High-Throughput RNAi Screening Identifies a Role for the Osteopontin Pathway in Proliferation and Migration of Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells

Purpose Understanding of the mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) phenotypic regulation is critically important to identify novel candidates for future therapeutic intervention. While HTS approaches have recently been used to identify novel regulators in many cell lines, such as cancer cells and hematopoietic stem cells, no studies have so far systematically investigated the effect of gene inactivation on VSMCs with respect to cell survival and growth response.