In:
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), Vol. 20, No. 4 ( 2000-04), p. 907-914
Abstract:
Abstract —Although smooth muscle cells (SMCs) are critical components of the circulatory system, the regulatory mechanisms of SMC differentiation remain largely unknown. In the present study, we examined the mechanism of SMC differentiation by using Xenopus laevis SM22α (XSM22α) as an SMC-specific marker. XSM22α cDNA contained a 600-bp open reading frame, and the predicted amino acid sequences were highly conserved in evolution. XSM22α transcripts were first detected in heart anlage, head mesenchyme, and the dorsal side of the lateral plate mesoderm at the tail-bud stage, possibly representing the precursors of muscle lineage. At the tadpole stage, XSM22α transcripts were restricted to the vascular and visceral SMCs. XSM22α was strongly induced by basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in animal caps. Although expressions of Xenopus cardiac actin were not affected by the expression of a dominant-negative FGF receptor, its injection dramatically suppressed the XSM22α expression. These results suggest that XSM22α is a useful molecular marker for the SMC lineage in Xenopus and that FGF signaling plays an important role in the induction of XSM22α and in the differentiation of SMCs.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1079-5642
,
1524-4636
DOI:
10.1161/01.ATV.20.4.907
Language:
English
Publisher:
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Publication Date:
2000
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1494427-3
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