Ab Antibody
α-SMA Alpha smooth muscle actin ANOVA Analysis of variance AP-1 Activator protein-1
BC Bundle crossing
BrdU Bromodeoxyuridine
BSA Bovine serum albumin
Ca2+ Calcium ion
CaM Calmodulin
CaMBD Calmodulin binding domain cAMP Cyclic adenosine monophosphate CD31 Cluster of differentiation 31
cDNA Complementary DNA
CHD Coronary heart disease
Cl- Chloride ion
Con Control
CREB cAMP response element-binding protein
CVD Cardiovascular disease
CWS Circumferential wall stress
DAB 3,3'-diaminobenzidine
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid
DAPI 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole
DES Drug-eluting stent
DMEM Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium
DMSO Dimethyl sulfoxide
eag Éther-a-gogo
EC Endothelial cell
ECM Extracellular matrix
EDHF Endothelium-derived hyperpolarization factor EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
EEL Externa elastic lamina
EGF Epidermal growth factor
EGFR EGF receptor
EGR-1 Early growth response 1
Abbreviations
132
eNOS Endothelial nitric oxide synthase
ER Endoplasmic reticulum
ERK Extracellular-signal regulated kinase Ets E26 transformation-specific
FAK Focal adhesion kinase
FAL Femoral artery ligation
FCS Foetal calf serum
FGF Fibroblast growth factor
FGFR-1 Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1
FN Fibronectin
FSS Fluid shear stress
GF Growth factor
HEK Human embryonic kidney cells
HRP Horseradish peroxidase
HUVECs Human umbilical vein ECs
i.p. Intraperitoneally
ICAM-1 Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 IEL Internal elastic lamina
INM Inner nuclear membrane
K+ Potassium ion
K2P Tandem pore domain K+ channel
KCa1.1 Ca2+-gated K+ channel subfamily M, alpha member 1 KCa3.1 Ca2+-gated K+ channel subfamily N, member 4
KCNE4 Potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily E member 4 Kir Inwardly rectifying K+ channel
Kligand Ligand-activated K+ channels
KO Knockout
KV Voltage-gated K+ channel
KV1.10 Voltage-gated K+ channel subfamily H member 10 KV1.3 Voltage-gated K+ channel subfamily A member 1
LDI Laser Doppler imaging
MAPK Mitogen-activated protein kinase MArSMCs Mouse artery SMCs
MCP-1 Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 MEJ Myoendothelial junctions
MgTX Margatoxin
Abbreviations mmHg Millimeter of mercury
MMP Matrix metalloproteinase
MP Membrane potential
mRNA Messenger RNA
MRTF Myocardin related transcription factor
MTM Mithramycin A
Na+ Sodium ion
NE Nuclear envelope
NLS Nuclear localization signal
NO Nitric oxide
NPC Nuclear pore complexes
occ Occluded
ONM Outer nuclear membrane
PAD Peripheral artery disease PBS Phosphate-buffered saline
PBST Phosphate-buffered saline 1 % tween 20 PCR Polymerase chain reaction
PDGF-BB Platelet-derived growth factor ß PDGFR Platelet-derived growth factor receptor
p-ERK Phosphorylated ERK
PFA Paraformaldehyde
PM Phenotypic modulation
qPCR Quantitative polymerase chain reaction
RNA Ribonucleic acid
rRNA Ribosomal RNA
RT Room temperature
RTK Receptor tyrosine kinase
SDS Sodium dodecyl sulfate
SDS-PAGE Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis SEM Standard error of the mean
SF Selectivity filter
siRNA Small interference RNA SM22-α Smooth muscle 22 alpha
SMC Smooth muscle cell
SMCGM SMC growth medium
SMMHC Smooth muscle myosin heavy chain
Abbreviations
134
Sp/KLF Specificity protein/Krüppel like factor family
Sp1 Specificity protein 1
SRF Serum response factor
TBST Tris-buffered saline 1 % tween 20
TCF Ternary complex factor
TF Transcription factor
TGF-ß Tumor growth factor-ß
TRPV4 Ca2+-channel transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 4
UBTF1 Upstream binding transcription factor 1 VCAM-1 Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 VEGF-A Vascular endothelial growth factor
VSD Voltage-sensing domain
WHO World Health Organisation
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to my supervisor PD Dr rer. nat. Elisabeth Deindl for giving me the chance to complete my PhD in such an exciting field of cardiovascular physiology. I appreciate her scientific advice and the freedom she gave me to pursue own ideas. I am also grateful for the helpful suggestions regarding the writing of this manuscript.
I would like to thank Prof Dr Ulrich Pohl for his manifested interest in this project and for allowing me to perform the experiments at the Walter Brendel-Centre.
To Prof Dr Klaus T. Preissner from the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen for the financial support at the end of the experimental work.
I would like to extend my gratitude to all my colleagues in the lab for the work together and the nice atmosphere these years! I thoroughly enjoyed learning from Dr Omary Chillo the femoral artery ligation model and LDI technique and passing this knowledge to the new PhD students.
To Manuel Lasch, Thomas Lautz and Dr Eike Kleinert for offering assistance whenever needed it. I am also grateful to Christine Csapò for her technical assistance and for taking care of so many organization things. A special thanks to Dr Eike Kleinert for his encouragement and support.
I strongly profited from the cooperative, friendly and international atmosphere at the WBC and I would like to say thank you to many people: Claudia Faney for her technical advices at the cell culture, Dr Michael Lorenz and Stefan Schmitt, for answering so many technical questions, Dr Julian Kirsch and Dr Holger Schneider for the scientific discussions and finally Dr Bettina Pitter, Dr Katharina Nekolla, Dr Sabine Sellner, Dr. Gabriele Zuchtriegel, Dr Louise Ince and Justin Chen for their help and encouragement.
I am deeply grateful to Alba de Juan, not only for her help with fluorescence microscopy but even more for the many scientific discussions, for being there in the bad moments and enjoying the good results as if they were her own ones. For making Mondays more exciting and for the therapeutic swimming hours!
Special thanks to Dr Xiaoling Liang for her personal support and encouragement before and during the thesis. For our cooking times together and long dinner conversations, and phone calls! I am indebted to her for the valuable suggestions regarding the writing of this thesis.
I would like to thank my closest friends in Munich, at home and abroad for their invaluable support.
Acknowledgments
136
Finally, I want to thank the most important people in my life, my family. A mis padres, hacia los que siento un inmenso agradecimiento por enseñarme, alentarme y apoyarme incondicionalmente. My parents, my siblings and brother’s family have always been a source of love, wellness and trust. Without this fortifying family entourage, I would not be where I am.
My children have been a source of energy and inspiration during the writing of this thesis. But this end would not have been possible without the comprehension, generosity and love of my husband, Markus. To him, to our family, I dedicate this work.