44 Bone marrow-derived vascular progenitor cells contribute to vascular remodeling Exuberant accumulation of smooth muscle cells plays a principal role in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. It has been assumed that smooth muscle cells derived from the adjacent medial layer migrate, proliferate and synthesize extracellular matrix. Although a lot of effort has been devoted targeting migration and proliferation of medial smooth muscle cells, no effective therapy to prevent occlusive vascular

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... modeling has been established. Here, we show that bone marrow cells give rise to the majority of smooth muscle cells that contribute to arterial remodeling in models of post-angioplasty restenosis, graft vasculopathy and hyperlipidemia-induced atherosclerosis. Notably, purified hematopoietic stem cells differentiated into smooth muscle cells and . Our findings suggest that somatic stem cells contribute to pathological remodeling of remote organs. Our study provides the basis for the development of a new therapeutic strategies for vascular diseases, targeting mobilization, homing, differentiation and proliferation of bone marrow-derived vascular progenitor cells.