Journal
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY
Volume 36, Issue 1, Pages 57-66Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2003.09.015
Keywords
aortic valve calcification; receptor activator; AS; RANKL; OPG
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Objective. - Recent studies have suggested that valvular calcification in calcitic aortic stenosis (AS) may be actively regulated. Receptor Activator of Nuclear factor kappaB Ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) are members of a cytokine system involved in bone turnover and vascular calcification. Their role in calcitic AS is not known. Methods and Results. - By immunohistochemistry using human aortic valves, RANKL was not expressed at relevant levels in controls but detectable in AS. OPG expression was marked in controls but significantly lower in AS. Areas containing focal calcification exhibited significantly less OPG-positive cells as compared to non-calcified regions. Stimulation with RANKL lead to a significant rise in matrix calcification, nodule formation, alkaline phosphatase activity, expression of the bone-type isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase, and expression of osteocalcin in cultured human aortic valve myofibroblasts. Moreover, RANKL increased DNA binding of the essential osteoblast transcription factor cbfa-1. Conclusion. - RANKL and OPG are differentially expressed in calcitic AS. In cultured human aortic valve myofibroblasts, RANKL promotes matrix calcification and induces the expression of osteoblast-associated genes, indicating a transition towards an osteogenic phenotype. These results suggest that the RANKL-OPG pathway may regulate valvular calcification in calcitic AS? (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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