Key result
EGFR deletion in vascular smooth muscle cells abolishes ERK1/2 activation and promotes spontaneous cell death.
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OBJECTIVE: Pathophysiological effects of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR or ErbB1) include vascular remodeling. EGFR transactivation is proposed to contribute significantly to heterologous signaling and remodeling in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated the importance of EGFR in primary VSMC from aorta of mice with targeted deletion of the EGFR (EGFR(Δ/Δ VSMC)→VSMC(EGFR-/-) and EGFR(Δ/+ VSMC)→VSMC(EGFR+/-)) and the respective littermate controls (EGFR(+/+ VSMC)→VSMC(EGFR+/+)) with respect to survival, pentose phosphate pathway activity, matrix homeostasis, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation, and Ca(2+) homeostasis. In VSMC(EGFR-/-), epidermal growth factor-induced signaling was abolished; VSMC(EGFR+/-) showed an intermediate phenotype. EGFR deletion enhanced spontaneous cell death, reduced pentose phosphate pathway activity, disturbed cellular matrix homeostasis (collagen III and fibronectin), and abolished epidermal growth factor sensitivity. In VSMC(EGFR-/-) endothelin-1- or α(1)-adrenoceptor-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and the fraction of Ca(2+) responders were significantly reduced, whereas responsive cells showed a significantly stronger Ca(2+) signal. Oxidative stress (H(2)O(2)) induced ERK1/2 activation in VSMC(EGFR+/+) and VSMC(EGFR+/-) but not in VSMC(EGFR-/-). The Ca(2+) signal was enhanced in VSMC(EGFR-/-), similar to purinergic stimulation by ATP. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, EGFR was found to be important for basal VSMC homeostasis and ERK1/2 activation by the tested G-protein-coupled receptors or radical stress. Ca(2+) signaling was modulated by EGFR differentially with respect to the fraction of responders and magnitude of the signal. Thus, EGFR seems to be Janus-faced for VSMC biology.
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Schreier et al. (2011) studied Vascular remodeling / EGFR loss in vascular smooth muscle cells. Targeted deletion of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ErbB1) vs. Littermate control vascular smooth muscle cells (EGFR+/+) was evaluated on VSMC survival, pentose phosphate pathway activity, matrix homeostasis, ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and Ca2+ homeostasis. Targeted deletion of EGFR in mouse vascular smooth muscle cells abolished EGF- and H2O2-induced ERK1/2 activation, enhanced spontaneous cell death, and altered Ca2+ signaling.
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