Mechanisms of Transcriptional Regulation of Gene Expression in Smooth Muscle Cells

From The Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo (T.S., Y.Y.), and the Second Department of Internal Medicine, Gunma University School of Medicine, Gunma (R.N.), Japan.

Correspondence to Toru Suzuki, MD, c/o Yoshio Yazaki, MD, The Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7–3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655 Japan. E-mail torusuzu-tky@umin.ac.jp

Key Words: smooth muscle • transcription • gene expression

Smooth muscle (SM) plays an active role in a multitude of physiological and pathological vascular processes ranging from vasculogenesis to arteriosclerosis. Development of therapeutic strategies targeted specifically against an SM process requires an understanding of the molecular basis of the involved molecules and reactions. Investigation of regulatory mechanisms underlying gene expression is of vital importance, given its pivotal role in regulating these processes. Owing to recent efforts, our understanding of the molecules and reactions involved in gene expression of SM has shown great progress. Still, compared with its distantly related skeletal muscle, which has been thoroughly dissected by both biochemical and genetic studies, little is understood of the SM regulatory program, likely due to a lack of markers of SM that could be used for identifying key determinants of the SM lineage and of an in vitro model of SM differentiation for studies of gene expression. These studies have allowed the development of putative models of molecular mechanisms regulating SM gene expression. This Mini Review will focus on recent advancements in SM biology, with an emphasis on these issues.

SM-Specific Genes: Characterization and Regulation of Gene Expression

Studies on regulatory mechanisms have been focused mainly at the transcription level because it is responsible for dynamic regulation (eg, qualitative and quantitative) of the gene product and also with expectations of analogy to the related skeletal muscle program, which has been shown to be determined mainly at the transcription level by a family of myogenic regulatory factors (eg, MyoD). These factors belong to the basic helix-loop-helix family of DNA-binding transcription . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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