Loss of CASQ2 promotes vascular smooth muscle cell phenotypic switching in aortic dissection uncovered by integrated single-cell transcriptomics
Kaiyan Chen, Meixiang Wang, Zhiyuan Zhang, Yingquan Chen, Hui Zhu, Ting Yang, Yuan Xia, Maomao Guo, Junchao Li · 2026
Read Loss of CASQ2 promotes vascular smooth muscle cell phenotypic switching in aortic dissection uncovered by integrated single-cell transcriptomics by Kaiyan Chen, Meixiang Wang, Zhiyuan Zhang, Yingquan Chen, Hui Zhu, Ting Yang, Yuan Xia, Maomao Guo, Junchao Li (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13491616.txt.
Description
Kaiyan Chen and eight co-authors present a 2026 study hunting for genes that push artery wall cells toward harmful change in aortic dissection, a tearing of the body's main artery. Smooth muscle cells in the aorta normally contract, yet in dissection they switch to a bone-like state that weakens the wall. The authors mined public gene data to find which regulator drives that switch.
Network analysis across aneurysm and dissection datasets pointed to sixty-four shared genes, and statistical screening singled out CASQ2, a calcium-handling protein that fell as the switch progressed. In mice given angiotensin II, restoring CASQ2 improved survival and reduced artery widening and calcification. In cultured cells it also eased calcium overload and cell stress, marking CASQ2 as a candidate treatment target.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Kaiyan Chen, Meixiang Wang, Zhiyuan Zhang, Yingquan Chen, Hui Zhu, Ting Yang, Yuan Xia, Maomao Guo, Junchao Li |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 68640 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |