The Involvement Of Myb In Vascular Injury

Coronary heart disease is a multifactorial disease that results in progressive narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. One of the major treatments of coronary heart disease is to open the occluded arteries using percutaneous procedures such as balloon dilatation (angioplasty) and implantation of metal scaffolds (stents) into the artery across the narrowing. A consequence of these procedures is the occurrence of restenosis or reocclusion of the treated artery in approximately 20% of cases. Several of the key events involved in the pathogenesis of restenosis include cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and matrix deposition. C-myb is a transcription factor with diverse roles in various cellular events including those leading to restenosis and is therefore a likely key player in its pathogenesis. In addition, c-myb may be inhibited, for instance, using antisense oligonucleotides, as a potential mechanism for the prevention of restenosis.