Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Atherosclerosis is a progressive pathological process based on endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation. Monocytes, macrophages, and modified lipoproteins, especially oxidized LDLs (oxLDLs), play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Monocytes evolve into macrophages in the vascular wall and then accumulate oxLDLs, forming foam cells. OxLDLs are toxic and activate foam cells, stimulate the replication of macrophages and their migration into atherosclerotic plaque, and increase the expression of metaloproteinases. Macrophages bind oxLDLs through many types of receptors, among them scavenger receptors. One of these is CD36, a membrane glycoprotein expressed by endothelial cells, adipocytes, smooth and skeletal muscle cells, cardiomiocytes, platelets, monocytes, and macrophages. CD36 recognizes and binds many ligands, such as oxLDLs, long-chain fatty acids, collagen, thrombospondin 1, apoptotic cells, anionic phospholipids, and Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes. CD36 is involved in many processes, e.g. inner immune system responses, removal of apoptotic cells and Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes, and the transport of long-chain fatty acids, and it also mediates collagen and thrombospondin action. Recent reports indicate that CD36 may play a role in the development of atherosclerosis. An animal model revealed that lack of CD36 expression restrains atheroslerosis. Increased expression of CD36 was shown in atheroslerotic plaque and damaged vascular tissue. Contradictory data about the effects of antiatherosclerotic drugs on CD36 expression indicate the necessity for further investigation of the role of CD36 in the development of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:[Scavenger receptor CD36: its expression, regulation, and role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Part I]. 1655 94

Glucose metabolism disorders are significant risk factors for accelerated atherosclerosis, but the exact pathogenesis of this impact and possible co-factors are not precisely known. On the other hand, only two thirds of all atherosclerosis cases are linked to so-called "classic" risk factors, and numerous studies are conducted to recognize those non-classic risk factors, among which homocysteine and adhesive molecules are the most often mentioned. Recently, the class B scavenger receptor CD36 has become an object of interest. Receptor CD36 is a membrane glycoprotein found on the surface of many cells, such as endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes, dendritic cells, platelets, monocytes, and macrophages. Ligands for receptor CD36 are oxidized LDL particles, long-chain fatty acids, collagens, thrombospondin I, apoptotic cells, and phospholipids. Receptor CD36 plays an important role in various processes, e.g. inner immune system response, apoptotic and necrotic cells removal, transport of fatty acids, and inhibition of neoplastic angiogenesis. Scavenging oxidized LDL particles is one of its most important functions. The most recent studies put forward the participation of receptor CD36 in atherogenesis. Additionally, increased CD36 expression has been described in diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance and in the pathogenesis of diabetic macro- and microangiopathy. Confounding data regarding human hereditary receptor CD36 deficiency as well as still unknown interactions between antidiabetic drugs and CD36 expression suggest the necessity for further studies on the participation of receptor CD36 in the atherogenesis linked with glucometabolic disorders and in the development of diabetes mellitus complications.
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PMID:[The influence of diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance on receptor CD36 expression. Part II. The role of receptor CD36 in the pathomechanism of diabetes complications]. 1655 95

Adiponectin is a fat cell-secreted hormone with antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities. The reduced adiponectin levels are associated with obesity-related metabolic syndrome. Replenishment of this hormone into animal models can improve insulin sensitivity, decrease blood glucose and lipid levels, and prevent the development of atherosclerosis and fatty liver injury. Despite these findings, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we have used affinity chromatography to purify the protein complexes that are associated with adiponectin in human serum. The nature of these adiponectin-binding proteins was analyzed by MS/MS. Eight proteins from the adiponectin-containing protein mixtures have been identified. Many of them, including thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), histidine-rich glycoprotein, kininogen 1, and alpha 2 macroglobulin (alpha2M), are well-known glycoproteins involved in the regulation of inflammation, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. Coimmunoprecipitation and radioligand competitive-binding assays confirmed the direct interactions between adiponectin and alpha2M, or TSP-1. Moreover, these specific bindings were also detected in the serum samples derived from both healthy human subjects and patients with type 2 diabetes. In summary, our study demonstrated that, in the circulation, adiponectin forms protein complexes with other serum proteins. These proteins might serve as the physiological-binding partners of adiponectin and regulate its bioavailability and biological activities.
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PMID:Proteomic characterization of human serum proteins associated with the fat-derived hormone adiponectin. 1676 90

