Impaired vascular contractility and blood pressure homeostasis in the smooth muscle α-actin null mouse

The smooth muscle (SM) alpha -actin gene activated during the early stages of embryonic cardiovascular development is switched off in late stage heart tissue and replaced by cardiac and skeletal alpha -actins. SM alpha -actin also appears during vascular development, but becomes the single most abundant protein in adult vascular smooth muscle cells. Tissue-specific expression of SM alpha -actin is thought to be required for the principal force-generating capacity of the vascular smooth muscle cell. We wanted to determine whether SM alpha -actin gene expression actually relates to an actin isoform's function. Analysis of SM alpha -actin null mice indicated that SM alpha -actin is not required for the formation of the cardiovascular system. Also, SM alpha -actin null mice appeared to have no difficulty feeding or reproducing. Survival in the absence of SM alpha -actin may result from other actin isoforms partially substituting for this isoform. In fact, skeletal alpha -actin gene, an actin isoform not usually expressed in vascular smooth muscle, was activated in the aortas of these SM alpha -actin null mice. However, even with a modest increase in skeletal alpha -actin activity, highly compromised vascular contractility, tone, and blood flow were detected in SM alpha -actin-defective mice. This study supports the concept that SM alpha -actin has a central role in regulating vascular contractility and blood pressure homeostasis, but is not required for the formation of the cardiovascular system.