scholarly journals Inflammatory Cells Accelerated Carotid Artery Calcification via MMP9: Evidences From Single-Cell Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaobing Liang ◽  
Wanbing He ◽  
Hua Zhang ◽  
Dongling Luo ◽  
Zhengzhipeng Zhang ◽  
...  

Background: Vascular calcification (VC) is an important predictor of prognosis in atherosclerosis, the phenotypic transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is thought to be a process of VC. However, the implications and potential mechanisms for VSMCs phenotypic transition remain unknown.Methods: To study the transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the calcification early period, we analyzed single-cell sequencing data from carotid artery calcified core and paracellular tissue, based on the results of enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction analysis. Upstream transcription factors were tracked and finally the results were validated using the MESA database.Results: We successfully identified a subpopulation of inflammatory macrophage-like VSMCs and determined that MMP9 is an important factor in the phenotypic transformation of VSMCs. We found that RELA regulates MMP9 expression and that knockdown of RELA attenuated MMP9 expression and reduced the expression of BMP2 and the macrophage marker LGALS3 in vascular smooth muscle in inflammatory states, while serum levels of MMP9 correlated significantly with the inflammatory response.Conclusion: This study reveals that the phenotypic transformation of VSMCs can be regulated by modulating MMP9, providing a new idea for the early treatment of VC.

2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (6) ◽  
pp. H2671-H2675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshifumi Kawanabe ◽  
Nobuo Hashimoto ◽  
Tomoh Masaki

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the involvement of Ca2+ influx through voltage-independent Ca2+ channels (VICCs) in endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced transactivation of epidermal growth factor receptor protein tyrosine kinase (EGFR PTK) using the Ca2+ channel blockers LOE-908 and SK&F-96365 in rabbit internal carotid artery vascular smooth muscle cells. ET-1-induced EGFR PTK transactivation was completely inhibited by AG-1478, which is a specific inhibitor of EGFR PTK. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+, the magnitude of EGFR PTK transactivation was near the basal level. Based on sensitivity to nifedipine, which is a specific blocker of voltage-operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs), VOCCs have minor roles in EGFR PTK transactivation. In contrast, Ca2+ influx through VICCs plays an important role in EGFR PTK transactivation. Moreover, based on the sensitivity of VICCs to SK&F-96365 and LOE-908, VICCs were shown to consist of two types of Ca2+-permeable nonselective cation channels (NSCCs), which are designated NSCC-1 and NSCC-2, and a store-operated Ca2+ channel. In summary, Ca2+influx through VICCs plays an essential role in ET-1-induced EGFR PTK transactivation in rabbit internal carotid artery vascular smooth muscle cells.


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