Editing Atherosclerosis (section)

=== Vascular smooth muscle cells ===
[[Vascular smooth muscle|Vascular smooth muscle cells]] play a key role in atherogenesis and were historically considered to be beneficial for plaque stability by forming a protective fibrous cap and synthesizing strength-giving [[extracellular matrix]] components.<ref name="Harman & Jørgensen 2019">{{cite journal | vauthors = Harman JL, Jørgensen HF | title = The role of smooth muscle cells in plaque stability: Therapeutic targeting potential | journal = British Journal of Pharmacology | volume = 176 | issue = 19 | pages = 3741–3753 | date = October 2019 | pmid = 31254285 | pmc = 6780045 | doi = 10.1111/bph.14779 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Bennett MR, Sinha S, Owens GK | title = Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells in Atherosclerosis | journal = Circulation Research | volume = 118 | issue = 4 | pages = 692–702 | date = February 2016 | pmid = 26892967 | pmc = 4762053 | doi = 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.306361 }}</ref> However, in addition to the fibrous cap, vascular smooth muscle cells also give rise to many of the cell types found within the plaque core and can modulate their phenotype to both promote and reduce plaque stability.<ref name="Harman & Jørgensen 2019" /><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Gomez D, Shankman LS, Nguyen AT, Owens GK | title = Detection of histone modifications at specific gene loci in single cells in histological sections | journal = Nature Methods | volume = 10 | issue = 2 | pages = 171–177 | date = February 2013 | pmid = 23314172 | pmc = 3560316 | doi = 10.1038/nmeth.2332 }}</ref><ref name="Wang_2019">{{cite journal | vauthors = Wang Y, Dubland JA, Allahverdian S, Asonye E, Sahin B, Jaw JE, Sin DD, Seidman MA, Leeper NJ, Francis GA | title = Smooth Muscle Cells Contribute the Majority of Foam Cells in ApoE (Apolipoprotein E)-Deficient Mouse Atherosclerosis | journal = Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology | volume = 39 | issue = 5 | pages = 876–887 | date = May 2019 | pmid = 30786740 | pmc = 6482082 | doi = 10.1161/ATVBAHA.119.312434 }}</ref><ref name="Chappell 1313–1323">{{cite journal | vauthors = Chappell J, Harman JL, Narasimhan VM, Yu H, Foote K, Simons BD, Bennett MR, Jørgensen HF | title = Extensive Proliferation of a Subset of Differentiated, yet Plastic, Medial Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Contributes to Neointimal Formation in Mouse Injury and Atherosclerosis Models | journal = Circulation Research | volume = 119 | issue = 12 | pages = 1313–1323 | date = December 2016 | pmid = 27682618 | pmc = 5149073 | doi = 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.309799 }}</ref> Vascular smooth muscle cells exhibit pronounced plasticity within atherosclerotic plaque and can modify their gene expression profile to resemble various other cell types, including [[macrophage]]s, [[myofibroblast]]s, [[mesenchymal stem cell]]s and osteochondrocytes.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Durham AL, Speer MY, Scatena M, Giachelli CM, Shanahan CM | title = Role of smooth muscle cells in vascular calcification: implications in atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness | journal = Cardiovascular Research | volume = 114 | issue = 4 | pages = 590–600 | date = March 2018 | pmid = 29514202 | pmc = 5852633 | doi = 10.1093/cvr/cvy010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Basatemur GL, Jørgensen HF, Clarke MC, Bennett MR, Mallat Z | title = Vascular smooth muscle cells in atherosclerosis | journal = Nature Reviews. Cardiology | volume = 16 | issue = 12 | pages = 727–744 | date = December 2019 | pmid = 31243391 | doi = 10.1038/s41569-019-0227-9 | url = https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/294564 }}</ref><ref name="Harman & Jørgensen 2019"/> Importantly, genetic lineage-tracing experiments have unequivocally shown that 40-90% of plaque-resident cells are vascular smooth muscle cell-derived,<ref name="Wang_2019"/><ref name="Chappell 1313–1323"/> therefore, it is important to research the role of vascular smooth muscle cells in atherosclerosis to identify new therapeutic targets.