Cholesterol Loading Reprograms the MicroRNA-143/145–Myocardin Axis to Convert Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells to a Dysfunctional Macrophage-Like Phenotype

Cholesterol loading of VSMC converts them to a macrophage-appearing state by downregulating the miR-143/145-myocardin axis. Although these cells would be classified by immunohistochemistry as macrophages in human and mouse plaques, their transcriptome and functional properties imply that their contributions to atherogenesis would not be those of classical macrophages.