Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Analysis of Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Vascular Calcification Using In Vitro and In Vivo Models
Published on: January 27, 2023
Endothelial-mesenchymal transition in atherosclerotic lesion calcification
Kristina I Boström1, Jiayi Yao2, Pierre J Guihard2
1Division of Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1679, USA; The Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1570, USA.
Background And Aims:
Endothelial-mesenchymal transitions (EndMTs) in endothelial cells (ECs) contribute to vascular disease.
Methods:
We used ApoE-/- mice fed a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet.
Results:
We reported evidence of EndMT in atherosclerotic lesions contributing to calcification. Stem cell and mesenchymal markers, including sex-determining region Y-box 2 (Sox2), were upregulated in aortic ECs of fat-fed ApoE-/- mice. Limiting Sox2 decreased marker expression and calcification in ApoE-/- aortas. Furthermore, a complex of serine proteases was upregulated in ApoE-/- aortic ECs. Blockade of these proteases reduced expression of Sox2 and atherosclerotic lesion calcification.
Conclusions:
Together, our data suggest that EndMTs contribute to atherosclerotic lesion calcification.
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