BMP-2 promotes phosphate uptake, phenotypic modulation, and calcification of human vascular smooth muscle cells

Vascular calcification is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events that are the most common cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease. Clinical and experimental studies indicate that hyperphosphatemia is a risk factor for vascular calcification and cardiovascular mortality in these patients. Our previous studies demonstrated that phosphate transport through the type III sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporter, Pit-1, was necessary for phosphate-induced calcification and osteochondrogenic phenotypic change in cultured human smooth muscle cells (SMC). BMP-2 is a potent osteogenic protein required for osteoblast differentiation and bone formation that has been implicated in vascular calcification. In the present study, we have examined the effects of BMP-2 on human SMC calcification in vitro. We found that treatment of SMC with BMP-2 enhanced elevated phosphate-induced calcification, but did not induce calcification under normal phosphate conditions. mRNAs for BMP receptors, including ALK2, ALK3, ALK6, BMPR-II, ActR-IIA and ActR-IIB were all detected in human SMCs. Mechanistically, BMP-2 dose-dependently stimulated phosphate uptake in SMC (200 ng/ml BMP-2 vs. vehicle: 13.94 vs. 7.09 nmol/30 min/mg protein, respectively). Real-time PCR and Western blot revealed the upregulation of Pit-1 mRNA and protein levels, respectively, by BMP-2. More importantly, inhibition of phosphate uptake by a competitive inhibitor of sodium-dependent phosphate cotransport, phosphonoformic acid, abrogated BMP-2-induced calcification. These results indicate that phosphate transport via Pit-1 is crucial in BMP-2-regulated SMC calcification. In addition, BMP-2-induced Runx2 and inhibited SM22 expression, indicating that it promotes osteogenic phenotype transition in these cells. Thus, BMP-2 may promote vascular calcification via increased phosphate uptake and induction of osteogenic phenotype modulation in SMC.