ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the chemotactic effect of chemokine-like factor 1 (CKLF1) on human arterial smooth muscle cells (ASMCs). METHODS: The recombinant eukaryotic expression vectors pEGFP-N1-CKLF1 (test group) and pEGFP-N1 (control group) were transiently transfected into 293T cells. The supernatants were harvested 72 h after transfection for bioactivity study. The chemotactic effect of CKLF1 on ASMCs were assayed by cellular chemotactic experiments. RESULTS: ASMCs number migrated from the test and control groups diluted by none and 10-fold supernatants had statistical significance (114+/-4 vs 41+/-4, P<0.05; 74+/-4 vs 34+/-3, P<0.01), but have no statistical significance (28+/-4 vs 25+/-5, P>0.05; 26+/-5 vs 23+/-5, P>0.05) between the two groups diluted by 100-fold and 1 000-fold supernatants. When ASMCs were treated at different concentrations of 0 and 2 microg/L of pertussis toxin (PTX), the cell number migrated from the test and control groups diluted by 10-fold supernatants, they had statistical significance (74+/-4 vs 34+/-3, P<0.01; 45+/-3 vs 34+/-3, P<0.01). And when ASMCs were treated at 10 microg/L of PTX, the cell number migrated from both groups diluted by 10-fold supernatants, they had no statistical significance (37+/-4 vs 34+/-3, P>0.05). CONCLUSION: CKLF1 has significant chemotactic effects on ASMCs and such a CKLF1-induced chemotaxis could be inhibited by PTX at concentration of 10 microg/L.
