| First Author | Van Assche T | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | J Vasc Res | Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 31-42 |
| PubMed ID | 20606469 | Mgi Jnum | J:356708 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7762800 | Doi | 10.1159/000317398 |
| Citation | Van Assche T, et al. (2011) Transcription profiles of aortic smooth muscle cells from atherosclerosis-prone and -resistant regions in young apolipoprotein E-deficient mice before plaque development. J Vasc Res 48(1):31-42 |
| abstractText | BACKGROUND/AIMS: Site-specific atherosclerosis is generally attributed to differential gene expression in endothelial cells. We investigated whether the transcriptome of smooth muscle cells is different between atherosclerosis-prone and atherosclerosis-resistant regions in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) mice before plaque development, and in C57Bl/6 mice. METHODS: De-endothelialized aortas (both strains: 3 males, 3 females, age 4 months) were divided into atherosclerosis-prone (AA: ascending aorta, aortic arch and proximal 2 mm of thoracic aorta) and -resistant (CTA: central thoracic aorta, i.e. 6 mm distal from the proximal 2 mm) regions. The transcriptome of these two regions was compared using whole-genome mouse microarrays. RESULTS: Microarray analysis revealed differential expression (>2-fold difference) of 70 and 244 genes in C57Bl/6 and apoE-/- mice. This was confirmed for 6 genes using the real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Up- or downregulation in the AA was observed for 33 and 37 genes in C57Bl/6, and for 186 and 58 genes in apoE-/- mice, respectively. The 201 genes that showed exclusively differential expression in apoE-/- mice were related to atherosclerotic processes, such as cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, motility, cell death, lipid metabolism and immune responses. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that smooth muscle cells display an altered transcriptome at atherosclerosis-prone locations before actual lesion development. |
