Extracellular matrix proteins play important roles in the development of
pulmonary hypertension(pH). However, the role of
Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) in the development of
hypoxia-induced pH is largely unknown. We tested the hypothesis that COMP deficiency induced by
hypoxia leads to the phenotype switching of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). The expression of COMP decreased in a chronic
hypoxia rat pH model (P<0.05) and in PASMCs under
hypoxia (3%O2) (P<0.05). The expressions of differentiated marker
proteins reduced in the pulmonary arteries from 5 month old COMP-/- mice and in PASMCs under
hypoxia or with the
siRNA of COMP treatment under normoxia, but increased in PASMCs with adenovirus-increased COMP under
hypoxia. The absorbance of cell counting kit-8 at 450nm and the expressions of
proliferating cell nuclear antigen (
PCNA) and
osteopontin increased in PASMCs with the
siRNA of COMP under normoxia (P<0.05).
PCNA and
osteopontin decreased in PASMCs with adenovirus-increased COMP under
hypoxia (P<0.05). Additionally, the expression of
bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) was reduced in COMP-/- mice (P<0.01). Both
mRNA and
protein levels of
bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) were lower in PASMCs with the
siRNA of COMP (P<0.05). The
protein level of BMP2 could be reversed by adenovirus-increased COMP under
hypoxia (P<0.05). These data suggest that COMP could normally have a protective role against PASMC phenotype switching and maintain BMP2/BMPR2 signaling, and these protective actions could be lost as a result of
hypoxia promoting a depletion of COMP.