c-Kit Suppresses Atherosclerosis in Hyperlipidemic Mice.

c-Kit Suppresses Atherosclerosis in Hyperlipidemic Mice. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2019 Aug 23;: Authors: Song L, Zigmond Z, Martinez L, Lassance-Soares RM, Macias AE, Velazquez OC, Liu ZJ, Salama A, Webster KA, Vazquez-Padron RI Abstract Atherosclerosis is the most common underlying cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. c-Kit (CD117) is a member of the receptor tyrosine kinase family, which regulates differentiation, proliferation, and survival of multiple cell types. Recent studies have shown that c-Kit and its ligand stem cell factor (SCF) are present in arterial endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). The role of c-Kit in cardiovascular disease remains unclear. The aim of the current study is to determine the role of c-Kit in atherogenesis. For this purpose, atherosclerotic plaques were quantified in c-Kit deficient mice (KitMut) after feeding them a high fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. KitMutmice demonstrated substantially greater atherosclerosis compared with control (KitWT) littermates (p<0.01). Transplantation of c-Kit positive bone marrow into KitMutmice failed to rescue the atherogenic phenotype: an indication that increased atherosclerosis was associated with reduced arterial c-Kit. To investigate the mechanism, SMC organization and morphology were analyzed in the aorta by histopathology and electron microscopy. SMCs were more abundant, disorganized, and vacuolated in aortas of c-Kit m...
Source: American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol Source Type: research