Abstract
Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are stromal cells of the vascular wall and are continually exposed to mechanical signals. The loss of VSMCs is closely related to the occurrence of many vascular diseases, such as aortic aneurysms and aortic dissection. The proliferation and apoptosis of VSMCs are mechanically stimulated. Yes-associated protein (YAP), one of the core components of the Hippo pathway, plays a key role in the response of VSMCs to mechanical signals. In this study, we tested the impact of different intensities of mechanical stretch on the proliferation and apoptosis of VSMCs, as well as YAP. We tested VSMCs’ proliferation and apoptosis and YAP reaction via immunocytochemistry, western blotting, CCK-8 and flow cytometric analysis. We found that 10% elongation could increase the phosphorylation of YAP and prevent it from entering the nucleus, as well as inhibit cell proliferation and promote apoptosis. However, 15% elongation reduced YAP phosphorylation and promoted its nuclear entry, thereby promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis. Accordingly, YAP knockdown suppressed the phenotype of VMSCs induced by 15% elongation. Taken together, YAP regulates proliferation and apoptosis of VSMCs differently under different intensity of mechanical stretch. Mechanical stretch with appropriate intensity can promote the proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of VSMCs by activating YAP.
Highlights
Aortic aneurysms are associated with aortic dissection and rupture
SD rats were anesthetized with isoflurane, and Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were isolated from thoracic aorta using the explanting technique [25]. and cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM; Gibco, Grand Island, NY, USA) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS; Gibco, Grand Island, NY, USA), 100 U/mL penicillin, and 100 μg/mL streptomycin at 37° C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2
To test whether Yesassociated protein (YAP) was involved in the effects of mechanical stress on VSMCs, we first performed immunofluorescence staining to determine the intracellular localization of YAP
Summary
Aortic aneurysms are associated with aortic dissection and rupture. There is currently no effective treatment to prevent or cure aortic aneurysms. At present, both the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of ascending aortic aneurysms are not entirely clear. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) have been recognized as the most important factor in the development of ascending aortic aneurysms. Aortic aneurysms can occur due to loss of VSMCs in the media layer of the aortic wall, leading to progressive aortic dilation [1,2,3]. We observed an interesting phenomenon in clinical work where the aneurysm or dissection remodeling varies from site to site, which may be due to differences in the mechanical stimuli to which different sites are exposed
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