Myocardin/microRNA-30a/Beclin1 signaling controls the phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells by regulating autophagy

Upon vascular injury, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) change from a contractile phenotype to a synthetic phenotype, thereby leading to atherogenesis and arterial restenosis. Myocardin (MYOCD) is essential for maintaining the contractile phenotype of VSMCs. Deletion of MYOCD in VSMCs triggers autophagy. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of MYOCD on autophagy is not clear. In this study, knockdown of MYOCD in human aortic VSMCs (HA-VSMCs) triggered autophagy and diminished the expression of SMC contractile proteins. Inhibition of autophagy in MYOCD-knockdown cells restored the expression of contractile proteins. MYOCD activated the transcription of miR-30a by binding to the CArG box present in its promoter, as confirmed by luciferase reporter and chromatin immune coprecipitation assays, while miR-30a decreased the expression of autophagy protein-6 (ATG6, also known as beclin1) by targeting its 3′UTR. Restoring the expression of miR-30a in MYOCD-knockdown cells upregulated the levels of contractile proteins. Treatment of VSMCs with platelet-derived growth factor type BB (PDGF-BB) resulted in the transformation of VSMCs to a proliferative phenotype. A low level of miR-30a was observed in PDGF-BB-treated HA-VSMCs, and re-expression of miR-30a led to a decrease in proliferative marker expression. Furthermore, using a wire injury mouse model, we found that miR-30a expression was significantly downregulated in the arterial tissues of mice and that restoration of miR-30a expression at the injured site abolished neointimal formation. Herein, MYOCD could inhibit autophagy by activating the transcription of miR-30a and that miR-30a-mediated autophagy defects could inhibit intimal hyperplasia in a carotid arterial injury model.