Myocardin and smooth muscle differentiation

Myocardin (MYOCD), a co-transcriptional activator of serum response factor (SRF), stimulates the expression of smooth muscle (SM) genes and inhibits the cell cycle. In addition to its roles in the development, MYOCD may be critically involved in the pathogenesis of proliferative vascular diseases. This review mainly focuses on how MYOCD activity is regulated and how it inhibits cell proliferation.