Identification and molecular characterization of novel genomic targets in oxidant-induced vascular injury

Abstract

Gene expression was examined in vascular smooth muscle cells to study the complex interaction between oxidative injury and the pathogenesis of vascular disease. Extensive vascular remodeling coupled to increased production of 8-epi-PGF2α nuclear localization of NFκB, and alterations in glutathione homeostasis were identified as major responses of the vascular wall to oxidative stress. Transcriptional profiling studies, supported by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization measurements, identified genes involved in adhesion and extracellular matrix deposition (α1 integrin, collagen), cytoskeletal rearrangements (α-smooth muscle actin, α-tropomyosin), and signal transduction (NFκB, osteopontin, and LINE) as targets of oxidant injury. In the case of osteopontin (OPN), elevation of OPN levels in vSMCs was shown to be mediated by redox-regulated transcriptional mechanisms. A 200bp region located in the 5' UTR of the osteopontin promoter was found to be responsive to oxidative stress. This regulatory region contained two distinct cis acting elements involved in promoter inducibility. These elements were tentatively identified as NFKB and TIEG-1 binding sites and shown to be highly responsive to hydrogen peroxide and chemical antioxidants. Collectively these studies answer central questions regarding the mechanisms underlying the vascular response to oxidative stress and the involvement of OPN in diseases of the vascular wall.