ZFIN Image: Watterston et al., 2019, Fig 8

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Figure Caption

Fig 8 Mechanistic model by which <italic>miR26a</italic> modulates BMP signaling to promote vSMC differentiation via interactions with endothelial cells.

miR26a modulates vascular stability by directly targeting smad1. At developmental stages when smooth muscle appears, the endothelium has active BMP signaling. Loss of miR26a results in increased BMP signaling in endothelial cells where Smad1 becomes phosphorylated. Increased pSmad1 in endothelial cells leads to increased differentiation (acta2 expression) and increased vSMC cell number, while blocking BMP signaling leads to a decrease of both. (Dashed arrows indicated the indirect effect on vSMC marker expression and cell number).

Acknowledgments

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