Elevated expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 by vascular smooth muscle cells in hypercholesterolemic primates. |
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| Authors: | X Yu S Dluz D T Graves L Zhang H N Antoniades W Hollander S Prusty A J Valente C J Schwartz and G E Sonenshein |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Oral Biology, Boston University Medical Center, MA 02118. |
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| Abstract: | Atherosclerosis is marked by an overt inflammatory infiltrate, with enhanced recruitment of monocytes/macrophages observed in both human and experimental atherosclerosis. We previously determined that monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) accounts for virtually all of the chemotactic activity produced by vascular (aortic) smooth muscle cells in culture. We now report that arteries from a primate model of atherosclerosis with dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia exhibit increased levels of MCP-1 mRNA expression in vivo, whereas their normal counterparts demonstrate minimal MCP-1 expression. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization clearly indicate that the expression of MCP-1 protein and mRNA is in the smooth muscle cells of the medial layer of the artery and in monocyte-like and smooth muscle-like cells found in the overlying intimal lesion. These studies indicate that one of the responses to dietary hypercholesterolemia is the expression of MCP-1 by vascular smooth muscle cells. This expression, when augmented with other cellular and molecular factors, could significantly contribute to the recruitment of monocytes/macrophages to the vessel wall. |
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