Modifications of chromatin dynamics control Smad2 pathway activation in aneurysmal smooth muscle cells

The activation of the Smad2 signaling pathway is thought to play an important role in human aneurysmal diseases as described by an important body of research. We previously showed that constitutive Smad2 activation is associated with Smad2 mRNA overexpression in aneurysmal vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which is dependent on epigenetic regulation of the SMAD2 promoter involving histone modifications. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms controlling Smad2 overexpression are currently unknown.

The aim of the present study is to understand the mechanisms regulating the constitutive Smad2 overexpression in VSMCs by identification of the histone-modifying enzymes, transcription factors, and cofactors responsible for Smad2 promoter activation in aneurysmal disease.

This study was performed on medial tissue extracts and primary cultures of VSMCs of human thoracic aneurysms (n=17) and normal thoracic aortas (n=10). Here, we demonstrate that the activation of SMAD2 promoter is driven by the recruitment of a multipartner complex, including the transcription factor p53 and histone acetyltransferases. Remarkably, the transcriptional regulatory network of the SMAD2 promoter is dramatically altered in human aneurysmal VSMCs in vitro and in situ with a switch from Myc-dependent repression of SMAD2 in normal vessel to a p53-dependent activation of SMAD2 in aneurysms. Furthermore, histone acetyltransferases p300 and P300/CBP-associated protein play a major role in SMAD2 promoter activation by acting on histone acetylation, p53 recruitment, and acetylation.

These results provide evidence for a major role of p53 and the complex composed of p300 and p300/CBP-associated protein in Smad2 activation in human aneurysmal VSMCs.