Macrophage extracellular traps originated from the vascular smooth muscle cells play key roles in atherosclerosis progression [RNA-seq]

Smooth muscle cells (SMC) play significant roles in atherosclerosis via phenotypic switching, a pathological process in which SMC transdifferentiation into macrophage-like SMCs. Furthermore, during transdifferentiation, the SMCs' expression of PADI4 upregulating and SMC generated extracellular trap, a web-like structure, which plays key role in the development of atherosclerosis plaque. To reveal the potential mechanism of the SMC derived macrophages generated ETs surducing surrounding SMCs within the media of artery during the process of atherosclerosis plaque development, we utilized the dsDNA and H3CIT protein to stimuli the SMCs, the SMC stimulated with 0.2%BSA as coontrol group, we collect the cells and did RNA-sequencing between two groups to find the potential signaling pathway participating in the process平滑肌细胞（Smooth muscle cells, SMC）可通过表型转换在动脉粥样硬化进程中发挥关键作用，该病理过程指平滑肌细胞转分化为巨噬细胞样平滑肌细胞。此外，在转分化过程中，平滑肌细胞内的肽基精氨酸脱亚氨酶4（PADI4）表达上调，且平滑肌细胞会生成细胞外陷阱（extracellular trap, ET）——一种呈网状的结构，其在动脉粥样硬化斑块的发生发展中发挥核心作用。为揭示动脉粥样硬化斑块形成过程中，平滑肌细胞来源的巨噬细胞所生成的细胞外陷阱（ETs）对动脉中膜内周围平滑肌细胞的潜在作用机制，本研究采用双链DNA（dsDNA）及H3CIT蛋白刺激平滑肌细胞，以0.2%牛血清白蛋白（bovine serum albumin, BSA）处理的细胞作为对照组，收集两组细胞并进行RNA测序（RNA-sequencing）分析，以筛选参与该过程的潜在信号通路。