Balcells M, Martorell J, Olive C, Santacana M, Chitalia V, Cardoso A, Edelman ER. Smooth muscle cells orchestrate the endothelial cell response to flow and injury.

Summary: Local modulation of vascular mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling reduces smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation after endovascular interventions but may be associated with endothelial cell (EC) toxicity. The trilaminate vascular architecture juxtaposes ECs and SMCs to enable complex paracrine coregulation but shields SMCs from flow. We hypothesized that flow differentially affects mTOR signaling in ECs and SMCs and that SMCs regulate mTOR in ECs.

Circulation 2010 May; 121(20): 2192-9.