Smooth Muscle Cell MAPK14 Promotes Vascular Calcification During Hyperlipidemic Aging
Nestor Ishimwe, Yuchi Tu, Chunhui Wang, W. Bart Bryant, Wei Zhang, Yabing Chen, Xiaochun Long · 2026
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Description
Nestor Ishimwe and co-authors pinned down in 2026 a stress signal inside artery wall muscle that drives calcium buildup as vessels age under high cholesterol. Hardening of arteries is a mark of vascular aging and raises heart risk. The team combined gene reads from young and old mouse aortas with cell-level data from mice lacking the signal in those muscle cells.
Aging switched on matrix, inflammation, and bone-like gene programs, with the signal, called MAPK14, running hotter. Removing it quieted those programs and lowered a bone-driving gene, RUNX2. Old mice without the signal showed less calcification, scarring, and immune invasion. The authors name MAPK14 a promising drug target. Blocking it might slow the stiffening that ages arteries.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Nestor Ishimwe, Yuchi Tu, Chunhui Wang, W. Bart Bryant, Wei Zhang, Yabing Chen, Xiaochun Long |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 25 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |