Collagen synthesis by cultures rabbit aortic smooth-muscle cells: Alteration with phenotype

Abstract

Enzymically isolated rabbit aortic smooth-muscle cells (SMC) in the first few days of primary culture express a 'contractile phenotype)', but with time these cells modulate to a 'synthetic phenotype'. Synthetic-state SMC are able to proliferate, and, provided that they undergo fewer than 5 cumulative population doublings, return to the contractile phenotype after reaching confluency [Campbell, Kocher, Skalli, Gabbiani and Campbell (1989) Arteriosclerosis 9, 633-643]. The present study has determined the synthesis of collagen, at the protein and mRNA levels, by cultured SMC as they undergo a change in phenotypic state. The results show that, upon modulating to the synthetic phenotype, SMC syn..