Phenotype-dependent expression of cadherin 6B in vascular and visceral smooth muscle cells

We used mRNA subtraction of differentiated and dedifferentiated smooth musc le cells (SMCs) to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the phenotypi c modulation of SMCs. With this approach, we found that a 10 kb mRNA encodi ng a homotypic cell adhesion molecule, cadherin 6B, was strongly expressed in differentiated vascular and visceral SMCs, but not in the dedifferentiat ed SMCs derived from them. In vivo, cadherin 6B was expressed in vascular a nd visceral SMCs, in addition to brain, spinal cord, retina and kidney, at a late stage of chicken embryonic development. These results suggest that c adherin 6B is a novel molecular marker for vascular and visceral SMC phenot ypes and is involved in the late differentiation of SMCs. (C) 2000 Federati on of European Biochemical Societies.