Journal
EXPERIMENTAL CELL RESEARCH
Volume 390, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2020.111941
Keywords
Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT); Gremlin-1; Pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs)
Categories
Funding
- National Key Research and Development Program of China [2016YFC0905600]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [81570049, 81871328]
- Beijing Natural Science Foundation [7182149]
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Background: Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) has been implicated in initiation and progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Gremlin-1 promotes vascular remodeling of PAH and mediates epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which is similar to EndMT. In the present study we investigated the potential role of gremlin-1 plays in EndMT of pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs). Methods: Immunofluorescence staining was performed to detect the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and von Willebrand factor (VWF). Migration and angiogenic responses of PAECs were determined by transwell assay and tube formation assay, respectively. Protein expression levels were determined by western blotting. Results: Gremlin-1 induced EndMT of PAECs in a phospho-smad2/3-dependent manner. This was characterized by the loss of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 and an increase in protein levels of a-SMA, nerve-cadherin, and matrix metalloproteinase 2. It was also determined that gremlin-1 facilitated the migration and angiogenic responses of PAECs in a dose-dependent manner. Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) was found to attenuate gremlin-1-mediated EndMT, migration and angiogenesis of PAECs by inducing phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 and suppressing phosphorylation of Smad2/3. Conclusion: Gremlin-1 mediates EndMT in PAECs, and BMP-7 reverses gremlin-1-induced EndMT by an induction of p-Smad1/5/8 and suppression of p-Smad2/3.
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