Modulation of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor proteins and ERK1/2 activity in allylamine-injured vascular smooth muscle cells.

Chronic oxidative injury by allylamine (AAM) induces proliferative vascular smooth muscle cell (vSMC) phenotypes in the rat aorta similar to those seen in rodent and human atherosclerotic lesions. The proliferative advantage of AAM vSMC compared to control cells is maintained with serial passage of the cells and the advantage is nullified when AAM cells are seeded on a collagen substrate. In this study, we evaluate the potential role of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors, p27 and p21, and mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases, ERK1/2, in mediating the proliferative advantage of AAM stressed vSMC over control cells on plastic or collagen substrates. p27 levels in randomly cycling cells were comparable in both cell types irrespective of the substrate. In contrast, basal levels of p21 were 1.9 +/- 0.3 (P < 0.05)-fold higher in randomly cycling AAM cells seeded on plastic compared to controls, a difference that was lost on a collagen substrate. Following G0 synchronization, basal levels of both p27 and p21 were higher in AAM cells seeded on plastic compared to controls (1.7 +/- 0.2 and 2.0 +/- 0.3-fold, respectively, P < 0.05), but these differences were lost upon mitogenic stimulation. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) decreased p27 and p21 levels in cycling AAM cells relative to controls in a substrate-dependent manner. AAM cells seeded on plastic exhibited enhanced ERK1/2 activation upon mitogenic stimulation; seeding on collagen nullified this advantage. The duration of ERK1/2 activation was prolonged in AAM cells independently of the seeding substrate. We conclude that substrate-dependent acquisition of proliferative phenotypes following repeated cycles of AAM injury correlates with modulation of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors, p27 and p21.