HRT and the Vascular System — Direct Action of Estrogen on Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Author(s):  
M. Nozaki
Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (14) ◽  
pp. 3047-3055 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hellstrom ◽  
M. Kal n ◽  
P. Lindahl ◽  
A. Abramsson ◽  
C. Betsholtz

Development of a vascular system involves the assembly of two principal cell types - endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells/pericytes (vSMC/PC) - into many different types of blood vessels. Most, if not all, vessels begin as endothelial tubes that subsequently acquire a vSMC/PC coating. We have previously shown that PDGF-B is critically involved in the recruitment of pericytes to brain capillaries and to the kidney glomerular capillary tuft. Here, we used desmin and alpha-smooth muscle actin (ASMA) as markers to analyze vSMC/PC development in PDGF-B−/− and PDGFR-beta−/− embryos. Both mutants showed a site-specific reduction of desmin-positive pericytes and ASMA-positive vSMC. We found that endothelial expression of PDGF-B was restricted to immature capillary endothelial cells and to the endothelium of growing arteries. BrdU labeling showed that PDGFR-beta-positive vSMC/PC progenitors normally proliferate at sites of endothelial PDGF-B expression. In PDGF-B−/− embryos, limb arterial vSMC showed a reduced BrdU-labeling index. This suggests a role of PDGF-B in vSMC/PC cell proliferation during vascular growth. Two modes of vSMC recruitment to newly formed vessels have previously been suggested: (1) de novo formation of vSMC by induction of undifferentiated perivascular mesenchymal cells, and (2) co-migration of vSMC from a preexisting pool of vSMC. Our data support both modes of vSMC/PC development and lead to a model in which PDGFR-beta-positive vSMC/PC progenitors initially form around certain vessels by PDGF-B-independent induction. Subsequent angiogenic sprouting and vessel enlargement involves PDGF-B-dependent vSMC/PC progenitor co-migration and proliferation, and/or PDGF-B-independent new induction of vSMC/PC, depending on tissue context.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-213
Author(s):  
Yefei Pang ◽  
Peter Thomas

We have shown progesterone exerts a direct action on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to induce relaxation through activation of membrane progesterone receptor alpha (mPRα)-dependent signaling pathways, but information on downstream events is lacking. Progesterone-induced changes in calcium concentrations in human umbilical artery VSMCs through mPRα-dependent signaling pathways and the involvement of Rho/ROCK signaling were investigated. Acute in vitro treatment with progesterone and the selective mPRα agonist 10-ethenyl-19-norprogesterone (Org OD 02-0, 02-0) blocked the rapid prostaglandin F2α-induced calcium increase. This inhibitory progesterone action was prevented by knockdown of mPRα but not by knockdown of the nuclear progesterone receptor, confirming it is mediated through mPRα. The decrease in calcium levels and VSMC relaxation were abolished by treatment with FPL64176 (Ca2+ channel activator), supporting a role for decreased calcium channel activity in this progesterone action. The reduction in calcium was attenuated by pretreatment with pertussis toxin, 8-Bromo-cAMP and forskolin, indicating this progesterone action involves activation of an inhibitory G protein and downregulation of cAMP-dependent signaling. Inhibition of MAPK and Akt signaling with PD98059 and ML-9, respectively, prevented the progesterone-induced calcium concentration decrease and VSMC relaxation. Forskolin decreased progesterone-induced MAPK and Akt phosphorylation which suggests that the cAMP status influences calcium levels indirectly through altering these signaling pathways. Progesterone and 02-0 treatments decreased RhoA activity and ROCK phosphorylation, which suggests that reduced RhoA/ROCK signaling is a component of the mPRα-mediated progesterone actions on VSMCs. The results suggest that progesterone induces VSMC relaxation by reducing cellular calcium levels through mPRα-induced alterations in multiple signaling pathways.


1989 ◽  
Vol 61 (03) ◽  
pp. 517-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter E Laug ◽  
Ruedi Aebersold ◽  
Ambrose Jong ◽  
Willian Rideout ◽  
Barbara L Bergman ◽  
...  

