Emanuela Branchetti PhD1, Karianna R. Milewski MD PhD1, Eric Lai BS1 Rachana Sainger PhD1, Paolo Poggio MS1, Robert C. Gorman, Joseph E. Bavaria MD1

1
CTGF modulates Aortic Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell
phenotype and regional tissue homeostasis in
Bicuspid Aortic Valve-associated Thoracic Aortic
Aneurysms
Emanuela Branchetti PhD1, Karianna R. Milewski
MD PhD1, Eric Lai BS1 Rachana Sainger PhD1, Paolo
Poggio MS1, Robert C. Gorman, Joseph E. Bavaria
MD1 and Giovanni Ferrari PhD1
1 Perelman School of Medicine at University of
Pennsylvania, Department of Surgery, Division of
Cardiovascular Surgery, Philadelphia, PA
None of the authors have financial interest in
this work.
2
PATIENTS ENROLLMENT
PATIENTS DEMOGRAPHICS
3
COMPARISON BETWEEN THE AORTIC WALL STRUCTURE OF
TAV-C TISSUE AND TAV- AND BAV- AORTOPATHIES.
4
BAV AND TAV ASCENDING AORTA TISSUES WITH AND
WITHOUT ANEURYSM SHOW DIFFERENCES IN THE
EXPRESSION OF VSMC MARKERS OF PHENOTYPE
5
REGIONAL WALL STRESS DISTRIBUTION IN THE
ASCENDING AORTA
Modified from Derek P. Nathan, Chun Xu,
Arminder S. Jassar, Joseph H. Gorman III, Ron M.
Fairman, Joseph E. Bavaria, Robert C. Gorman,
Benjamin M. Jackson. Annals of Thoracic Surgery,
October 2011.
6
CTGF IS HIGHLY EXPRESSED IN BAV AND TAV TISSUES
WITH ANEURYSM. CTGF UP-REGULATES ECM
BIOSYNTHESIS AND IS INVOLVED IN THE PHENOTYPIC
CHANGE OF AORTIC VSMC IN VITRO.
7
VSMC PHENOTYPE AND CTGF EXPRESSION AT CV AND CX
SIDE OF ASCENDING AORTA
8
CTGF INDUCES SYNTHETIC MARKERS OF PHENOTYPE IN
VSMC ISOLATED FROM CONTROL AND ANEURISMAL AORTA
9
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Different stress conditions influence VSMC
phenotype in BAV aorta. Characterize CTGF as a
regulator of VSMC activation and ECM remodeling
could serve as a risk stratification tool for
BAV- and TAV-associated aortopathies.