Under usual conditions, the role of IGF-I in vascular cell types is to maintain cellular protein synthesis and cell size, and even excess IGF-I does not stimulate proliferation. In pathophysiologic states, such as hyperglycemia, smooth muscle cells (SMC) dedifferentiate and change their responsiveness to IGF-I. During hyperglycemia IGF-I stimulates both SMC migration and proliferation. Our laboratory has investigated the molecular mechanism by which this change is mediated. During hyperglycemia SMC secrete increased concentrations of thrombospondin, vitronectin and osteopontin, ligands for the integrin alphaVbeta3. Activation of alphaVbeta3 stimulates recruitment of a tyrosine phosphatase, SHP-2. Exposure of SMC to IGF-I results in phosphorylation of the transmembrane protein, SHPS-1, which provides a docking site for alphaVbeta3-associated SHP-2. After IGF-I stimulation SHP-2 associates with Src kinase, which associates with the signaling protein Shc. Src phosphorylates Shc, resulting in activation of MAP kinases, which are necessary both for stimulation of cell proliferation and migration. Blocking activation of alphaVbeta3 results in an inability of IGF-I to stimulate Shc phosphorylation. Under conditions of normoglycemia, there are insufficient alphaVbeta3 ligands to recruit SHP-2, and no increase in Shc phosphorylation can be demonstrated in SMC. In contrast, if alphaVbeta3 ligands are added to cells in normal glucose, the signaling events that are necessary for Shc phosphorylation can be reconstituted. Therefore when SMC are exposed to normal glucose they are protected from excessive stimulation of mitogenesis by IGF-I. With hyperglycemia there is a marked increased in alphaVbeta3 ligands and Shc phosphorylation in response to IGF-I is sustained. These findings indicate that in SMC hyperglycemic stress leads to altered IGF-I signaling, which allows the cells to undergo a mitogenic response, and which may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Role of the integrin alphaVbeta3 in mediating increased smooth muscle cell responsiveness to IGF-I in response to hyperglycemic stress. 1741 27

Hyperglycemia is an independent risk factor for development of vascular diabetic complications. Vascular dysfunction in diabetics manifests in a tissue-specific manner; macrovasculature is affected by atherosclerotic lesions, and microvascular complications are described as "aberrant angiogenesis": in the same patient angiogenesis is increased in some tissues (e.g. retinal neovascularization) and decreased in others (e.g. in skin). Molecular cell- and tissue-specific mechanisms regulating the response of vasculature to hyperglycemia remain unclear. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a potent antiangiogenic and proatherogenic protein, has been implicated in the development of several vascular diabetic complications (atherosclerosis, nephropathy, and cardiomyopathy). This study examines cell type-specific regulation of production of thrombospondin-1 by high glucose. We previously reported the increased expression of TSP-1 in the large arteries of diabetic animals. mRNA and protein levels were up-regulated in response to high glucose. Unlike in macrovascular cells, TSP-1 protein levels are dramatically decreased in response to high glucose in microvascular endothelial cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE). This down-regulation is post-transcriptional; mRNA levels are increased. In situ mRNA hybridization and immunohistochemistry revealed that the level of mRNA is up-regulated in RPE of diabetic rats, whereas the protein level is decreased. This cell type-specific posttranscriptional suppression of TSP-1 production in response to high glucose in microvascular endothelial cells and RPE is controlled by untranslated regions of TSP-1 mRNA that regulate coupling of TSP-1 mRNA to polysomes and its translation. The cell-specific regulation of TSP-1 suggests a potential mechanism for the aberrant angiogenesis in diabetics and TSP-1 involvement in development of various vascular diabetic complications.
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PMID:Cell type-specific post-transcriptional regulation of production of the potent antiangiogenic and proatherogenic protein thrombospondin-1 by high glucose. 1809 4

