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An overview of potential molecular mechanisms involved in VSMC phenotypic modulation

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Abstract

The fully differentiated medial vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of mature vessels keep quiescent and contractile. However, VSMC can exhibit the plasticity in phenotype switching from a differentiated and contractile phenotype to a dedifferentiated state in response to alterations in local environmental cues, which is called phenotypic modulation or switching. Distinguishing from its differentiated state expressing more smooth muscle (SM)-specific/selective proteins, the phenotypic modulation in VSMC is characterized by an increased rate of proliferation, migration, synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins and decreased expression of SM contractile proteins. Although it has been well demonstrated that phenotypic modulation of VSMC contributes to the occurrence and progression of many proliferative vascular diseases, little is known about the details of the molecular mechanisms of VSMC phenotypic modulation. Growing evidence suggests that variety of molecules including microRNAs, cytokines and biochemical factors, membrane receptors, ion channels, cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix play important roles in controlling VSMC phenotype. The focus of the present review is to provide an overview of potential molecular mechanisms involved in VSMC phenotypic modulation in recent years. To clarify VSMC differentiation and phenotypic modulation mechanisms will contribute to producing cell-based therapeutic interventions for aberrant VSMC differentiation-related diseases.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 81471193 to Li-Li Zhang, 81271282 to Jing-Cheng Li and 81400967 to Yan Pi).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Institute of Surgery Research, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, 10 Changjiang Branch Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400042, People’s Republic of China

    Ming-Jie Zhang, Yi Zhou, Lei Chen, Xu Wang, Yan Pi, Chang-Yue Gao, Jing-Cheng Li & Li-Li Zhang

  2. The First Retired Cadres′ Clinic of Zibo Military Subarea, Zibo, 255000, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Yan-Qin Wang

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  1. Ming-Jie Zhang
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  2. Yi Zhou
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Zhang, MJ., Zhou, Y., Chen, L. et al. An overview of potential molecular mechanisms involved in VSMC phenotypic modulation. Histochem Cell Biol 145, 119–130 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-015-1386-3

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