Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
Volume 182, Issue 2, Pages 597-609Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2012.10.008
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Funding
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan [19590413, 20590416, 24790394]
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [24790394, 20590416, 23659033, 20229004, 19590413] Funding Source: KAKEN
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Apoptosis signal regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase that plays a crucial role in stress-induced apoptosis. Recently, we have reported that suppressed macrophage apoptosis in ASK1 and apolipoprotein E double-knockout mice accelerates atheromatous plaques in the hyperlipidemia-induced atherosclerotic model. However, the pathogenic role of smooth muscle cell (SMC) apoptosis in atherosclerosis still remains unclear. We investigated neointimal remodeling in ligated carotid arteries of ASK1-deficient mice (ASK1(-/-)) for 3 weeks. ASK1(-/-) mice had significantly more suppressed intimal formation, inversely manifesting as potential anti-atherogenic aspects of ASK1 deficiency, characterized by fewer SMCs and Less collagen synthesis; and fewer apoptotic SMCs, infiltrating T lymphocytes, and microvessels, associated with decreased apoptosis of Luminal endothelial cells, compared with those of wild-type mice. Injured arteries of ASK1(-/-) mice also showed significantly down-regulated expression of pro-apoptotic markers, adhesion molecules, and pro-inflammatory signaling factors. Moreover, tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced apoptosis was markedly suppressed in cultured aortic SMCs from ASK1(-/-) mice. These findings suggest that ASK1 accelerates mechanical injury-induced vascular remodeling with activated SMC migration via increased neovascularization and/or enhanced SMC and endothelial cell apoptosis. ASK1 expression, especially in the SMCs, might be crucial, and reciprocally responsible for various pro-atherogenic functions, and SMC apoptosis seems to be detrimental in this model. (Am J Pathol 2013, 182: 597-609; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2012.10.008)
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