溶血磷脂酸与血管平滑肌细胞表型转化

2003年人类基因组计划的完成开辟了人类遗传学、人类病理学等研究领域的新时代,然而近年来解析人类基因组意义过程中遇到一系列的难题使人们认识到DNA序列本身并不能解释所有关于遗传信息传递、人类疾病生物学基础等问题.随着研究的深入,人们逐渐认识到不仅蛋白编码序列,而且非编码序列、表观遗传机制等也是影响遗传信息传递、疾病发生等过程中的重要因素.

Lysophosphatidic acid and phenotypic modulation in vascular smooth muscle cells

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a sort of phospholipid messenger possessing diverse physiological role, which is mediated by its G protein-coupled receptors, and plays a significant role in vascular diseases. Phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is the key initiation step of VSMCs proliferation and migration in hypertension, atherosclerosis and postangioplasty restenosis, and is the common morbility foundation of these vascular diseases. In this article we briefly review the LPA biological characteristics, its relationship with VSMCs phenotypic modulation and relative signal transduction pathway.