biostudies-literatureXue YChongqing Medical UniversityNatural Science Foundation of ChongqingNational Natural Science Foundation of China1316https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9715630biostudies-literatureUnknown5(1)Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a central role in atherosclerosis progression, but the functional changes in VSMCs and the associated cellular crosstalk during atherosclerosis progression remain unknown. Here we show that scRNA-seq analysis of proximal adjacent (PA) and atherosclerotic core (AC) regions of human carotid artery plaques identifies functional alterations in macrophage-like VSMCs, elucidating the main state differences between PA and AC VSMCs. And, IL-1β mediates macrophage-macrophage-like VSMC crosstalk through regulating key transcription factors involved in macrophage-like VSMCs functional alterations during atherosclerosis progression. In vitro assays reveal VSMCs trans-differentiated into a macrophage-like phenotype and then functional alterations in response to macrophage-derived stimuli. IL-1β promots the adhesion, inflammation, and apoptosis of macrophage-like VSMCs in a STAT3 dependent manner. The current findings provide interesting insight into the macrophages-macrophage-like VSMC crosstalk, which would drive functional alterations in the latter cell type through IL-1β/STAT3 axis during atherosclerosis progression.Communications biologyMacrophages regulate vascular smooth muscle cell function during atherosclerosis progression through IL-1β/STAT3 signaling.PMC9715630ZHYX202017cstc2020jcyj-msxmX109182070238Li XShen JHu YLiu LGuo YLuo MHu XZhu WHuang LLuo SXue YWang LfalseMacrophages regulate vascular smooth muscle cell function during atherosclerosis progression through IL-1β/STAT3 signaling.Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a central role in atherosclerosis progression, but the functional changes in VSMCs and the associated cellular crosstalk during atherosclerosis progression remain unknown. Here we show that scRNA-seq analysis of proximal adjacent (PA) and atherosclerotic core (AC) regions of human carotid artery plaques identifies functional alterations in macrophage-like VSMCs, elucidating the main state differences between PA and AC VSMCs. And, IL-1β mediates macrophage-macrophage-like VSMC crosstalk through regulating key transcription factors involved in macrophage-like VSMCs functional alterations during atherosclerosis progression. In vitro assays reveal VSMCs trans-differentiated into a macrophage-like phenotype and then functional alterations in response to macrophage-derived stimuli. IL-1β promots the adhesion, inflammation, and apoptosis of macrophage-like VSMCs in a STAT3 dependent manner. The current findings provide interesting insight into the macrophages-macrophage-like VSMC crosstalk, which would drive functional alterations in the latter cell type through IL-1β/STAT3 axis during atherosclerosis progression.2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Dec2025-04-19T03:34:28.625Z2025-04-07T13:42:31.65ZS-EPMC97156303645662810.1038/s42003-022-04255-2