Overexpression of soluble fas attenuates transplant arteriosclerosis in rat aortic allografts.
BACKGROUND
The killing of vascular cells by activated macrophages is an important step in the process of destabilization of the arterial wall. The death receptor Fas is implicated in vascular cell death. Hence, we extended our studies in a rat aortic allograft model, using adenovirus-mediated overexpression of soluble Fas (sFas) to block Fas binding to Fas ligand (Fas-L). The contribution of Fas to vascular cell injury and consequent transplant arteriosclerosis was investigated.


RESULTS
Activated monocytes in the presence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor induce endothelial cell apoptosis in vitro, which was significantly inhibited by adenovirus-mediated sFas overexpression. Next, donor rat abdominal aortas were either untreated or transduced with adenoviruses encoding (1) rat soluble Fas (Ad3rsFas), (2) no insert (Ad3Null), and (3) beta-galactosidase (Ad3nBg). A total of 175 aortic grafts were harvested 2 to 90 days after transplantation. Vascular cell apoptosis and CD45+ cell infiltration were significantly reduced in Ad3rsFas-transduced aortas, as compared with control allografts. Moreover, the control allografts developed marked intimal thickening, whereas Ad3rsFas-transduced allografts had significantly less neointima until the 90-day time point.


CONCLUSIONS
sFas overexpression protects the integrity of the vessel wall from immune injury and attenuates transplant arteriosclerosis.
Wang
Tao
T
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
Dong
Chunming
C
Stevenson
Susan C
SC
Herderick
Edward E
EE
Marshall-Neff
Jennifer
J
Vasudevan
Sanjay S
SS
Moldovan
Nicanor I
NI
Michler
Robert E
RE
Movva
N Rao
NR
Goldschmidt-Clermont
Pascal J
PJ
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D017209:Apoptosis; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002465:Cell Movement; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019014:fas Receptor