Increased smooth muscle cell activation and neointima formation in response to injury in AIF-1 transgenic mice.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Allograft Inflammatory Factor-1 (AIF-1) is a calcium binding scaffold protein which is rapidly induced in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in response to injury and inflammation. A transgenic mouse in which AIF-1 expression was driven by a VSMC-specific SM22alpha promoter was generated to establish a direct relationship between AIF-1 expression and intimal hyperplasia.

Methods and results

Morphological analysis of partially ligated carotid artery demonstrate a significant increase in neointimal area of AIF-1 Tg versus wild-type mice (569+/-64 um versus 256+/-49 um, P=0.004). Immunohistochemistry using antibody to the proliferation marker Ki-67 show a significantly greater number of proliferating cells in the AIF-1 Tg lesion compared with wild-type arteries (10.

SUBMITTER: Sommerville LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2664967 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature