Bifunctional effects of transforming growth factor-beta on migration of cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells.

Migration of smooth muscle cells (SMC) in the arterial wall is important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is presumably regulated in both normal and atherosclerotic tissues. In this study, the effect of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on the migration of rat aortic SMC was examined. TGF-beta alone enhanced the migration of SMC at concentrations of 10 to 50 pg/ml and its maximal effect was similar to that of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Checker board analysis showed that TGF-beta had a chemotactic, but not a chemokinetic effect. PDGF also enhanced the migration in a dose-dependent manner and TGF-beta inhibited the PDGF-induced migration dose-dependently at 1.0 pg/ml to 1.0 ng/ml. These data suggest that TGF-beta is a bifunctional regulator of the migration of aortic SMC.