showed that these cells are localized in the thickened intima or distributed in the underlying media (sparsely or in groups). Similarly, the fibronectin variant showing the extra domain A, peculiar to "phenotypically modulated" SMCs, appeared in intimal thickening, and its expression followed the time course of nonmuscle myosin expression. Counting of postnatal-type SMCs in the aortic media revealed that this cell population increases markedly with hypertension (2- up to 15-fold at 4 months) and then declines to near control level in 8-month hypertensive rabbits. Diminution of postnatal-type SMCs at later stages of hypertension was temporally correlated with the slowing down of aortic wall hypertrophy. Average levels of mRNAs, as determined by densitometric analysis in aortas from 1- and 2.5-month hypertensive rabbits, showed an increased expression for PDGF beta receptor (up to twofold), procollagen type I (alpha 1, threefold), procollagen type III (alpha 1, twofold), and fibronectin (up to threefold) compared with controls. Conversely, the steady-state levels of mRNAs for PDGF (A and B chain), PDGF alpha receptor, TGF-beta 1, and procollagen type IV (alpha 1) did not increase significantly. These results provide evidence that in adult renovascular hypertensive rabbits, the hyperplastic growth of aortic SMCs is accompanied by the expansion of an "immature" cell phenotype characteristic of the early stages of development.

Transforming growth factor beta decreases the rate of proliferation of rat vascular smooth muscle cells by extending the G2 phase of the cell cycle and delays the rise in cyclic AMP before entry into M phase

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) decreased the rate of proliferation of rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) stimulated with serum showing a maximal effect at > 5 ng/ml (200 pM). However, it did not reduce the proportion of cells which passed through S phase (> 90%) and entry into S phase was delayed by less than 3 h. The proportion of cells passing through M phase (> 90%) was also unaffected, but entry into mitosis was delayed by approx. 24 h. This increase in cell cycle time was therefore due mainly to an increase in the G2 to mitotic metaphase period. Addition of TGF-beta 1 late in G1 or late in S phase failed to delay the onset of mitosis, but the presence of TGF-beta 1 between 0 and 12 h after the addition of serum to quiescent cells was sufficient to cause the maximal delay in mitosis of approx. 24 h. The role of cyclic AMP in the mechanism of the TGF-beta 1 effects on the cell cycle was examined. Entry into mitosis was preceded by a transient 2-fold increase in cyclic AMP concentration and TGF-beta 1 delayed both this increase in cyclic AMP and entry into mitosis to the same extent. Addition of forskolin or 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cyclic AMP to cells 30 h after stimulation with serum completely reversed the increase in duration of G2 in the presence of TGF-beta 1, suggesting that the rise in cyclic AMP levels which precedes mitosis might trigger entry of the VSMCs into M phase. Addition of forskolin late in S phase (26 h after stimulation with serum) advanced the entry of the cells into M phase and they divided prematurely. This effect was unaffected by the addition of cycloheximide with the forskolin; however, the effect of forskolin on cell division was completely inhibited when cycloheximide was added late in G1. TGF-beta 1 prevented the loss of smooth-muscle-specific myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC), which occurs in primary VSMC cultures in the presence or absence of serum, and the cells proliferated while maintaining a differentiated phenotype. However, TGF-beta 1 did not cause re-differentiation of subcultured VSMCs which contained very low amounts of SM-MHC and the effect of TGF-beta 1 in extending the G2 phase of the cell cycle is exerted independently of its effect on differentiation.

Inhibition of PDGF BB stimulated DNA synthesis in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells by the expression of a truncated PDGF beta receptor

Rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were transfected with a vector encoding a truncated human PDGF beta receptor or the full-length human PDGF beta receptor. Cells stably expressing the truncated human PDGF beta receptor or the full-length human PDGF beta receptor were selected and the effect of PDGF BB on DNA synthesis in these cells was studied. Cells expressing the full-length PDGF beta receptor entered DNA synthesis normally, however, cells expressing the truncated PDGF beta receptor failed to enter DNA synthesis in response to PDGF BB. These data show that the mitogenic response of rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells to PDGF BB can be inhibited by the expression of a truncated PDGF beta receptor.

