Synthetic retinoid Am80 up-regulates apelin expression by promoting interaction of RARα with KLF5 and Sp1 in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Previous studies have demonstrated that both retinoids and apelin possess potent cardiovascular properties and that retinoids can mediate the expression of many genes in the cardiovascular system. However, it is not clear whether and how retinoids regulate apelin expression in rat VSMCs (vascular smooth muscle cells). In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of apelin expression regulation by the synthetic retinoid Am80 in VSMCs.

Novel insight into Y-box binding protein 1 in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation through targeting GC box-dependent genes.

Abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a key event in atherosclerosis and restenosis. In this paper, we report that Y-box binding protein 1 (YB1) functions as a phenotypic regulator in VSMC proliferation-differentiation switching through targeting GC box-dependent genes. Oligo pull-down assays demonstrated that YB1 binds directly to GC boxes via amino acids 125-220.