Roles of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Mouse Artery Development and Disease

Abstract: Recruitment and subsequent differentiation and maturation of vascular smooth muscle cells are key events in arterial development. In fully formed adult arteries， vascular smooth muscle cells are in a quiescent state and contractile proteins are highly expressed. In an injured condition， vascular smooth muscle cells switch from a contractile state to a proliferative state， suggesting the differentiation is reversible. Uncontrolled proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells， leading to occlusion of vessels， is the characterized pathology of occlusive vascular disease. Vascular repair recapitulates embryonic vessel development in some cases. Recent years， great progress has been made in roles of vascular smooth muscle cells in arterial development and disease. Firstly， vascular smooth muscle cells are of heterogeneous origin. Secondly， in arterial development， vascular smooth muscle cells are sequentially inducted form surrounding mesenchyme， from inside out. Furthermore， vascular smooth muscle cells in neointima from both atherosclerosis and pulmonary artery hypertension arise from a few medial vascular smooth muscle cells， leading to the hypothesis that vascular smooth muscle cells in vascular remodeling are of monoclonal/oligoclonal origin. These new results give us more knowledge about vascular development and regeneration and new hopes in clinical intervening of vascular disease.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2018.11.0019