| First Author | Rodríguez-Calvo R | Year | 2013 |
| Journal | Hum Mol Genet | Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 10 | Pages | 1949-59 |
| PubMed ID | 23390133 | Mgi Jnum | J:194968 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5475389 | Doi | 10.1093/hmg/ddt042 |
| Citation | Rodriguez-Calvo R, et al. (2013) Over-expression of Neuron-derived Orphan Receptor-1 (NOR-1) exacerbates neointimal hyperplasia after vascular injury. Hum Mol Genet 22(10):1949-59 |
| abstractText | We have previously shown that NOR-1 (NR4A3) modulates the proliferation and survival of vascular cells in culture. However, in genetically modified animal models, somewhat conflicting results have been reported concerning the involvement of NOR-1 in neointimal formation after vascular injury. The aim of this study was to generate a transgenic mouse model over-expressing NOR-1 in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and assess the consequence of a gain of function of this receptor on intimal hyperplasia after vascular injury. The transgene construct (SM22-NOR1) was prepared by ligating the full-length human NOR-1 cDNA (hNOR-1) and a mouse SM22alpha minimal promoter able to drive NOR-1 expression to SMC. Two founders were generated and two stable transgenic mouse lines (TgNOR-1) were established by backcrossing the transgene-carrying founders with C57BL/6J mice. Real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry confirmed that hNOR-1 was mainly targeted to vascular beds such as aorta and carotid arteries, and was similar in both transgenic lines. Vascular SMC from transgenic animals exhibit increased NOR-1 transcriptional activity (assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and luciferase assays), increased mitogenic activity (determined by [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation; 1.58-fold induction, P < 0.001) and increased expression of embryonic smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SMemb) than wild-type cells from control littermates. Using the carotid artery ligation model, we show that neointima formation was increased in transgenic versus wild-type mice (2.36-fold induction, P < 0.01). Our in vivo data support a role for NOR-1 in VSMC proliferation and vascular remodelling. This NOR-1 transgenic mouse could be a useful model to study fibroproliferative vascular diseases. |
