How variations in our DNA affect blood vessel smooth muscle cells

A comprehensive study to uncover and understand genetic influences on vascular smooth muscle cell behaviour in relation to cardiovascular diseases

Advances in technology have generated an avalanche of data about the genetics of health and disease. Leicester has been at the forefront of finding variations in a person’s genetic code that are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. However, we still don’t know the reasons why many of these variations leave some people at greater risk than others. Professor Ye and his team are now trying to understand the variations in the genes that affect a type of cell in our blood vessels. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are an important component of the walls of our blood vessels, and their behaviour and function is often abnormal in cardiovascular disease. The team will study VSMCs from 2,000 umbilical cords from new mums and babies at Leicester Royal Infirmary’s Maternity Unit. They will decipher which gene variants each sample contains and test how this impacts the cells’ behaviour, including their ability to divide and move through tissue. They will then look in finer detail at how the gene variants change the VSMCs’ function. The study will advance our understanding of the genetic influences on heart disease. This will inform how we use the wealth of genetic data to help people reduce their risk in the future. It will also identify targets for the development of new treatments to improve VSMC function and keep our blood vessels healthy.