Abstract
PPARgamma ligands have been shown to have antiproliferative effects on many cell types. We herein report that a synthetic dominant-negative (DN) PPARgamma mutant functions like a growth factor to promote cell cycle progression and cell proliferation in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs). In quiescent CASMCs, adenovirus-expressed DN-PPARgamma promoted G1-->S cell cycle progression, enhanced BrdU incorporation, and increased cell proliferation. DN-PPARgamma expression also markedly enhanced positive regulators of the cell cycle, increasing Rb and CDC2 phosphorylation and the expression of cyclin A, B1, D1, and MCM7. Conversely, overexpression of wild-type (WT) or constitutively-active (CA) PPARgamma inhibited cell cycle progression and the activity and expression of positive regulators of the cell cycle. DN-PPARgamma expression, however, did not up-regulate positive cell cycle regulators in PPARgamma-deficient cells, strongly suggesting that DN-PPARgamma effects on cell cycle result from blocking the function of endogenous wild-type PPARgamma. DN-PPARgamma expression enhanced phosphorylation of ERK MAPKs. Furthermore, the ERK specific-inhibitor PD98059 blocked DN-PPARgamma-induced phosphorylation of Rb and expression of cyclin A and MCM7. Our data thus suggest that DN-PPARgamma promotes cell cycle progression and cell growth in CASMCs by modulating fundamental cell cycle regulatory proteins and MAPK mitogenic signaling pathways in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).