Objective: To study the effects of rat chemokine-like factor 1 (rCklf1) on chemotaxis and proliferation of rat aortic smooth muscle cells(ASMC).
Methods: The recombinant eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1/rCklf1 was transiently transfected into 293T cells. The supernatants were harvested for chemotactic and proliferation assays. pcDNA3.1/rCklf1 was also transfected into ASMC and the proliferation of transfected cells was detected by MTT assays.
Results: The 10 fold diluted supernatants of pcDNA3.1/rCklf1 transfected 293T cells had chemotactic effects on rat ASMC, which could be inhibited by pertussis toxin at the concentration of 10 microg/L. Furthermore, the 10 fold diluted supernatants of rCklf1 transfected 293T cells promoted the proliferation of ASMC (1.3 fold compared with the control) and transient overexpression of rCklf1 in ASMC had promoting activities on the proliferation of rat ASMC (1.5 fold compared with the control at 72 h).
Conclusion: rCklf1 has mitogenic and GiPCR-dependent chemotactic effects on rat ASMC,indicating that rCklf1 may be involved in the pathological process of atherosclerosis.