Journal
SCIENCE
Volume 332, Issue 6027, Pages 358-361Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/science.1192149
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- National Marfan Foundation
- Cellular and Molecular Medicine Training Program
- National Human Genome Research Institute
- Smilow Center for Marfan Syndrome Research
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) signaling drives aneurysm progression in multiple disorders, including Marfan syndrome (MFS), and therapies that inhibit this signaling cascade are in clinical trials. TGF beta can stimulate multiple intracellular signaling pathways, but it is unclear which of these pathways drives aortic disease and, when inhibited, which result in disease amelioration. Here we show that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and 2 and Smad2 are activated in a mouse model of MFS, and both are inhibited by therapies directed against TGF beta. Whereas selective inhibition of ERK1/2 activation ameliorated aortic growth, Smad4 deficiency exacerbated aortic disease and caused premature death in MFS mice. Smad4-deficient MFS mice uniquely showed activation of Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK1), and a JNK antagonist ameliorated aortic growth in MFS mice that lacked or retained full Smad4 expression. Thus, noncanonical (Smad-independent) TGF beta signaling is a prominent driver of aortic disease in MFS mice, and inhibition of the ERK1/2 or JNK1 pathways is a potential therapeutic strategy for the disease.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available