Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) exhibit phenotypic plasticity and change from a quiescent contractile phenotype to a proliferative synthetic phenotype during physiological arteriogenesis and pathological conditions such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB is a potent inducer of the VSMC synthetic phenotype; however, much less is known about the role of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) in this process. Here, we show using signal transduction mutants of FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) expressed in rat VSMC that the adaptor protein FRS2 is essential for FGFR1-mediated phenotypic modulation and downregulation of VSMC smooth muscle ␣-actin (SMA) gene expression. In addition, we show that PDGF-BB and FGF2 act synergistically to induce cell proliferation and down-regulate SMA and SM22␣ in VSMC. Furthermore, we show that PDGF-BB induces tyrosine phosphorylation of FGFR1 and that this phosphorylation is mediated by PDGF receptor- (PDGFR), but not c-Src. We demonstrate that FRS2 co-immunoprecipitates with PDGFR in a complex that requires FGFR1 and that both the extracellular and the intracellular domains of FGFR1 are required for association with PDGFR, whereas the cytoplasmic domain of FGFR1 is required for FRS2 association with the FGFR1-PDGFR complex. Knockdown of FRS2 in VSMC by RNA interference inhibited PDGF-BB-mediated down-regulation of SMA and SM22␣ without affecting PDGF-BB mediated cell proliferation or ERK activation. Together, these data support the notion that PDGFR down-regulates SMA and SM22␣ through formation of a complex that requires FGFR1 and FRS2 and prove novel insight into VSMC phenotypic plasticity.
Phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC)3 is an important step in the development of several pathophysiological processes including atherosclerosis, restenosis, and vascular remodeling (1, 2). During these processes VSMC change from a contractile phenotype to a synthetic phenotype characterized by increased proliferation, migration, increased extracellular matrix production, and decreased expression of contractile proteins, including smooth muscle ␣-actin (SMA), SM22␣, calponin, and myosin heavy chain. Several growth factors including platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), and thrombin have been implicated in the induction of the synthetic phenotype (3). These growth factors bind cell surface receptors and activate intracellular signaling pathways that result in changes in gene expression and cellular phenotype. Understanding the interactions between these pathways may provide insights into mechanisms of phenotypic modulation of VSMC and provide new targets for therapeutic intervention in vascular disease. Experimental evidence using various in vitro and in vivo models points to a role for FGF-FGFR in the phenotypic modulation of VSMC. FGFs and FGFRs are expressed in VSMC and are up-regulated during vascular injury and in atherosclerotic plaque formation (4 -6). Balloon injury of rat arteries led to an...