Abstract
Apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) within the fibrous cap of atherosclerotic plaques causes cap thinning and thereby plaque rupture and myocardial infarction. Identification of novel mechanisms that regulate VSMC survival may be useful for designing treatments to increase plaque stability. In this study we show that Wnt5a, a member of the Wnt family, induces β-catenin signalling in mouse primary VSMCs and retards oxidative stress (H(2)O(2))-induced VSMC apoptosis. Therefore we aimed to determine the mechanism underlying Wnt5a-induced VSMC survival. We observed that Wnt5a modulates the mRNA expression of the Wnt/β-catenin responsive gene Wnt1 inducible secreted protein (WISP)-1 (4.17±1.5 fold (n=8, p
| Translated title of the contribution | YIA 4 Wnt5a signalling promotes VSMC survival via WISP-1: consequences for VSMC viability in atherosclerotic plaques |
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| Original language | English |
| Pages (from-to) | e7 - e7 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Heart |
| Volume | 97(20) |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2011 |