TET2 Protects Against Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Apoptosis and Intimal Thickening in Transplant Vasculopathy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Coronary allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a devastating sequela of heart transplant in which arterial intimal thickening limits coronary blood flow. There are currently no targeted therapies to prevent or reduce this pathology that leads to transplant failure. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic plasticity is critical in CAV neointima formation. TET2 (TET methylcytosine dioxygenase 2) is an important epigenetic regulator of VSMC phenotype, but the role of TET2 in the progression of CAV is unknown.

Methods

We assessed TET2 expression and activity in human CAV and renal transplant samples. We also used the sex-mismatched murine aortic graft model of graft arteriopathy (GA) in wild-type and inducible smooth muscle-specific Tet2 knockout mice; and in v

SUBMITTER: Ostriker AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8643133 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature