N-cadherin upregulation and function in response of smooth muscle cells to arterial injury.

Objective: Smooth muscle cell migration is critical to neointimal formation after arterial injury. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the regulation and functional significance of cell-cell adhesion via adherens junctions during this process.

Methods And Results: Using balloon catheter injury of rat carotid artery, we showed that neointimal formation is accompanied by dramatic but transient upregulation of intimal N-cadherin and associated catenins, proteins that mediate adhesion at adherens junctions.