Contribution of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 to the migration of vascular smooth muscle cells

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), a circulating form of ICAM-1, has been known to be involved in the development of vascular diseases that are associated with vascular smooth muscle cell migration, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. Here we investigated the contributions of sICAM-1 in promoting vascular migration in rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs). sICAM-1 increased RASMC migration, and this response was stronger in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) than in Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. The CD11a, CD11b, and CD18 subunits of ICAM-1 receptors were expressed in both SHRs and WKY rats; however, the expression levels of CD18 and CD11b were greater in SHRs than in WKY rats. The neutralization of the receptor subunits with anti-CD11a and -CD18 antibodies abolished the sICAM-1-increased migration. The treatment of inhibitors of spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase suppressed the sICAM-1-stimulated migration of RASMCs. sICAM-1 also increased the sprout formation in aortic rings on Matrigel, and this response was inhibited by treatment with these inhibitors. The results suggest that sICAM-1 play crucial roles in vascular cell function through Syk pathways, and that the altered responses of sICAM-1 in RASMCs from SHRs may be mediated by the increased expression of the CD18 receptor.