A role of thrombospondins (TSPs) in atherosclerosis and thrombosis was suggested by associations of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes coding for TSP-1 (rs2228262; Asn700Ser), TSP-2 (rs8089; 3' untranslated region), and TSP-4 (rs1866389; Ala387Pro) with myocardial infarction (MI). However, these findings were not consistently confirmed in replication studies. We determined the genotypes related to these polymorphisms in a large case-control sample of MI and performed a meta-analysis of data obtained in the present sample and available from prior studies that included Europeans or Americans of European origin. In the population examined here, the carriers of the minor allele of the polymorphism in the TSP-2 gene (GG and TG genotypes) had a mildly statistically significant higher risk of MI than the homozygous carriers of the major allele (TT genotype) [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02 to 1.39]. In similar comparisons, no associations of the polymorphisms in the TSP-1 (adjusted OR 1.12; 95% CI, 0.93 to 1.35) and TSP-4 (adjusted OR 0.99; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.16) genes with MI were observed. The meta-analysis included 6388 (TSP-1), 4930 (TSP-2), and 6978 (TSP-4) cases. None of the polymorphisms was found to be linked with the risk of MI. Thus, despite associations in certain individual studies, the synthesis of available evidence did not suggest that the TSP polymorphisms included in this study were associated with MI.
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PMID:Polymorphisms in thrombospondin genes and myocardial infarction: a case-control study and a meta-analysis of available evidence. 1817 77

When the arterial wall thickens and blood-diffusion capacity is low in atherosclerotic lesions, hypoxia is a key factor for the development of atherosclerosis. Under hypoxic conditions, >100 genes, including those encoding many growth factors, are known to be induced by a transcriptional factor, hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha). In this study, to examine whether HIF-1alpha-dependent induction of growth factors is associated with the proliferation and migration of vascular cells in atherosclerotic lesions, we studied the role of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), which is induced by hypoxia, in the pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerosis in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs). Under hypoxic conditions, expression of HIF-1alpha increased time-dependently in human CASMCs with a concomitant increase in the proliferation and migration of cells. Under these conditions, the mRNA and protein levels of TSP-1 and the mRNA level of TSP-1 receptor, integrin beta3, were also enhanced. Neutralizing antibody against TSP-1 reduced hypoxia-induced migration, but not proliferation. Similarly, RGD peptide, which binds to integrin beta3, inhibited cell migration under hypoxia. In HIF-1alpha-knockdown CASMCs, in which expression of HIF-1alpha and TSP-1 mRNA and proteins is suppressed, hypoxia-induced migration was markedly reduced. In conclusion, hypoxia in atherosclerotic lesions induces TSP-1, which plays important roles in acceleration of the migration of human CASMCs and the progression of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:[Role of thrombospondin-1 in hypoxia-induced migration of human vascular smooth muscle cells]. 1831 Oct 56

The migration of vascular smooth muscle cells from the media to intima and their subsequent proliferation are critical causes of arterial wall thickening. In atherosclerotic lesions increases in the thickness of the vascular wall and the impairment of oxygen diffusion capacity result in the development of hypoxic lesions. We investigated the effect of hypoxia on the migration of human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs) via HIF-1alpha-dependent expression of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). When the cells were cultured under hypoxic conditions, mRNA and protein levels of TSP-1, and mRNA levels of integrin beta(3) were increased with the increase in HIF-1alpha protein. DNA synthesis and migration of the cells were stimulated under the conditions, and a neutralizing anti-TSP-1 antibody apparently suppressed the migration, but not DNA synthesis. The migration was also inhibited by RGD peptide that binds to integrin beta(3). Furthermore, the migration was completely suppressed in HIF-1alpha-knockdown cells exposed to hypoxia, while it was significantly enhanced in HIF-1alpha-overexpressing cells. These results suggest that the hypoxia induces the migration of CASMCs, and that the migration is elicited by TSP-1 of which induction is fully dependent on the stabilization of HIF-1alpha, in autocrine regulation. Thus we suggest that HIF-1alpha plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Hypoxia stimulates the autocrine regulation of migration of vascular smooth muscle cells via HIF-1alpha-dependent expression of thrombospondin-1. 1838 12

The migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays an essential role during the development of atherosclerosis and restenosis. Extensive studies have implicated the importance of extracellular matrix (ECM)-degrading proteinases in VSMC migration. A recently described family of proteinases, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTs), is capable of degrading vascular ECM proteins. Here, we sought to determine whether ADAMTS-7 is involved in VSMC migration and neointima formation in response to vascular injury. ADAMTS-7 protein accumulated preferentially in neointima of the carotid artery wall after balloon injury. In primary VSMCs, ADAMTS-7 level was enhanced by the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha and growth factor platelet-derived growth factor-BB. ADAMTS-7 overexpression greatly accelerated and small interfering RNA knockdown markedly retarded VSMC migration/invasion in vitro. In addition, luminal delivery of ADAMTS-7 adenovirus to carotid arteries exacerbated intimal thickening nearly sixfold 7 days after injury. Conversely, perivascular administration of ADAMTS-7 small interfering RNA but not scramble small interfering RNA to injured arteries attenuated intimal thickening by 50% at 14 days after injury. Furthermore, ADAMTS-7 mediated degradation of the vascular ECM cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) in injured vessels. Replenishing COMP circumvented the promigratory effect of ADAMTS-7 on VSMCs. Enforced expression of COMP significantly suppressed VSMC migration and neointima formation postinjury, which indicates that ADAMTS-7 facilitated intimal hyperplasia through degradation of inhibitory matrix protein COMP. ADAMTS-7 may therefore serve as a novel therapeutic target for atherosclerosis and postangioplasty restenosis.
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PMID:ADAMTS-7 mediates vascular smooth muscle cell migration and neointima formation in balloon-injured rat arteries. 1916 37

Biologic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) targets specific molecules that mediate and sustain the clinical manifestations of this complex illness. Compared with the general population, patients with RA die prematurely, in part due to associated cardiovascular disease. Even though the mechanisms by which premature atherosclerosis develops in RA is unknown, chronic inflammation may play a major role. This review connects current knowledge of the pathophysiology of RA with data available in the literature related to thrombospondin-1 (TSP1), transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and their relationship with cardiovascular disease in RA. The TSP1/TGFbeta/CTGF axis may contribute in the pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic state in patients affected with RA. In fact, increased TSP1 plasma levels are found in patients of RA. TGFbeta is activated by TSP1 through a non-enzymatic mechanism and is constitutively overexpressed by synovial fibroblasts from RA patients. Activation of TGFbeta pathway in synovial fibroblasts and other cells including neutrophils leads to downstream upregulation of CTGF. Overexpression of CTGF is associated with angiogenesis, fibrosis, atherosclerotic blood vessels and erosive arthritis lesions. Recent RA therapies emphasize the need for aggressive control of the activity of the disease to prevent premature atherosclerosis in RA patients. The complexity and heterogeneity of RA as judged by response to a wide spectrum of treatments mandates the elucidation of unknown pro-inflammatory pathways playing a major role in this disease. The TSP1/TGFbeta/CTFG axis represents one of these pro-inflammatory pathways that may result in the development of promising therapeutic strategies to prevent chronic inflammation and thus premature atherosclerosis in RA.
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PMID:The axis of thrombospondin-1, transforming growth factor beta and connective tissue growth factor: an emerging therapeutic target in rheumatoid arthritis. 1948 99


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