The role of endothelial cell-bound Jagged1 in Notch3-induced human coronary artery smooth muscle cell differentiation.

Phenotype regulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) is an important requirement in both tissue engineering and balloon angioplasty strategies. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the Notch signalling pathway plays a critical role in regulating vascular morphogenesis during development and the transcription of differentiated VSMC and its maturation. In arteries, Notch3 is the predominant receptor on VSMC and, signalling is initiated upon binding to its ligand, Jagged1.