期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：1998
卷号：95
期号：12
页码：6983-6988
DOI：10.1073/pnas.95.12.6983
语种：English
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：Uninjured rat arteries transduced with an adenoviral vector expressing an active form of transforming growth factor {beta}1 (TGF-{beta}1) developed a cellular and matrix-rich neointima, with cartilaginous metaplasia of the vascular media. Explant cultures of transduced arteries showed that secretion of active TGF-{beta}1 ceased by 4 weeks, the time of maximal intimal thickening. Between 4 and 8 weeks, the cartilaginous metaplasia resolved and the intimal lesions regressed almost completely, in large part because of massive apoptosis. Thus, locally expressed TGF-{beta}1 promotes intimal growth and appears to cause transdifferentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells into chondrocytes. Moreover, TGF-{beta}1 withdrawal is associated with regression of vascular lesions. These data suggest an unexpected plasticity of the adult vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype and provide an etiology for cartilaginous metaplasia of the arterial wall. Our observations may help to reconcile divergent views of the role of TGF-{beta}1 in vascular disease.
