Does the gas carbon monoxide control blood vessel thickening?

Regulation of Cav3.1 T-type calcium channels by heme oxygenase-1 derived carbon monoxide: A novel target signalling pathway for the treatment of vascular diseases

Professor Chris Peers is working out the intricate processes controlling blood vessel thickening to find clues to prevent it happening. In blood vessel disease, the vessel wall often thickens because the muscle cells surrounding vessels begin to increase in number, or proliferate. This restricts blood flow and it can be life-threatening. Proliferating muscle cells in diseased vessels switch on an enzyme called heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which produces the gas carbon monoxide (CO). Professor Peers has discovered that CO can control muscle cell proliferation by controlling the activity of proteins called calcium channels in the cell’s outer membrane. These channels allow calcium into the cell, which is required for proliferation to occur. In this project, Professor Peers will use cutting-edge techniques to find out if and how CO controls the thickening of blood vessels in blood vessel diseases by blocking calcium channels and preventing muscle cells proliferating. This research will find out if manipulating amounts of CO could be a new way to control blood vessel diseases, benefitting the many people living with these conditions.