血管平滑肌细胞表型转化与心血管疾病

Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Switching and Cardiovascular Diseases

血管平滑肌细胞(vascular smooth muscle cells,VSMCs)具有高度的可塑性。生理状态下,VSMCs保持静止并表达一系列与收缩舒张相关蛋白,调节血管张力以维持局部和全身血压;在多种病理因素刺激下发生表型转化(phenotypic switching),即由分化型转变为去分化型。去分化型VSMCs是一类活跃的功能多样的VSMCs,其特征是增殖迁移能力强,能迅速合成和分泌大量的细胞外基质,收缩相关基因的蛋白质表达降低。不良的表型转化是动脉粥样硬化、血管成形术后再狭窄、动脉瘤、高血压、肺动脉高压等多种心血管疾病的共同病理基础。本文概述了VSMCs表型转换和相关心血管疾病,并简要介绍VSMCs表型转化中的常见分子机制和信号通路。

Vascular smooth muscle cells retain a remarkable plasticity.Under physiological conditions,VSMCs remain quiescence and express a range of genes and proteins important for contraction/dilation,which allow them to control systemic and local pressure through the regulation of vascular tone;In response to various pathological factors,differentiated VSMCs are capable of switching to a dedifferentiated phenotype characterized by increased proliferation,migration and extracellular matrix synthesis in concert with decreased expression of contractile markers.Dysregulated phenotypic switching is the common pathological basis of atherosclerosis,restenosis after angioplasty,aneurysm,hypertension,pulmonary hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.In this article,we review the phenotypic switching of VSMCs and related cardiovascular diseases,and introduce the common molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways in the phenotypic plasticity of VSMCs.