Inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and survival by the tumor suppressor protein PTEN - PubMed (original) (raw)

Inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and survival by the tumor suppressor protein PTEN

Jianhua Huang et al. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2002.

Abstract

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase signaling regulates numerous cellular processes, including proliferation, migration, and survival, which are required for neointimal hyperplasia and restenosis. The effectors of PI 3-kinase are activated by the phospholipid products of PI 3-kinase. In this report, we investigated the hypothesis that overexpression of the tumor suppressor protein PTEN, an inositol phosphatase specific for the products of PI 3-kinase, would inhibit the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) responses necessary for neointimal hyperplasia and restenosis. Effects of PTEN were assessed in primary rabbit VSMCs after overexpression with a recombinant adenovirus and compared with uninfected or control virus-infected cells. PTEN was expressed endogenously in VSMCs, and PTEN overexpression inhibited PDGF-induced phosphorylation of p70(s6k), Akt, and glycogen synthase kinase-3-alpha and -beta but not ERK1 or -2. Overexpression of PTEN significantly inhibited both basal and PDGF-mediated VSMC proliferation and migration, the latter possibly due in part to downregulation of focal adhesion kinase. Moreover, PTEN overexpression induced cleavage of caspase-3 and significantly increased apoptosis compared with control cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that PTEN overexpression potently inhibits the VSMC responses required for neointimal hyperplasia and restenosis. Adenovirus-expressed PTEN may therefore provide a useful tool for the local treatment of these and other vascular proliferative disorders.

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