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A crosstalk between TGF-?/Smad3 and Wnt/?-catenin pathways promotes vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

ABSTRACT: Endovascular interventions performed for atherosclerotic lesions trigger excessive vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation leading to intimal hyperplasia. Our previous studies show that following endovascular injury, elevated TGF-?/Smad3 promotes SMC proliferation and intimal hyperplasia. Furthermore in cultured SMCs, elevated TGF-?/Smad3 increases the expression of several Wnt genes. Here we investigate a crosstalk between TGF-?/Smad3 and Wnt/?-catenin signaling and its role in SMC proliferation.To mimic TGF-?/Smad3 up-regulation in vivo, rat aortic SMCs were treated with Smad3-expressing adenovirus (AdSmad3) or AdGFP control followed by stimulation with TGF-?1 (or solvent). AdSmad3/TGF-? treatment up-regulated Wnt2b, Wnt4, Wnt5a, Wnt9a, and Wnt11 (confirmed by qRT-PCR and ELISA), and also increased ?-catenin protein as detected by Western blotting. Blocking Wnt signaling using a Frizzled receptor inhibitor (Niclosamide) abolished TGF-?/Smad3-induced ?-catenin stabilization. Increasing ?-catenin through degradation inhibition (using SKL2001) or by adenoviral expression enhanced SMC proliferation. Furthermore, application of recombinant Wnt2b, Wnt4, Wnt5a, or Wnt9a, but not Wnt11, stabilized ?-catenin and stimulated SMC proliferation as well. In addition, increased ?-catenin was found in the neointima of injured rat carotid artery where TGF-? and Smad3 are known to be up-regulated.These results suggest a novel mechanism whereby elevated TGF-?/Smad3 stimulates the secretion of canonical Wnts which in turn enhances SMC proliferation through ?-catenin stabilization. This crosstalk between TGF-?/Smad3 and Wnt/?-catenin canonical pathways provides new insights into the pathophysiology of vascular SMCs linked to intimal hyperplasia.

SUBMITTER: DiRenzo DM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4788971 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A crosstalk between TGF-β/Smad3 and Wnt/β-catenin pathways promotes vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

DiRenzo Daniel M DM Chaudhary Mirnal A MA Shi Xudong X Franco Sarah R SR Zent Joshua J Wang Katie K Guo Lian-Wang LW Kent K Craig KC

Cellular signalling 20160219 5

<h4>Rationale</h4>Endovascular interventions performed for atherosclerotic lesions trigger excessive vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation leading to intimal hyperplasia. Our previous studies show that following endovascular injury, elevated TGF-β/Smad3 promotes SMC proliferation and intimal hyperplasia. Furthermore in cultured SMCs, elevated TGF-β/Smad3 increases the expression of several Wnt genes. Here we investigate a crosstalk between TGF-β/Smad3 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling and it ...[more]

PMID: 26912210

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Project description:INTRODUCTION:We have previously demonstrated that transforming growth factor-? (TGF-?) in the presence of elevated levels of Smad3, its primary signaling protein, stimulates rat vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and intimal hyperplasia. The mechanism is partly through the nuclear exportation of phosphorylated cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27. The objective of this study is to clarify the downstream pathways through which Smad3 produces its proliferative effect. Specifically, we evaluated the role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in TGF-?-induced VSMC proliferation. METHODS:Cultured rat aortic VSMCs were incubated with TGF-? at varying concentrations and times, and phosphorylated ERK was measured by Western blotting. Smad3 was enhanced in VSMCs using an adenovirus expressing Smad3 or inhibited with small interfering RNA (siRNA). For in vivo experiments, male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent carotid balloon injury, followed by intraluminal infection with an adenovirus expressing Smad3. Arteries were harvested at 3 days and subjected to immunohistochemistry for Smad3, phospho-ERK MAPK, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. RESULTS:In cultured VSMCs, TGF-? induced activation and phosphorylation of ERK MAPK in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner. Overexpression of the signaling protein Smad3 enhanced TGF-?-induced activation of ERK MAPK, whereas inhibition of Smad3 with a siRNA blocked ERK MAPK phosphorylation in response to TGF-?. These data suggest that Smad3 acts as a signaling intermediate between TGF-? and ERK MAPK. Inhibition of ERK MAPK activation with PD98059 completely blocked the ability of TGF-?/Smad3 to stimulate VSMC proliferation, demonstrating the importance of ERK MAPK in this pathway. Immunoprecipitation of phospho-ERK MAPK and blotting with Smad3 revealed a physical association, suggesting that activation of ERK MAPK by Smad3 requires a direct interaction. In an in vivo rat carotid injury model, overexpression of Smad3 resulted in an increase in phosphorylated ERK MAPK as well as increased VSMC proliferation as measured by proliferating cell nuclear antigen. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings demonstrate a mechanism through which TGF-? stimulates VSMC proliferation. Although TGF-? has been traditionally identified as an inhibitor of proliferation, our data suggest that TGF-? enhances VSMC proliferation through a Smad3/ERK MAPK signaling pathway. These findings at least partly explain the mechanism by which TGF-? enhances intimal hyperplasia. Knowledge of this pathway provides potential novel targets that may be used to prevent restenosis.

