Expression of connexin43 gap junctions between cultured vascular smooth muscle cells is dependent upon phenotype

The smooth muscle cell is the predominant cell type of the arterial media. In the adult vascular system, smooth muscle cells are found primarily in the contractile phenotype, but following injury or during atherosclerotic plaque formation the secretory synthetic phenotype is expressed. Recently it has been shown that gap junction connexin43 messenger RNA levels are six times higher in cultured smooth muscle cells in the synthetic phenotype than in intact aorta. We have modulated rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells in culture between the synthetic phenotype and one resembling the contractile phenotype, and correlated gap junction expression with phenotype. A dual labelling technique with antibodies against smooth muscle myosin and a synthetic peptide constructed to match a portion of the connexin43 gap junction protein was used for these experiments. Gap junctions are numerous between synthetic phenotype cells but few are observed between contractile cells. Rat aortic smooth muscle cells were also cultured and the growth and structure of gap junctions followed in the synthetic phenotype by use of freeze-fracture electron microscopy and immunohistochemical techniques. Junctional plaques are similar in structure to those observed in cardiac muscle, their size and number increasing with time in culture. The increased numbers of gap junctions between synthetic phenotype smooth muscle cells may be important during vessel development, following injury, or in atherosclerotic plaque formation.