Lost in transdifferentiation

What are the true origins of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) present in the intimal lesions of transplant arteriosclerosis? A new study in the JCI shows that Sca-1(+) cells purified from the mouse aortic root can migrate through an irradiated vein graft to the neointima of the vessel and transdiffere...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of clinical investigation 2004-05, Vol.113 (9), p.1249-1251
Main Authors: Hoofnagle, Mark H, Wamhoff, Brian R, Owens, Gary K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Aorta - cytology
Arteriosclerosis - pathology
Biomedical research
Bone Marrow Cells - cytology
Cell Differentiation
Cell Fusion
Cell Lineage
Cell Movement
Cells, Cultured
Disease Models, Animal
Genetic Markers
Hematopoietic Stem Cells - cytology
Humans
Mice
Mice, Transgenic
Models, Biological
Muscle Proteins - genetics
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - cytology
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - metabolism
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - transplantation
Tissue Donors
Transplantation, Homologous
Tunica Intima - pathology
Veins - radiation effects
Veins - transplantation
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Summary:What are the true origins of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) present in the intimal lesions of transplant arteriosclerosis? A new study in the JCI shows that Sca-1(+) cells purified from the mouse aortic root can migrate through an irradiated vein graft to the neointima of the vessel and transdifferentiate to express the early SMC differentiation marker gene SM22. Do Sca-1(+) cells transdifferentiate into SMC-like cells, or is activation of SMC marker genes a consequence of fusion of these cells with preexisting SMCs, a possibility raised by results of studies of adult stem cells in animal models of liver regeneration ? Or could this be bona fide transdifferentiation that recapitulates the pathologic processes in humans?
ISSN:0021-9738
1558-8238
DOI:10.1172/JCI21761