KLF5 and hhLIM cooperatively promote proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells

Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) plays an important role in cellular proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we show that adenovirus-mediated overexpression of KLF5 increased neointimal formation, while human heart LIM protein (hhLIM) decreased neointimal formation following vascular injury. Interestingly, neointimal formation was significantly increased in the animals where both hhLIM and KLF5 were introduced, suggesting that KLF5 can reverse hhLIM function in cell proliferation on the coexpression with hhLIM. These results were also confirmed the cellular level. Further mechanistic studies suggested that PDGF-BB promoted the interaction between hhLIM and KLF5 through stimulating hhLIM binding to TGF-β control element (TCE) on the cyclin E promoter in a KLF5-dependent manner. Failure of KLF5 binding to the TCE, on the knockdown of KLF5 by transfecting siRNA, not only prevented the recruitment of hhLIM to the cyclin E promoter but also affected activation of the cyclin E promoter by KLF5. These data suggest that KLF5 reverses hhLIM function from anti-proliferation to pro-proliferation through its interaction with hhLIM on the cyclin E promoter.