Function and Regulation of TSPAN2 in Vascular Disease

PROJECT NARRATIVE Excessive accumulation of abnormal vascular smooth muscle cells causes lesion formation in the vessel wall, leading to numerous vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and restenosis. We discovered a gene, called tetraspanin 2 (TSPAN2), which can block lesion formation. Our goal in this project is to fully uncover the protective role of TSPAN2 in antagonizing vascular disease and answer the question that how this gene is turned off in vascular disease context. Our studies will improve our knowledge on vascular smooth muscle phenotypic plasticity, which will eventually facilitate the development of more effective therapies for vascular disease.