title: Overexpression of p73 causes apoptosis in vascular smooth muscle cells.
abstract: Abnormal vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cell proliferation contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and its associated disorders, including angioplasty restenosis. The tumor-suppressor protein p53 has been linked to the development of atherosclerotic lesions, and its homolog, p73, is proving to have contrasting functions in a variety of tissues. As an outgrowth of our previous finding that p73 is increased in serum-stimulated VSM cells and human atherosclerotic tissue, we examined p73 overexpression in VSM cells to elucidate causality of p73 expression with growth response. Overexpression of p73 results in decreased cell cycle transit and is accompanied by apoptosis. The apoptotic changes in p73 overexpressing VSM cells are independent of p53 and are associated with a decrease in levels of p21(waf1/cip1). In conjunction with our previous data finding that p73 is increased in serum-stimulated VSM cells, this work suggests a role for p73 in vascular proliferative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D000072160:Tumor Protein p73; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C000606460:TP73 protein, human; C000606368:Trp73 protein, mouse; D000072160:Tumor Protein p73; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D004318:Doxycycline