Alterations in population dynamics of arterial smooth muscle cells during atherogenesis

Guidelines for the Isolation and Characterization of Murine Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells. A Report from the International Society of Cardiovascular Translational Research

“…Evidence to date suggests heterogeneity of VSMCs in the vessel wall with multiple subpopulations of VSMCs [8, 9]. Isolating and passaging of primary aortic VSMCs in culture is widely accepted as a strategy to identify mechanistic signaling pathways in VSMCs since 1913/1914 when Champy et al published the original paper [10].…”

Smooth Muscle Cell Plasticity

“…Their experiments relied on the simple principle that when a cell undergoes sequential rounds of cell division in vivo , there is sequential halving of grain counts. Remarkably, the results of Thomas et a.l 21 provided compelling evidence showing that large numbers of medial SMC undergo multiple rounds of cell division during development of experimental atherosclerosis. Second , the comprehensive studies of Alexander Clowes, Monika Clowes, and co-workers 22, 23 , as well as the seminal work of Stemerman and colleagues 24 provided clear evidence that a large number of medial SMC are capable of proliferation following vascular injury.…”

“…First , innovative experiments by Wilbur Thomas and co-workers 21 , conducted in hyperlipidemic pig models of atherosclerosis, used 3 H-thymidine pulse labeling experiments followed by complete serial sectioning of the thoracic aortas and construction of ancestor tables based on grain counting. Their experiments relied on the simple principle that when a cell undergoes sequential rounds of cell division in vivo , there is sequential halving of grain counts.…”

An Autoradiographic and Pathological Study of Cellular Proliferation in Rabbit Arteries Correlated with an Increase in Arterial Pressure

“…The number and distribution of 3H-thymidine-labeled cells was demonstrated by autoradiography. T homas et al [35] studied the 3H-thymidine labeling of aortic smooth muscle cells of swine and concluded that the initially labeled cells almost all subsequently divided.…”