Downregulation of Talin-1 expression associates with increased proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells in aortic dissection

Background This study aimed to assessed whether Talin-1 is involved in the pathogenesis of aortic dissection via regulating vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) biological function. Methods Human aortic samples were obtained from organ donors who died from nonvascular diseases as normal controls and from patients undergoing surgical repair of thoracic aortic dissection. The expression level and distribution of Talin-1 were detected using westernblot analysis and immunohistochemistry in each sample. We inhibited the expression of Talin-1 via RNA interference in VSMCs. VSMC proliferation was detected by Cell-counting Kit-8 analyses. Scratch test and flow cytometry were used to identify the migration and apoptosis ability. Antibody microarray analysis and qRT-PCR were used to detect some protein and mRNA changes which were induced by Talin-1 downregulation. Results Talin-1 was significantly downregulated in the media of aortic dissection samples compared with controls (P