Unfolded Protein Response Drives Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotypic Changes With Cholesterol

Originally published 8 Oct 2020 | Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology

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Abstract

Objective:

Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) dedifferentiate and initiate expression of macrophage markers with cholesterol exposure. This phenotypic switching is dependent on the transcription factor Klf4 (Krüppel-like factor 4). We investigated the molecular pathway by which cholesterol induces SMC phenotypic switching.

The complete article can be found at https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/ATVBAHA.120.315164.