Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by excessive pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) growth, partially in response to PDGF-BB but whether this is dependent on -catenin (C) activation is unclear. Compared to healthy cells, PAH PASMCs demonstrate higher levels of proliferation both at baseline and with PDGF-BB that correlate with GSK3 dependent C activation. Dr Perez discusses that C knockdown but not Wnt5a stimulation reduces PDGF-BB dependent growth and normalizes PAH PASMCs proliferation.

Image courtesy of interviewee