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(Circulation Research. 2006;98:1373.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Molecular Medicine

Common Protective and Diverse Smooth Muscle Cell Effects of AAV-Mediated Angiopoietin-1 and -2 Expression in Rat Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy

Antti I. Nykänen, Katri Pajusola, Rainer Krebs, Mikko A.I. Keränen, Olivier Raisky, Petri K. Koskinen, Kari Alitalo, Karl B. Lemström

From the Cardiopulmonary Research Group, Transplantation Laboratory (A.I.N., R.K., M.A.I.K., P.K.K, K.B.L.), University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Central Hospital; Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology (P.K.K.), Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery (K.B.L.), Helsinki University Central Hospital; Molecular Cancer Biology Laboratory (K.P., K.A.), Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Finland; and Hôpital Cardiologique Louis Pradel (O.R.), Lyon, France.

Correspondence to Antti Nykänen, MD, Transplantation Laboratory, Haartman Institute, PO Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3), FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland. E-mail Antti.Nykanen{at}helsinki.fi

Angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) and Ang2 regulate the maintenance of normal vasculature by direct endothelial and indirect smooth muscle cell (SMC) effects. Dysfunction of vascular wall cells is considered central in cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), where inflammation and arterial injury initiate subsequent intimal SMC proliferation. In this study, we investigated the effect of exogenous Ang1 and Ang2 in chronically rejecting rat cardiac allografts by intracoronary adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene transfer. Bioluminescent imaging of AAV-transfected syngeneic grafts revealed gradual and stable transgene expression in graft cardiomyocytes. In cardiac allografts, both AAV-Ang1 and AAV-Ang2 decreased inflammation and increased antiapoptotic Bcl-2 mRNA and Bcl-2/Bax ratio at 8 weeks. Only AAV-Ang2 decreased the development of CAV, whereas AAV-Ang1 activated arterial SMC and increased PDGF-A mRNA in the allograft. Collectively, our results show that exogenous Ang1 and Ang2 have similar antiinflammatory and antiapoptotic effects in cardiac allografts. Prolonged AAV-mediated Ang1 transgene expression also induced SMC activation, whereas AAV-Ang2 lacked the SMC activating effects and decreased CAV. Our results thus highlight the common protective and diverse SMC effects of Ang1 and Ang2 in cardiac allograft microenvironment and the importance of timing of angiopoietins to achieve therapeutic effects.

Key Words: endothelium • inflammation • muscle, smooth • angiogenesis • arteriosclerosis • transplantation

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