Exp Mol Med. 2026 May 1. doi: 10.1038/s12276-026-01702-6. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Euchromatic histone-lysine N-methyltransferase 2 (EHMT2) has been implicated in cardiovascular diseases, yet its role in vascular remodeling remains incompletely understood. Here we investigated the contribution of EHMT2 to vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, migration and neointima formation following vascular injury using carotid artery injury models and in vitro VSMC studies. Transcriptomic (RNA sequencing) and epigenomic (CUT&Tag) profiling revealed that EHMT2 levels were elevated in injured arteries and growth-stimulated VSMCs, whereas EHMT2 deletion attenuated injury-induced neointima formation. Mechanistically, EHMT2 methyltransferase activity promoted VSMC proliferation and migration, with pathway analyses implicating cell cycle and growth programs as major downstream targets. We further identified GADD45G as a critical EHMT2-regulated gene characterized by H3K9me2 enrichment, and demonstrated that GADD45G enforced G1-phase arrest by suppressing cyclinB1, cyclinD1, CDK2 and CDK4. Importantly, both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of EHMT2, through GADD45G knockdown or administration of the EHMT2 inhibitor BIX-01294, significantly reduced neointimal lesion formation in injury models. These findings collectively establish EHMT2 as a key epigenetic driver of vascular remodeling by repressing GADD45G and facilitating cell cycle progression, highlighting EHMT2 as a potential therapeutic target for vascular proliferative diseases.
PMID:42062573 | DOI:10.1038/s12276-026-01702-6