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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Dec 16.
Published in final edited form as: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015 Jun 16;65(23):2526–2537. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2015.03.570

CENTRAL ILLUSTRATION. Blood Cell-Secreted miR-223 in Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease.

CENTRAL ILLUSTRATION

Inflammatory blood cells, such as leukocytes and platelets, which are originally from hematopoietic cells in bone marrow, can secrete the hematopoietic lineage, cell-specific micro-ribonucleic acid (miR)-223 into circulating serum. This miR-223 can then enter vascular cells (e.g., vascular smooth muscle cells [VSMCs] and vascular walls) and work as a novel endocrine genetic signal (like a hormone) in VSMCs to regulate their biological functions, such as proliferation, migration, and apoptosis via target genes such as insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and the P13K-Akt pathway. Under pathological conditions, such as atherosclerosis and vascular injury, blood cells release more miR-223, which results in increased levels of miR-223 in VSMCs and vascular walls. The increased miR-223 helps protect against atherosclerotic vascular disease (vascular neointimal formation and atherosclerosis). P = phosphate.