Cytokeratins 8 and 18 in Smooth Muscle Cells. Detection in Human Coronary Artery, Peripheral Vascular, and Vein Graft Disease and in Transplantation-associated Arteriosclerosis
Overview
Affiliations
During development of atherosclerotic lesions, vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) undergo changes both phenotypically and in their cytoskeleton composition. An expression of cytokeratins 8 and 18 in SMCs in plaques of the human superficial femoral artery and of cytokeratin 8 in lesions of the aorta was recently described. Since cytokeratins are epithelial markers generally not found in normal adult vascular SMCs, we performed a detailed immunofluorescence microscopy study using a large panel of antibodies against the various cytokeratin polypeptides and other elements of the cytoskeleton. We included lesions of carotid, common and superficial femoral, iliac, and popliteal arteries; the abdominal aorta; and saphenous vein bypass grafts, as well as primary, restenotic, and transplantation-associated lesions of coronary arteries (n = 33). Cytokeratins 8 and 18 were present in myointimal cells of all pathological specimens. Colocalization with smooth muscle alpha-actin identified most cytokeratin-positive cells as SMCs. Only very few cells cosynthesized cytokeratin and desmin, whereas the majority of cytokeratin-positive cells were vimentin-positive. This pattern of cytoskeletal protein synthesis is similar to that found in some fetal and/or neonatal SMCs. These findings suggest that the synthesis of cytokeratins in a subset of SMCs of atherosclerotic lesions is a common phenomenon in coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease as well as graft disease and transplantation-associated arteriosclerosis and that the state of these SMCs is of a "dedifferentiated" fetal type.
Yan J, Yang A, Tu S Front Oncol. 2024; 14:1445978.
PMID: 39502314 PMC: 11534658. DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1445978.
The Pathological Mechanisms and Therapeutic Molecular Targets in Arteriovenous Fistula Dysfunction.
Yan R, Song A, Zhang C Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(17).
PMID: 39273465 PMC: 11395150. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25179519.
Mihailovic P, Lio W, Herscovici R, Chyu K, Yano J, Zhao X PLoS One. 2019; 14(2):e0213025.
PMID: 30811493 PMC: 6392305. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213025.
Smooth muscle cell fate and plasticity in atherosclerosis.
Allahverdian S, Chaabane C, Boukais K, Francis G, Bochaton-Piallat M Cardiovasc Res. 2018; 114(4):540-550.
PMID: 29385543 PMC: 5852505. DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvy022.
Cytokeratin 8 in Association with sdLDL and ELISA Development.
Ashmaig M N Am J Med Sci. 2015; 7(10):459-66.
PMID: 26713292 PMC: 4677471. DOI: 10.4103/1947-2714.168673.