Jinhong Xu News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Overexpression of PGC1 in vascular smooth muscle cells ameliorates atherosclerosis In a new study published in Circulation Research, Chen-Yu Zhang and Xiaohong Jiang s group from Nanjing University and Dongjin Wang s group from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital reported a critical role of PGC1α in maintaining the contractile phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and highlighted the therapeutic potential of PGC1α for atherosclerosis. The traditional view holds that aberrant proliferation of VSMCs promotes plaque formation after vessel injury and inflammation, whereas the presence of VSMCs in the fibrous cap of the plaque is beneficial. Although it has long been assumed that these seemingly contradictory functions of VSMCs during atherosclerosis arise from their remarkable plasticity, direct evidence that VSMCs undergo phenotypic switching during atherogenesis in vivo has only been proven recently by rigorous lineage tracing studies.

Jing liXi chenYuhang tangYanteng shiJinhong xuLe cuiChen yu zhangEmily hendersonYunxing xueXiaohong jiangHaoquan wangGeorge liuDongjin wangHoshun chongYujing zhangJutang li