Induction of vascular endothelial growth factor gene expression by interleukin-1 beta in rat aortic smooth muscle cells.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent and specific mitogen for vascular endothelial cells and promotes neovascularization in vivo. To determine whether interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), which is present in atherosclerotic lesions, induces VEGF gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells, we performed RNA blot analysis on rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMC) with a rat VEGF cDNA probe. IL-1 beta increased VEGF mRNA levels in RASMC in a time- and dose-dependent manner. As little as 0.1 ng/ml IL-1 beta increased VEGF mRNA levels by 2-fold and 10 ng/ml IL-1 beta increased VEGF mRNA by 4-fold. We also measured the half-life of VEGF mRNA and performed nuclear run-on experiments before and after addition of IL-1 beta to see if IL-1 beta increased VEGF mRNA levels by stabilizing the mRNA or by increasing its rate of transcription. The normal, 2-h half-life of VEGF mRNA in RASMC was lengthened to 3.2 h (60%) by IL-1 beta, and IL-1 beta increased the rate of VEGF gene transcription by 2.1-fold. In immunoblot experiments with an antibody specific for VEGF, we found that IL-1 beta increased VEGF protein levels in RASMC by 3.3-fold. Together these data indicate that IL-1 beta induces VEGF gene expression in smooth muscle cells. This IL-1 beta-induced expression of VEGF may accelerate the progression of atherosclerotic lesions by promoting the development of new blood vessels.