8 research outputs found
Anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-19 inhibits smooth muscle cell migration and activation of cytoskeletal regulators of VSMC motility
Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration is an important cellular event in multiple vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, restenosis, and transplant vasculopathy. Little is known regarding the effects of anti-inflammatory interleukins on VSMC migration. This study tested the hypothesis that an anti-inflammatory Th2 interleukin, interleukin-19 (IL-19), could decrease VSMC motility. IL-19 significantly decreased platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-stimulated VSMC chemotaxis in Boyden chambers and migration in scratch wound assays. IL-19 significantly decreased VSMC spreading in response to PDGF. To determine the molecular mechanism(s) for these cellular effects, we examined the effect of IL-19 on activation of proteins that regulate VSMC cytoskeletal dynamics and locomotion. IL-19 decreased PDGF-driven activation of several cytoskeletal regulatory proteins that play an important role in smooth muscle cell motility, including heat shock protein-27 (HSP27), myosin light chain (MLC), and cofilin. IL-19 decreased PDGF activation of the Rac1 and RhoA GTPases, important integrators of migratory signals. IL-19 was unable to inhibit VSMC migration nor was able to inhibit activation of cytoskeletal regulatory proteins in VSMC transduced with a constitutively active Rac1 mutant (RacV14), suggesting that IL-19 inhibits events proximal to Rac1 activation. Together, these data are the first to indicate that IL-19 can have important inhibitory effects on VSMC motility and activation of cytoskeletal regulatory proteins. This has important implications for the use of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the treatment of vascular occlusive disease
Rac1 in human diseases: The therapeutic potential of targeting Rac1 signaling regulatory mechanisms
Cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of an active form of Rac predisposes the heart to increased myocardial stunning and ischemia-reperfusion injury
Molecular mechanisms of VEGF-induced angiogenesis
Angiogenesis is a complex process that occurs in a series of inter-related steps, and in
volves the release of pro-angiogenic factors. One of the most important angiogenic
factors is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF regulates both vascular
endothelial cell migration, proliferation and permeability, and functions as an anti-apoptotic
factor for newly formed blood vessels. The biological effects of VEGF are mediated by two
receptors, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, whose expression is mostly limited to the vascular endothelium.
Angiogenesis, the role of VEGF in angiogenesis and the signal cascade regulating
VEGF-induced angiogenesis are discussed