Rédouane Aherrahrou, Ferheen Baig, Konstantinos Theofilatos, Dillon Lue, Alicia Beele, Tiit Örd, Minna U Kaikkonen, Zouhair Aherrahrou, Qi Cheng, Saikat Ghosh, Santosh Karnewar, Vaishnavi Karnewar, Aloke Finn, Gary K Owens, Michael Joner, Manuel Mayr, Mete Civelek
BACKGROUND: Smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which make up the medial layer of arteries, are key cell types involved in cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. In response to microenvironment alterations, SMCs dedifferentiate from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype characterized by an increased proliferation, migration, production of ECM (extracellular matrix) components, and decreased expression of SMC-specific contractile markers. These phenotypic changes result in vascular remodeling and contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, and aortic aneurysms...
February 8, 2024: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology