Differential gene expression in human valve interstitial cells of normal aortic valves and calcified aortic valves

Valve interstial cells(VICs) are the major cellular compents in the aortic valve. Under pathological circumstances, normal VICs differentiate into myofibroblasts or osteoblast-like phentotypes, which play important roles in the pathogenesis of calcified aortic valve disease. We used micrroarrary analysis to compare the global programme of gene expression in normal and calcified human aortic valve intersitial cells (VICs), in order to find out some key factors that mediate the phenotype change of VICs. Calcified aortic valve leaflets (n=5) were obtained intraoperatively from patients undergoing aortic valve replacement due to severe aortic stenosis at University of Colorado Hospital. Patients with a history of infective endocarditis, rheumatic heart disease, or a genetic syndrome were excluded. The normal aortic valve leaflets (n=5) were collected from the explanted hearts of patients with cardiomyopathy and undergoing heart trans¬plantation. Valve leaflets were digested by collagenase 1 to procure P0 VICs. Then P0 VICs were sub-cultured to get P1 VICs.A fraction of P1 VICs subject to RNA extraction and microarray analysis.