Force-specific activation of Smad1/5 regulates vascular endothelial cell cycle progression in response to disturbed flow.

Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are constantly exposed to blood flow-induced shear stress, but the mechanism of force-specific activation of their signaling to modulate cellular function remains unclear. We have demonstrated that bone morphogenetic protein receptor (BMPR)-specific Smad1/5 can be force-specifically activated by oscillatory shear stress (OSS) in ECs to cause cell cycle progression. Smad1/5 is highly activated in ECs of atherosclerotic lesions in diseased human coronary arteries from patients with end-stage heart failure undergoing heart transplantation and from apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Application of OSS (0.5 ± 4 dyn/cm(2)) causes the sustained activation of Smad1/5 in ECs through activations of mammalian target of rapamycin and p70S6 kinase, leading to up-regulation of cyclin A and down-regulations of p21(CIP1) and p27(KIP1) and, hence, EC cycle progression. En face examination of rat aortas reveals high levels of phospho-Smad1/5 in ECs of the inner, but not the outer, curvature of aortic arch, nor the straight segment of thoracic aorta [corrected]. Immunohistochemical and en face examinations of the experimentally stenosed abdominal aorta in rats show high levels of phospho-Smad1/5 in ECs at poststenotic sites, where OSS occurs. These OSS activations of EC Smad1/5 in vitro and in vivo are not inhibited by the BMP-specific antagonist Noggin and, hence, are independent of BMP ligand. Transfecting ECs with Smad1/5-specific small interfering RNAs inhibits the OSS-induced EC cycle progression. Our findings demonstrate the force-specificity of the activation of Smad1/5 and its contribution to cell cycle progression in ECs induced by disturbed flow.