Manumycin A, inhibitor of ras farnesyltransferase, inhibits proliferation and migration of rat vascular smooth muscle cells.

Restenosis after angioplasty is thought to be caused by proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and it is a most serious problem in medical treatment. A low dose (50 ng/ml) of manumycin A, an inhibitor of p21(ras) (ras) farnesylation, significantly inhibited proliferation of rat VSMCs stimulated by the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). The mitoinhibitory effect of manumycin A was dose- and time-dependent but was independent of cell density. Western blot analysis showed that manumycin A reduced the amount of functional ras localized at the cytoplasmic membrane and inhibited the phosphorylation of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Manumycin A also inhibited VSMC migration and disorganized alpha actin fibers, as shown by immnofluorecence staining. These results indicate that the interruption of the ras/MAPK signal transduction pathway and the disorganization of alpha actin fibers are the main cause of manumycin A inhibition of VSMC proliferation and migration induced by PDGF. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.