title: Autologous apoptotic cell engulfment stimulates chemokine secretion by vascular smooth muscle cells.
abstract: Apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) occurs in vivo under both physiological and pathological settings. The clearance of apoptotic cells may be accomplished in part by the surrounding normal VSMCs. However, the fate of internalized apoptotic cells, the rate of intracellular degradation, and the consequences of these processes to VSMC biology are unknown. Electron microscopy and confocal fluorescence imaging showed that rat VSMCs effectively bound and internalized autologous apoptotic VSMCs in vitro. Within 2 hours, the internalized apoptotic cells were delivered to lysosomes, and the majority of these internalized cells and their proteins were efficiently degraded by 24 hours. After degradation was completed, the phagocytic VSMCs remained viable with normal rates of proliferation. Clearance of apoptotic cells by VSMCs did not induce the release of vascular wall matrix proteases but was associated with a 1.6-fold increase in transforming growth factor-beta1 release. Interestingly, clearance of apoptotic cells stimulated VSMCs to secrete monocyte-chemoattractant protein-1 and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant. The coordinated release of transforming growth factor-beta1 and chemokines suggests that autologous apoptotic cell clearance stimulates VSMCs to release molecules that specifically recruit professional phagocytes while simultaneously dampening the inflammatory response and preventing vascular injury.
authors.affiliation: Stokes Research Institute, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 416D Abramson Research Center, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4318, USA.
authors.forename: Diana M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Fries
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lightfoot
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koval
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ischiropoulos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000166:cytology; D017209:Apoptosis; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000378:metabolism; D018925:Chemokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004549:Elastin / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D010587:Phagocytosis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D018925:Chemokines; C508962:Tgfb1 protein, rat; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D004549:Elastin; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat