Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:4.2.1.22 (cystathionine beta-synthase)
 965 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Thrombogenesis and accelerated atherogenesis occur in the homocystinurias, both those due to recessively inherited cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency and to disorders of remethylation of homocysteine to methionine. The evidence strongly implicates high levels of plasma homocysteine as the mediator. Homocysteine damages cultured human venous and arterial endothelial cells and enhances detachment from their substrate, changes not found with comparable concentrations of other amino acids tested. Homocysteine is oxidized in vitro to homocystine in an oxygen-dependent reaction producing hydrogen peroxide. Since the effects of homocysteine in cell cultures can be prevented by catalase, hydrogen-peroxide-induced injury may be the mechanism responsible. Five different laboratories have documented an association between mild homocysteinaemia and premature vascular disease. The majority of affected patients are heterozygotes for cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency whose endothelial cells may have an enhanced susceptibility to injury by homocysteine. Mild homocysteinaemia also occurs in chronic renal failure in which vascular disease is prominent. Mechanisms linking mild homocysteinaemia and possible vascular effects are not yet understood, but could involve prostaglandins and oxidized low-density lipoprotein, and possibly also free radicals.
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PMID:Mechanisms of thrombogenesis and accelerated atherogenesis in homocysteinaemia. 268 Aug 9

Moderate hyperhomocysteinaemia has recently been established as an independent risk factor for atherothrombotic disease. It might be caused by heterozygosity for cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency, an enzyme involved in the conversion of methionine to cysteine through the transsulphuration pathway or by inherited thermolability of the enzyme which remethylates homocysteine into methionine. In chronic renal failure (CRF) homocysteine levels are significantly elevated at a relatively early stage. The normal kidney possibly plays an important role in homocysteine catabolism, which cannot be performed in CRF. Alternatively, decreased extrarenal catabolism can contribute to the hyperhomocysteinaemia in this disease state. Treatment with folic acid, 5 mg daily, significantly lowers homocysteine levels in chronic renal patients.
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PMID:Hyperhomocysteinaemia: a role in the accelerated atherogenesis of chronic renal failure? 778 27

The possibility that modest elevations in the level of blood homocysteine (hyperhomocysteinaemia) could contribute to cardiovascular disease arose from investigation of patients with rare, severe homocysteine elevations caused by cystathionine beta-synthase deficiency. Such patients often had thromboembolic events before the age of 30 years. Since the established cardiovascular risk factors could only partly account for the occurrence and severity of vascular disease in the general population, other risk factors had to exist, and homocysteine elevation seemed to be a possible candidate. Australian case-control studies identified an association between mild homocysteine elevation and early-onset coronary disease, and also with chronic renal failure. Patients in the latter group have a high prevalence of unexplained vascular disease and particularly high homocysteine levels. Such elevations in levels of homocysteine in vascular patients could usually be normalised by daily supplementation with folic acid (1-5 mg) while in patients with chronic renal failure 5 mg of folic acid daily markedly reduced the increased concentrations of homocysteine. These initial observations have been confirmed by many investigators and biologically plausible mechanisms for homocysteine-induced vascular dysfunction, and particularly endothelial dysfunction, have been identified. However, associations between hyperhomocysteinaemia and other risk factors, such as smoking and hypertension, have also been documented and need to be controlled for when assessing any increase in risk that homocysteine may independently confer. Although it has been established that lowering the greatly elevated blood homocysteine levels in homocystinuria, due to cystathione beta-synthase deficiency, unquestionably reduces cardiovascular risk, it remains to be determined whether normalising mild homocysteine elevation could reduce cardiovascular risk. Trials to test this possibility have been initiated and others are planned.
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PMID:Novel risk factors for vascular disease: the homocysteine hypothesis of cardiovascular disease. 991 68