A critical role for the protein apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a lethal syndrome associated with the pathogenic remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature and the emergence of apoptosis-resistant cells. Apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain (ARC) is an inhibitor of multiple forms of cell death known to be abundantly expressed in striated muscle. We show for the first time that ARC is expressed in arterial smooth muscle cells of the pulmonary vasculature and is markedly upregulated in several experimental models of PH. In this study, we test the hypothesis that ARC expression is essential for the development of chronic hypoxia-induced PH.

Methods and results

Experiments in which cells or mice were rendered ARC-deficient revealed that ARC not only protected pulmonary arterial smooth mus

SUBMITTER: Zaiman AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4583146 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature