The role of growth factors and proto-oncogene in pulmonary vascular structural remodelling is not well known.The present study examined gene expression of plateler-derived growth factor(PDGF)-A and -B chain and proto-oncogene,c-myc,in lung tissue and pulmonary artery of rats exposed to hypoxia and compred to those levels of gene expression in normal rats.Normal lungs and pulmonary artery expressed PDGF-A chain transcripr of 1.7kb and PDGF-B chain transcript of 3.5 Kb. The c-myc transcript of 2.2 kb was expressed as well.After hypoxic exposure for 7 and 14 days mRNA levels of PDGF-B chain and c-myc were elevated significantly compared with those of control rats.PDGF-A chain mRNA increased after hypoxia for 7 days,and then declined.These results suggest that activation of sutocrine and /or paracrine is important in proliferation mechanism of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in bypoxic pulmonary hypertensive rats.
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