|
|
||||||||
1 Department of Cell Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Tsurumai, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
2 Department of Hematology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Tsurumai, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
3 Department of Cardiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Tsurumai, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan
Cell migration is important in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Macrophages and smooth muscle cells migrate into the subendothelial space of arteries, leading to plaque formation. Long-term inhibition of the activity of Rho-kinase induces a regression of atherosclerotic coronary lesions, probably by preventing migration of macrophages and smooth muscle cells. Previous reports concerning the effect of Rho-kinase inhibitors on cell migration are contradictory, however. We examined here the cell type specificity of Rho-kinase inhibitors and found that migration of endothelial cells, macrophages, and smooth muscle cells was inhibited by treatment with Rho-kinase inhibitors in a dose-dependent fashion in a three-dimensional migration assay, whereas that of fibroblasts and epithelial cells was not inhibited. Myosin II inhibitor prevented cell migration in a manner similar to Rho-kinase inhibitors. In contrast, in a two-dimensional migration assay, cell migration was not inhibited by Rho-kinase or myosin II inhibitors for any of the cell types examined. Taken together, these results indicate that Rho-kinase inhibitors suppress migration of specific cell types under specific conditions through the regulation of myosin II activity. Our findings suggest that Rho-kinase is the therapeutic target of atherosclerosis accompanied with invasion by leukocytes and smooth muscle cells.
*Correspondence: E-mail: kaibuchi{at}med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
M. J. Muessel, K. S. Scott, P. Friedl, P. Bradding, and A. J. Wardlaw CCL11 and GM-CSF Differentially Use the Rho GTPase Pathway to Regulate Motility of Human Eosinophils in a Three-Dimensional Microenvironment J. Immunol., June 15, 2008; 180(12): 8354 - 8360. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
W. T. Gerthoffer Mechanisms of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Migration Circ. Res., March 16, 2007; 100(5): 607 - 621. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | ADVANCED SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |