Role of transforming growth factor-beta1 in the pathogenesis of moyamoya disease.
OBJECTIVE
Prominent features of moyamoya disease are intimal thickening of the cerebral arterial trunks and abundant angiogenesis for collateral blood supplies, but its pathogenesis is still unknown. The aim of this study was to test the possibility that transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFbeta1) may play a role in the pathogenesis of moyamoya disease.


METHODS
The authors used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to analyze the expression level of TGFbeta1 in smooth-muscle cells cultured from the superficial temporal arteries (STAs) and measured the serum level of TGFbeta1 by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Although the STA is not predominantly involved with moyamoya disease, it has been used in studies of the pathogenesis of this disease. In this report, the STAs from six patients with moyamoya disease and four with arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease, along with sera from 14 patients with moyamoya disease and 10 normal healthy volunteers, were studied. The expression of TGFbeta1 was significantly higher in cultured smooth-muscle cells derived from the STAs of patients with moyamoya disease than in those derived from the STAs of patients with arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease (p < 0.05). The serum level of TGFbeta1 was also significantly higher in patients with moyamoya disease than in controls (p < 0.0005).


CONCLUSIONS
Taking into account the functional roles of TGFbeta1 in the expression of connective tissue genes and angiogenesis, these investigators suggest that TGFbeta1 is associated with the pathogenesis of moyamoya disease, including abundant neovascularization, although their findings do not necessarily mean that TGFbeta1 is a causative factor in this disease.
Department of Neurosurgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
M
M
Hojo
M
M
Hoshimaru
S
S
Miyamoto
W
W
Taki
I
I
Nagata
M
M
Asahi
N
N
Matsuura
R
R
Ishizaki
H
H
Kikuchi
N
N
Hashimoto
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D003097:Collateral Circulation; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D002537:Intracranial Arteriosclerosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009072:Moyamoya Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology
D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2