An overlapping CArG/octamer element is required for regulation of desmin gene transcription in arterial smooth muscle cells.

The desmin gene encodes an intermediate filament protein that is present in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells. This study shows that the 4-kb upstream region of the murine desmin promoter directs expression of a lacZ reporter gene throughout the heart from E7.5 and in skeletal muscle and vascular smooth muscle cells from E9. 5. The distal fragment (-4005/-2495) is active in arterial smooth muscle cells but not in venous smooth muscle cells or in the heart in vivo. It contains a CArG/octamer overlapping element (designated CArG4) that can bind the serum response factor (SRF) and an Oct-like factor. The desmin distal fragment can replace a SM22alpha regulatory region (-445/-126) that contains two CArG boxes, to cis-activate a minimal (-125/+65) SM22alpha promoter fragment in arterial smooth muscle cells of transgenic embryos. lacZ expression was abolished when mutations were introduced into the desmin CArG4 element that abolished the binding of SRF and/or Oct-like factor. These data suggest that a new type of combined CArG/octamer element plays a prominent role in the regulation of the desmin gene in arterial smooth muscle cells, and SRF and Oct-like factor could cooperate to drive specific expression in these cells.

Extracellular adenosine induces apoptosis of human arterial smooth muscle cells via A(2b)-purinoceptor.

Apoptosis of arterial smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) could play an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and restenosis. Recent studies have demonstrated that extracellular adenosine induces apoptosis in various cell types. Our aim was to delineate the capacity of this nucleoside to induce ASMC apoptosis in arterial diseases. We demonstrate that adenosine dose-dependently triggers apoptosis of cultured human ASMCs. Apoptotic cell death was quantified by analysis of nuclear chromatin morphology and characterized by DNA laddering. The involvement of adenosine receptors was suggested, because neither an adenosine deaminase inhibitor, erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenine hydrochloride, nor an inhibitor of cellular nucleoside transport, dipyridamole, was able to inhibit adenosine-induced ASMC apoptosis. In contrast, an A(1)/A(2)-adenosine receptor antagonist, xanthine amine congener, totally inhibited adenosine-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, among more selective inhibitors of P(1) purinoceptor subtypes, only alloxazine, an antagonist of A(1)- and A(2)-adenosine receptors, completely inhibited adenosine-induced ASMC apoptosis, suggesting that adenosine triggers ASMC apoptosis via either 1 or both of these receptors. However, 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, 8-(3-chlorostyryl) caffeine, and 3-ethyl-5-benzyl-2-methyl-4-phenylethynyl-6-phenyl-1, 4-(+/-)-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxylate, which are A(1)-, A(2a)-, and A(3)-adenosine receptor antagonists, did not inhibit adenosine-induced apoptosis, suggesting an involvement of the A(2b)-receptor in this process. Moreover, the cAMP increase followed by cAMP-dependent protein kinase activation appears essential to mediate adenosine-induced ASMC apoptosis, thus confirming the previous hypothesis. These results indicate that adenosine-induced apoptosis of ASMCs is essentially mediated via A(2b)-adenosine receptor and involves a cAMP-dependent pathway.

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 gene expression during human smooth muscle cell differentiation is independent of NF-kappaB activation.

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) gene expression in cytokine-activated cells depends on two kappaB elements. Since VCAM-1 expression appears developmentally regulated and cytokine-inducible in smooth muscle cells (SMCs), we have studied the role of NF-kappaB in differentiated SMC VCAM-1 expression. Confluent SMCs were cultured either in a serum-free medium in order to induce differentiation, or in medium with serum, stimulated or not by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). The expression of smooth muscle myosin heavy chain, a SMC marker, and VCAM-1 was induced concomitantly in serum-free medium, whereas only VCAM-1 expression was induced by cytokine-treatment. We showed that the p50 and p65 subunits of NF-kappaB were localized in the cytoplasm of differentiating SMCs, whereas they were translocated into the nucleus of TNF-alpha-activated SMCs. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays with VCAM-1 gene kappaB elements failed to detect any induction of DNA-protein complex with nuclear extracts of differentiating SMCs in contrast to the cytokine-activated SMC nuclear extracts. Furthermore, VCAM-1 mRNA induction was inhibited in TNF-alpha-stimulated SMCs, but not in differentiating SMCs, by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, an inhibitor of NF-kappaB protein activation. Taken together, these findings suggest that in contrast to TNF-alpha activation, NF-kappaB is not involved in VCAM-1 gene expression during SMC differentiation.

Phenotypic modification of arterial smooth muscle cells in response to medial dissection.

BACKGROUND: In the treatment of peripheral arteries, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is commonly associated with intimal tears and dissections. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of medial dissection on the remodelling of the vessel wall after balloon injury. METHODS: Aortae were obtained from 14 Fauve de Bourgogne rabbits that had been fed a normal diet. Seven days after the initial pull-back injury, the aortae were examined using morphometric and immunocytochemical methods. RESULTS: Eight rabbits (57%) had a tear that extended into the media. Morphometric measurements showed that the intima was significantly thinner when there was a medial dissection [(18.3 +/- 6.9) x 10(-3) versus (39.1 +/- 3.5) x 10(-3) mm without dissection, P < 0.001]. In the media of injured vessels, medial dissection was associated with a greater accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins (50.5 +/- 9.7 versus 12.4 +/- 2.2% of the surface area), a marked reduction in alpha-smooth muscle actin content (36.6 +/- 5.4 versus 47.4 +/- 7.5% of the surface area), a higher expression of a smooth muscle activation antigen (21.2 +/- 5.7 versus 8.9 +/- 1.5% of the 2P1A2-immunostained surface area) and an increase in the number of medial proliferating cell nuclear antigen-positive nuclei (8.2 versus 1.2% of labelled nuclei). CONCLUSION: These observations indicated that mechanical injury of the arterial wall induces a phenotypic activation of medial smooth muscle cells. In the case of acute distension, the response of the smooth muscle cells in the media was mainly responsible for wound healing in the presence of medial dissection; moreover, acute distension induced a significant higher state of activation and a medial repairing that could prevent migration towards the intimal space.

The frequency of the mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase I2 (atypical) allele in Caucasian, Oriental and African black populations determined by the restriction profile of PCR-amplified DNA.

The aldehyde dehydrogenase I (ALDH I) gene codes for a mitochondrial enzyme which plays a major role in hepatic alcohol detoxication. It has been related to alcohol flushing in Orientals bearing the atypical ALDH I2 gene. The variant protein results from a lysine for glutamate substitution at position 487 (G-->A change in exon 12). A procedure for ALDH I2 detection consisting in a differentiation between the 'atypical' allele and the 'wild' allele has been improved through PCR and subsequent MboII digestion. Blood samples collected on anticoagulant or directly absorbed on blotting paper were used for DNA amplification in the presence of two specific oligonucleotidic primers, each one able to incorporate a restriction site in the amplimer. After MboII digestion, PCR products were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and then visualized with ethidium bromide. This technique permits a rapid and non-radioactive detection of atypical ALDH I2 on a PCR product without the use of allele specific oligonucleotides. It was applied to the study of ALDH I2 allele frequency in random population samples of three ethnic groups: Caucasians, Orientals and African blacks.