Regulation of Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells by T Lymphocytes

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Abstract
Physical disruption of an atheromatous lesion often underlies acute coronary syndromes. Matrix-degrading enzymes, eg, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), may cause loss in mechanical integrity of plaque tissue that favors rupture. T lymphocytes accumulate at sites where atheromata rupture, but the mechanisms by which these immune cells may contribute to plaque destabilization are unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that the T-lymphocyte surface molecule CD40 ligand (CD40L), recently localized in atherosclerotic plaques, regulates the expression of MMPs in human vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), the most numerous cell type in arteries. We report here that stimulated human T lymphocytes induced the expression of the matrix-degrading enzymes, ie, interstitial collagenase (MMP-1), stromelysin (MMP-3), gelatinase B (MMP-9), and activated gelatinase A (MMP-2), in human vascular SMCs by cell contact via CD40 ligation, as demonstrated by Western blot analysis, zymography, and antibody neutralizati...