Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) play a key role in atherogenesis. However, mechanisms regulating expansion and fate of pre-existing SMCs in atherosclerotic plaques remain poorly defined. Here we show that multiple SMC progenitors mix to form the aorta during development. In contrast, during atherogenesis, a single SMC gives rise to the smooth muscle-derived cells that initially coat the cap of atherosclerotic plaques. Subsequently, highly proliferative cap cells invade the plaque core, comprising the majority of plaque cells. Reduction of integrin β3 (Itgb3) levels in SMCs induces toll-like receptor 4 expression and thereby enhances Cd36 levels and cholesterol-induced transdifferentiation to a macrophage-like phenotype. Global Itgb3 deletion or transplantation of Itgb3(−/−) bone marrow results in recruitment of multiple pre-existing SMCs into plaques. Conditioned medium from Itgb3-silenced macrophages enhances SMC proliferation and migration. Together, our results suggest SMC contribution to atherogenesis is regulated by integrin β3-mediated pathways in both SMCs and bone marrow-derived cells.

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Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 (Lpcat3) is involved in phosphatidylcholine remodeling in the small intestine and liver. We investigated lipid metabolism in inducible intestine-specific and liver-specific Lpcat3 gene knock-out mice. We produced Lpcat3-Flox/villin-Cre-ER T2 mice, which were treated with tamoxifen (at days 1, 3, 5, and 7), to delete Lpcat3 specifically in the small intestine. At day 9 after the treatment, we found that Lpcat3 deficiency in enterocytes significantly reduced polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines in the enterocyte plasma membrane and reduced Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1), CD36, ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1), and ABCG8 levels on the membrane, thus significantly reducing lipid absorption, cholesterol secretion through apoB-dependent and apoB-independent pathways, and plasma triglyceride, cholesterol, and phospholipid levels, as well as body weight. Moreover, Lpcat3 deficiency does not cause significant lipid accumulation in the small intestine. We also utilized adenovirus-associated virus-Cre to deplete Lpcat3 in the liver. We found that liver deficiency only reduces plasma triglyceride levels but not other lipid levels. Furthermore, there is no significant lipid accumulation in the liver. Importantly, small intestine Lpcat3 deficiency has a much bigger effect on plasma lipid levels than that of liver deficiency. Thus, inhibition of small intestine Lpcat3 might constitute a novel approach for treating hyperlipidemia.The majority of lipids on the cell membrane as well as the plasma lipoproteins are phospholipids, in particular phosphatidylcholines (PCs) 2 (1, 2). Monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids are usually esterified at the sn-1 position of PCs, whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids are esterified at the sn-2 position (3). The asymmetric distribution of fatty acids at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of PCs is maintained in part by a deacylationreacylation process known as the Lands cycle or PC remodeling (3, 4). One key enzyme in this remodeling is lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase (Lpcat), which utilizes lyso-PC and polyunsaturated acyl-CoA to produce sn-2 polyunsaturated PCs. There are four isoforms of this enzyme (5), and Lpcat3 is the major isoform in the small intestine and liver (6 -8).Lpcat3 is one of the downstream targets of liver X receptor (8) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ␣ (6). Acute knockdown of Lpcat3 expression in the liver of genetically obese mice exacerbates lipid-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress (8). Moreover, global Lpcat3 knock-out (KO) mice exhibit neonatal lethality and have an abnormal small intestine (9, 10). Liver-specific deletion of Lpcat3 has no effect on ER stress but results in a reduction of plasma triglycerides and induction of hepatosteatosis under high fat feeding conditions (9). Because of neonatal lethality (non-inducible approach was utilized), only 1-week-old newborns were analyzed for the impact of intestine-specific Lpcat3 deficiency on lipid metabolism (9). Very recently, we found that...

During lung fibrosis, the epithelium induces signaling to underlying mesenchyme to generate excess myofibroblasts and extracellular matrix; herein, we focus on signaling in the mesenchyme. Our studies indicate that platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-β+ cells are the predominant source of myofibroblasts and Kruppel-like factor (KLF) 4 is upregulated in PDGFR-β+ cells, inducing TGFβ pathway signaling and fibrosis. In fibrotic lung patches, KLF4 is down-regulated, suggesting KLF4 levels decrease as PDGFR-β+ cells transition into myofibroblasts. In contrast to PDGFR-β+ cells, KLF4 reduction in α-smooth muscle actin (SMA)+ cells non-cell autonomously exacerbates lung fibrosis by inducing macrophage accumulation and pro-fibrotic effects of PDGFR-β+ cells via a Forkhead box M1 to C-C chemokine ligand 2—receptor 2 pathway. Taken together, in the context of lung fibrosis, our results indicate that KLF4 plays opposing roles in PDGFR-β+ cells and SMA+ cells and highlight the importance of further studies of interactions between distinct mesenchymal cell types.