Laboratory investigation; a journal of technical methods and pathology
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The proliferation and high plasticity of vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) are the major reasons for restenosis of vein grafts. N-[N-(3, 5-difluorophenacetyl)-l-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester (DAPT), specific inhibitor of γ-secretase, has been shown to regulate vSMC proliferation and differentiation through the Notch signaling pathway, but the pathophysiological importance of these findings in venous grafts has not yet been determined. A rat vein graft model was employed wherein the left jugular vein was surgically interposed into the left common carotid artery. ⋯ By blocking the Notch signaling pathway, the γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT can significantly attenuated intima thickening. These changes in vein grafts coincided with enhanced binding of myocardin to the smooth muscle-specific protein SM22 and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain at the promoters of vSMC differentiation-specific genes. These studies showed that DAPT can restore the vSMC phenotype and inhibit vSMC proliferation through suppression of the Notch1 signaling pathway, and thus opens a new avenue for the treatment of restenosis in vein grafts.