SummaryLarge arteries have a natural resistance to tumor cell invasion thought to be due to the production of protease inhibitors. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) representing the major cellular part of arteries were isolated from human aortas and grown in tissue culture. These cells were found to produce large amounts of inhibitors of plasminogen activators (PA). Fractionation of VSMC-conditioned medium by heparin-affigel chromatography separated three immunologically and functionally distinct PA inhibitors (PAI), namely PAI-1, PAI-2 and protease-nexin I. The three inhibitors were characterized by functional assays and immunoblotting. PA inhibitor 2 (PAI-2) had little affinity for heparin, whereas PA inhibitor 1 (PAI-l) bound to heparin and was eluted from the column at NaCl concentrations of 0. 1 to 0.35 M. Protease-nexin I, eluted at NaCl concentrations of 0.5 M and higher. Most of the PAI-1 was present in the latent, inactive form. PAI-1 was further purified by ion exchange chromatography on a Mono-Q column. Partial sequencing of the purified PAI-1 confirmed its nature by matching completely with the sequence deduced from the cDNA nucleotide sequence of endothelial cell PAI-1. Thus, human VSMC produce all three presently known PAI and these can be separated in a single heparin affinity purification step.


1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (03) ◽  
pp. 980-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valérie B Schini-Kerth ◽  
Beate Fißithaler ◽  
Thomas T Andersen ◽  
John W Fenton ◽  
Paul M Vanhoutte ◽  
...  

SummaryProteolytically active forms of thrombin (α- and γ-thrombin) and thrombin receptor peptides inhibited the release of nitrite, a stable endproduct of nitric oxide, evoked by interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β) in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells while proteolytically inactive forms [D-Phe-Pro-Arg chloromethyl ketone-α-thrombin (PPACK-α- thrombin) and diisopropylphosphoryl-α-thrombin (DIP-α-thrombin)] had either no or only minimal inhibitory effects. Under bioassay conditions, perfusates from columns containing IL-1 β-activated vascular smooth muscle cells or cells treated with IL-1βplus PPACK-α-thrombin relaxed detector blood vessels. These relaxations were abolished by the inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, NG-nitro-L arginine. No relaxations were obtained with untreated cells or IL-1 β-treated cells in the presence of α-thrombin. The expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA and protein in vascular smooth muscle cells by IL-1 β was impaired by α-thrombin. These results demonstrate that thrombin regulates the expression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase at a transcriptional level via the proteolytic activation of the thrombin receptor in vascular smooth muscle cells


1985 ◽  
Vol 53 (02) ◽  
pp. 165-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter E Laug

SummaryTPure cultures of bovine endothelial cells (EC) produce and secrete large amounts of plasminogen activators (PA). Cocultivation of EC with vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) resulted in a significant decrease of PA activities secreted by the EC, whereas the cellular PA activities remained unaffected. Secreted PA activities were absent in the growth medium as long as the SMC to EC ratio was 2:1 or higher. The PA inhibitory activity of the SMC was rapid and cell-to-cell contact was not necessary.The PA inhibitory activity was present in homogenates of SMC as well as in the medium conditioned by them but not in the extracellular matrix elaborated by these cells. Serum free medium conditioned by SMC neutralized both tissue type (t-PA) and urokinase like (u-PA) plasminogen activators. Gel electrophoretic analysis of SMC conditioned medium followed by reverse fibrin autography demonstrated PA inhibitory activities in the molecular weight (Mr) range of 50,000 to 52,000 similar to those present in media conditioned by bovine endothelial cells or fibroblasts. Regular fibrin zymography of SMC conditioned medium incubated with u-PA or t-PA revealed the presence of a component with a calculated approximate Mr of 45,000 to 50,000 which formed SDS resistant complexes with both types of PA.These data demonstrate that vascular SMC produce and secrete (a) inhibitor(s) of PAs which may influence the fibrinolytic potential of EC.


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