Project description:Vascular calcification (VC) is highly prevailing in cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease and, when present, is associated with cardiovascular events and mortality. The osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is regarded as the foundation for mediating VC. Related transcriptional enhancer factor (RTEF-1), also named as transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) 4 or transcriptional enhancer factor-3 (TEF-3), is a nuclear transcriptional factor with a potent effect on cardiovascular diseases, apart from its oncogenic role in the canonical Hippo pathway. However, the role and mechanism of RTEF-1 in VC, particularly in calcification of VSMCs, are poorly understood. Our results showed that RTEF-1 was reduced in calcified VSMCs. RTEF-1 significantly ameliorated β-glycerophosphate (β-GP)-induced VSMCs calcification, as detected by alizarin red staining and calcium content assay. Also, RTEF-1 reduced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and decreased expressions of osteoblast markers such as Osteocalcin and Runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx2), but increased expression of contractile protein, including SM α-actin (α-SMA). Additionally, RTEF-1 inhibited β-GP-activated Wnt/β-catenin pathway which plays a critical role in calcification and osteogenic differentiation of VSMCs. Specifically, RTEF-1 reduced the levels of Wnt3a, p-β-catenin (Ser675), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), and p-GSK-3β (Ser9), but increased the levels of p-β-catenin (Ser33/37). Also, RTEF-1 increased the ratio of p-β-catenin (Ser33/37) to β-catenin proteins and decreased the ratio of p-GSK-3β (Ser9) to GSK-3β protein. LiCl, a Wnt/β-catenin signaling activator, was observed to reverse the protective effect of RTEF-1 overexpression on VSMCs calcification induced by β-GP. Accordingly, Dickkopf-1 (Dkk1), a Wnt antagonist, attenuated the role of RTEF-1 deficiency in β-GP-induced VSMCs calcification. Taken together, we concluded that RTEF-1 ameliorated β-GP-induced calcification and osteoblastic differentiation of VSMCs by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Project description:Mitochondria are widely described as being highly dynamic and adaptable organelles, and their movement is thought to be vital for cell function. Yet, in various native cells, including those of heart and smooth muscle, mitochondria are stationary and rigidly structured. The significance of the differences in mitochondrial behavior to the physiological function of cells is unclear and was studied in single myocytes and intact resistance-sized cerebral arteries. We hypothesized that mitochondrial dynamics is controlled by the proliferative status of the cells.High-speed fluorescence imaging of mitochondria in live vascular smooth muscle cells shows that the organelle undergoes significant reorganization as cells become proliferative. In nonproliferative cells, mitochondria are individual (? 2 ?m by 0.5 ?m), stationary, randomly dispersed, fixed structures. However, on entering the proliferative state, mitochondria take on a more diverse architecture and become small spheres, short rod-shaped structures, long filamentous entities, and networks. When cells proliferate, mitochondria also continuously move and change shape. In the intact pressurized resistance artery, mitochondria are largely immobile structures, except in a small number of cells in which motility occurred. When proliferation of smooth muscle was encouraged in the intact resistance artery, in organ culture, the majority of mitochondria became motile and the majority of smooth muscle cells contained moving mitochondria. Significantly, restriction of mitochondrial motility using the fission blocker mitochondrial division inhibitor prevented vascular smooth muscle proliferation in both single cells and the intact resistance artery.These results show that mitochondria are adaptable and exist in intact tissue as both stationary and highly dynamic entities. This mitochondrial plasticity is an essential mechanism for the development of smooth muscle proliferation and therefore presents a novel therapeutic target against vascular disease.

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A crosstalk between TGF-?/Smad3 and Wnt/?-catenin pathways promotes vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

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A crosstalk between TGF-β/Smad3 and Wnt/β-catenin pathways promotes vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

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