High expression of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 39 is associated with the development of vascular remodeling

Vascular remodeling is the primary cause underlying the failure of angioplasty surgeries, including vascular stenting, transplant vasculopathy and vein grafts. Multiple restenosis-associated proteins and genes have been identified to account for this. In the present study, the functions of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 39 (USP39) were investigated in the context of two vascular remodeling models (a mouse common carotid artery ligation and a pig bilateral saphenous vein-carotid artery interposition graft). USP39 has previously been observed to be upregulated in ligated arteries, and this result was confirmed in the pig vein graft model. In addition, Transwell assay results demonstrated that vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration was suppressed by lentiviral vector-mediated downregulation of USP39 and enhanced by upregulation of USP39. Furthermore, knockdown of USP39 inhibited VSMC cell proliferation and the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4, as analyzed via cell counting, MTT assay and western blotting. These results suggest that USP39 may represent a novel therapeutic target for treating vascular injury and preventing vein-graft failure.