A subpopulation of smooth muscle cells in injured rat arteries expresses platelet-derived growth factor–B chain mRNA

V Lindner, CM Giachelli, SM Schwartz… - Circulation …, 1995 - Am Heart Assoc
V Lindner, CM Giachelli, SM Schwartz, MA Reidy
Circulation research, 1995Am Heart Assoc
Proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and formation of a neointima are characteristics
of the response of rat carotid arteries to balloon injury. Rat platelet-derived growth factor
(PDGF)-B was cloned, thus allowing us to use species-specific probes to carry out in situ
hybridization on the surface of injured arteries. A distinct population of luminal SMCs (7% to
10%) in the developing neointima expressed PDGF-B mRNA, but very few luminal SMCs
still expressed PDGF-B (0.5%) when the lesion had stopped growing. Primary SMC cultures …
Abstract
Proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and formation of a neointima are characteristics of the response of rat carotid arteries to balloon injury. Rat platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B was cloned, thus allowing us to use species-specific probes to carry out in situ hybridization on the surface of injured arteries. A distinct population of luminal SMCs (7% to 10%) in the developing neointima expressed PDGF-B mRNA, but very few luminal SMCs still expressed PDGF-B (0.5%) when the lesion had stopped growing. Primary SMC cultures revealed expression of PDGF-B mRNA in 1.6% of SMCs derived from normal tunica media and in 11% of SMCs derived from the neointima. These data demonstrate that SMCs in the injured vessel wall are heterogeneous with regard to PDGF-B expression and that subculturing of these cells may give rise to cultures that are either positive or negative for PDGF-B expression. Furthermore, with abundant expression of the PDGF receptor β-subunit expressed by intimal SMCs, our findings provide evidence that PDGF-B synthesized by these cells may be involved in intimal lesion formation via a paracrine or autocrine mechanism.
Am Heart Assoc