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(Circulation Research. 2003;93:710.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Molecular Medicine

Chlamydia pneumoniae Stimulates Proliferation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Through Induction of Endogenous Heat Shock Protein 60

Satoru Hirono, Elena Dibrov, Cecilia Hurtado, Annette Kostenuk, Robin Ducas, Grant N. Pierce

From the Division of Stroke and Vascular Disease, St Boniface General Hospital Research Centre, and the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

Correspondence to Dr Grant N. Pierce, Division of Stroke and Vascular Disease, St Boniface General Hospital Research Centre, 351 Tache Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R2H 2A6. E-mail gpierce{at}sbrc.ca

Chlamydia pneumoniae infection has been linked with atherosclerosis. However, the mechanism responsible for the atherogenic effects of C pneumoniae remains unclear. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been found in atherosclerotic lesions. HSPs of HSP70 and HSP90 families are involved in the regulation of cell cycle progression and cell proliferation. We assessed the hypothesis that HSP60 is induced in vascular cells infected with C pneumoniae and stimulates cell proliferation. Rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were infected with C pneumoniae. Western blot analysis demonstrated the induction of endogenous HSP60 expression in C pneumoniae-infected VSMCs. C pneumoniae infection significantly increased the number of VSMCs, and the mitogenic effect correlated with the expression level of endogenous HSP60. In contrast to VSMCs, C pneumoniae infection had no effect on the expression level of HSP60 and did not stimulate cell proliferation in HUVECs. Exogenous addition of recombinant chlamydial HSP60 had no mitogenic effect on VSMCs and HUVECs. However, overexpression of HSP60 within VSMCs by infection with adenovirus encoding human HSP60 resulted in a significant increase in cell numbers compared with uninfected VSMCs. These results suggest that overexpression of endogenous HSP60 may be a central intracellular event responsible for the mitogenic effects induced by C pneumoniae infection. In addition to C pneumoniae, other infectious agents and atherogenic risk factors may also stimulate VSMC proliferation and contribute to the lesion formation through the induction of HSP60.

Key Words: atherosclerosis • infection • inflammation • coronary disease

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