Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry (Nov 2018)

Arterial Wall Stress Induces Phenotypic Switching of Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells in Vascular Remodeling by Activating the YAP/TAZ Signaling Pathway

  • Yongshun Wang,
  • Wei Cao,
  • Jinjin Cui,
  • Yang Yu,
  • Yubo Zhao,
  • Jian Shi,
  • Jian Wu,
  • Zhengyuan Xia,
  • Bo Yu,
  • Jingjin Liu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1159/000495376
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 51, no. 2
pp. 842 – 853

Abstract

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Background/Aims: Increasing wall stress or biomechanical stretch experienced by arteries influences the initiation of atherosclerotic lesions. This initiation is mediated by Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), which are both effectors of the Hippo pathway. In this study, the functional roles of YAP/TAZ proteins in the regulation of the stretch-mediated programing of human umbilical arterial smooth muscle cells (HUASMCs) to a proliferative phenotype were examined. Methods: HUASMCs were seeded on a Matrigel-coated silicone chamber and subjected to biomechanical stretch for 24 h after 48 h of growth. YAP/TAZ small interfering RNA was used to specifically knockdown YAP/ TAZ expression in HUASMCs. Results: We observed that YAP/TAZ activation via biomechanical stretching is involved in the regulation of critical aspects of the HUASMC phenotypic switch. YAP/TAZ knockdown significantly attenuated the stretch-induced proliferative and pro-inflammatory phenotypes in HUASMCs. Furthermore, treatment with atorvastatin, an anti-atherosclerotic drug, attenuated the stretch-induced phenotypic switch of HUASMCs from the contractile to synthetic state by suppressing YAP/TAZ expression. Additional investigations demonstrated the role of stretch in inhibiting the Hippo pathway, leading to the activation of PI3-kinase (PI3K) and phosphoinositide dependent kinase (PDK1); the key molecule for the regulation of the PDK1 and Hippo complex interaction was Sav1. These results showed the importance of YAP/TAZ activation, induced by biomechanical stretch, in promoting atheroprone phenotypes in HUASMCs. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings revealed a mechanism by which YAP/TAZ activation contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

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