Vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC) proliferation and migration are pivotal for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and post-angioplasty restenosis. We have recently reported that a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-7(ADAMTS-7), a novel metalloproteinase, contributes directly to neointima formation by mediating VSMC migration. However, whether ADAMTS-7 affects VSMC proliferation remains unclear. In this study, we found that luminal adenoviral delivery of ADAMTS-7 aggravated intimal hyperplasia 7 d after injury, paralleled by an increased percentage of PCNA-positive cells in both intima and media. In contrast, perivascular administration of ADAMTS-7 si RNA, but not scrambled si RNA to injured arteries attenuated intimal thickening at day 7, paralleled with reduced intimal VSMC replication, without alteration of VSMC proliferation in the media. In accordance, [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay in primary cultured rat VSMCs revealed an enhanced replication rate(by 61%) upon ADAMTS-7 overexpression and retarded proliferation(by 23%) upon ADAMTS-7 si RNA administration. Our data demonstrates that ADAMTS-7 promotes VSMC proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. ADAMTS-7 may therefore serve as a novel therapeutic target for atherosclerosis and post-angioplasty restenosis.
