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[Role and mechanism of all-trans retinoic acid in up-regulating apelin expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.] [Article in Chinese]

LV Xin-Rui, WANG Bao-Hui, CHEN Ming-Liang, XU Xiao, WANG Bao-Fang

Department of Physiology, Medical College of Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China； Department of Neurology, Kaifeng Children’s Hospital, Kaifeng 475004, China

Abstract

This study was aimed to investigate the mechanism of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) up-regulating apelin expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The effect of ATRA on apelin expression in the VSMCs was investigated by RT-PCR, real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. To further define whether retinoic acid receptor α (RARα) mediated the induction of apelin by ATRA, endogenous RARα was down regulated by transfection of siRNA against RARα (si-RARα) or RARα was over-expressed by infection of the adenovirus vector pAd-GFP-RARα in the VSMCs. The results showed that ATRA significantly induced apelin expression in a time- and dose-dependent manner in the VSMCs. Although RARα expression was increased in a time-dependent manner, the expressions of RARβ and RARγ were little changed by the ATRA treatment. When VSMCs were treated with a RARα antagonist Ro 41-5253 prior to the addition of ATRA, or si-RARα was used to down regulate endogenous RARα expression, the blockade of RARα signaling partially reduced the response of apelin to ATRA. Moreover, RARα over-expression, induced by infection of pAd-GFP-RARα, further increased the induction of apelin by ATRA. In conclusion, ATRA may up-regulate apelin expression in VSMCs, and the mechanism may be RARα dependent.

Key words: all-trans retinoic acid; apelin; vascular smooth muscle cells

Received: 2014-11-02　　Accepted: 2014-12-16

Corresponding author: 王保芳　　E-mail: wbfyky@tom.com

Citing This Article：

LV Xin-Rui, WANG Bao-Hui, CHEN Ming-Liang, XU Xiao, WANG Bao-Fang. [Role and mechanism of all-trans retinoic acid in up-regulating apelin expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.] [Article in Chinese]. Acta Physiol Sin 2015; 67 (2): 186-192 (in Chinese with English abstract).