Smooth Muscle Cells

Smooth Muscle Cells

Vasoconstrictors such as arginine vasopressin (AVP) and angiotensin II (Ang II) have been shown to increase protein and mRNA levels of smooth muscle a-actin (SM-a-actin) in vascular smooth muscle cells. In the same cells, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) decreased SM-aactin protein and mRNA. The rat SM-a-actin promoter that has recently been isolated contains two E-boxes and three CC(A/T)6...

Foxing Smooth Muscle Cells

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are essential for the structural integrity and contractile responses of the arterial vessel wall. VSMC proliferation and survival are also implicated in vascular disease including restenosis following angioplasty or stenting, and VSMC apoptosis is an important regulator of plaque stability. Thus, unraveling the molecular mechanisms that govern the survival, ...

Smooth Muscle Cells

Endothelial cell (EC) injury and the response of EC and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to injury contribute to the pathophysiology in patients with vascular disease and atherosclerosis. Since platelets have been suggested to play an important role in modulating vascular injury, the present study was undertaken to examine the influence and mechanism of action of individual platelet factors on bovine...

Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells

Heparin is a potent inhibitor of arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration and proliferation in vivo and in vitro. We propose that heparin affects these SMC functions by interfering with either the expression or the activity of secreted proteases required for cell movement. We have reported that heparin selectively inhibits the expression of tissue-type plasminogen activator in SMCs during mi...

Smooth Muscle Cells