Rapid Communication Early Proto-oncogene Expression inRat Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells Following Endothelial Removal

distinct control mechanisms that may operate alongdifferent pathways.Althoughthethreeproto-oncogenesmaybeactivatedby distinct mechanisms, they may share common fea-tures that lead to the initiation of SMCgrowth. Onesuchfeature may reside in the expression of growth factorsfromSMCthemselvesthatcan, in turn, autoactivateprolif-eration via growth factor-mediated processes. Such aneffect is possible because platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF)is expressedbySMCsandmaybereleased andact locally.3'19 This process remains hypothetical in vivopendingfurtherstudyofvascularSMCs.In animals, there is a24-hourlag after BDEbefore in-creased SMCDNAsynthesis is detected.13 Similarly qui-escent cells stimulated