Tamoxifen decreases the rate of proliferation of rat vascular smooth-muscle cells in culture by inducing production of transforming growth factor beta

Tamoxifen selectively and reversibly decreased the rate of proliferation of adult rat aortic vascular smooth-muscle cells (VSMCs). Half-maximal inhibition of proliferation occurred at 2-5 microM tamoxifen for VSMCs and at > 50 microM for adventitial fibroblasts. The cell cycle time for all the VSMCs in the population was increased from 35 +/- 2 h to 54 +/- 4 h in the presence of 33 microM tamoxifen. Tamoxifen did not affect the time of entry into DNA synthesis, but delayed arrival at mitosis by > 24 h. It therefore extended the duration of the G2-to-M phase of the cell cycle. However, the rate of proliferation of VSMCs was not decreased by tamoxifen (at concentrations up to 50 microM) in the presence of neutralizing antibody to transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta). The level of mRNA for TGF-beta 1 in VSMCs was strongly induced by 10 microM tamoxifen, and TGF-beta activity in conditioned medium from tamoxifen-treated cells was more than 50-fold higher than from control cells. Tamoxifen therefore extended the G2-to-M phase of the cell cycle in VSMCs by increasing TGF-beta activity in the culture.

Adult human aortic smooth muscle cells in culture produce active TGF-beta

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from adult human aortas proliferated in culture in response to fetal calf serum (FCS) with a population doubling time of 70-85 h compared with 35 +/- 5 h for VSMC derived from adult rat aortas. Medium conditioned on cultures prepared from aortas from three different donors and mixed 1:1 with fresh Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium plus 20% FCS [human conditioned medium (HCM)] reduced the rate of proliferation of rat VSMC by 46 +/- 6% (n = 3) after 48 h compared with cells in fresh medium. HCM did not reduce the proportion (> 65%) of rat VSMC that entered DNA synthesis but delayed entry into mitosis by at least 18 h. This effect was similar to previous observations of the action of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on rat VSMC (G. K. Owens, A. A. Geisterfer, Y. W. Yang, and A. Komoriya. J. Cell Biol. 107: 771-780, 1988). A TGF-beta assay using DNA synthesis in mink lung epithelial cells confirmed that human, but not rat, VSMC in culture secrete active TGF-beta. Addition of a neutralizing antibody to TGF-beta to human VSMC in the presence of 20% FCS decreased the population doubling time from 74 +/- 3 to 46 +/- 6 h (n = 3). These observations demonstrate that the long population doubling time of human VSMC is due to the production of active TGF-beta and to an inhibitory autocrine loop.

Expression of four myosin heavy chain isoforms with development in mouse uterus

In smooth muscle tissue, two or three isoforms of myosin heavy chain (MHC) have been reported (SM1, SM2, and/or NM). In mouse uterus tissue, four bands in the region of the MHC's can be resolved on high resolution SDS polyacrylamide gels. Western blots using smooth muscle (SM) MHC-specific and nonmuscle (NM) MHC-specific polyclonal antibodies show the upper two bands in the MHC region are SM isoforms, whereas the lower two bands are NM isoforms. One-dimensional peptide maps of these four bands show each to have a unique pattern of polypeptide fragments following alpha-chymotrypsin digestion. Developmental expression of myosin heavy chains (MHC) in mouse uterus, aorta, bladder, and stomach (6 ages, 10-150 days) was determined using tissue homogenates. In the uterus, both SM MHC's show an increase in relative content with increasing age, whereas the NM MHC's show a decrease. The mouse aorta shows a significant increase in the SM MHC's and a significant decrease in the NM MHC from day 10 to day 30, which is similar to data reported for the rat aorta. Whereas both the bladder and stomach contain relatively small amounts of NM MHC's (approximately 10% or less), these quantities do show decreases with development. The SM1:SM2 ratio for the uterus remains high (3.4 at 150 days) through development; the aorta, bladder, and stomach also start out high, but tend toward 1.0 in the 150-day animals. The presence of four MHC isoforms in the uterus with unique developmental regulation of expression is consistent with hypotheses of unique functional roles for these isoforms.

Hexamethylenebisacetamide selectively inhibits the proliferation of human and rat vascular smooth-muscle cells

Hexamethylenebisacetamide (HMBA) selectively and reversibly inhibited proliferation of human and rat vascular smooth-muscle cells (VSMCs) compared with endothelial cells, fibroblasts or lymphocytes. Half-maximal inhibition of VSMC proliferation occurred at 2-5 mM-HMBA, and at 30- greater than 50 mM for other cell types. HMBA also prevented de-differentiation, defined by the loss of smooth-muscle-specific myosin heavy chain, of primary rat VSMCs and caused partial re-differentiation of subcultured cells. Other inhibitors of ADP-ribosyltransferase were also selective inhibitors of VSMC proliferation.

The Id gene is activated by serum but is not required for de-differentiation in rat vascular smooth muscle cells

Primary rat vascular smooth muscle cells cultured on fibronectin in the absence of serum lost smooth-muscle-specific myosin heavy chain but did not enter the cell cycle and proliferate until they were stimulated by serum. Under these conditions accumulation of Id mRNA occurred only in response to serum and was maximal during the G1 phase of the cycle.