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)

Arterial dermatan sulfate proteoglycan has been shown to increase with atherosclerosis progression, but factors responsible for this increase are unknown. To test the hypothesis that smooth muscle cell proteoglycan synthesis may be modified by macrophage products, pigeon arterial smooth muscle cells were exposed to the media of either cholesteryl ester-loaded pigeon peritoneal macrophages or a macrophage cell line P388D1. Proteoglycans radiolabeled with [35S]sulfate and [3H]serine were isolated from culture media and smooth muscle cells and purified following precipitation with 1-hexadecylpyridinium chloride and chromatography. Increasing concentrations of macrophage-conditioned media were associated with a dose-response increase in [35S]sulfate incorporation into secreted proteoglycans, but there was no change in cell-associated proteoglycans. Incorporation of [3H]serine into total proteoglycan core proteins was not significantly different (5.2 X 10(5) dpm and 5.5 X 10(5) disintegrations per minute (dpm) in control and conditioned media-treated cultures, respectively), but selective effects were observed on individual proteoglycan types. Twofold increases in dermatan sulfate proteoglycan and limited degradation of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan were apparent based on core proteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Immunoinhibition studies indicated that interleukin-1 was involved in the modulation of proteoglycan synthesis by macrophage-conditioned media. These data provide support for the role of macrophages in alteration of the matrix proteoglycans synthesized by smooth muscle cells and provide a mechanism to account for the reported increased dermatan sulfate/chondroitin sulfate ratios in the developing atherosclerotic lesion.
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PMID:Macrophage secretory products selectively stimulate dermatan sulfate proteoglycan production in cultured arterial smooth muscle cells. 231 26

Lp(a) represents a genetically transmitted class of plasma LDL having apo B-100 linked by a disulfide bridge to a glycoprotein, apo(a). Lp(a) is heterogeneous in size and density. Apo(a) is also heterogeneous in size (molecular weight between approximately 300,000 and 700,000) due probably to the polymorphism of both polypeptide and carbohydrate chains. Recent studies have shown that apo(a) has a striking amino acid sequence homology with plasminogen, a serine protease zymogen that following activation to plasmin enters the fibrinolytic system. Apo(a) is severalfold larger than plasminogen (molecular weight approximately 90,000) and also differs from it because it fails to be activated to plasmin. This is due to the fact that arginine is replaced by serine at the site of cleavage by streptokinase, urokinase, or tissue plasminogen activator. A single gene locus appears to control the Lp(a) polymorphism as well as the concentration of the Lp(a) phenotypes in the plasma. Patients with high plasma levels of Lp(a) have been shown to have an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease but a causal relationship has not been firmly established. The information that is being rapidly acquired on the structure of Lp(a) should facilitate the understanding of the molecular basis of the polymorphism of this genetic variant and of the role that the various Lp(a) phenotypes play in atherosclerosis and thrombosis. The potential physiologic role of Lp(a) remains open to inquiry.
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PMID:Lipoprotein(a): a genetically determined lipoprotein containing a glycoprotein of the plasminogen family. 297 66

Two groups of patients were administered either 4.5 X 10(6) U or 90 X 10(6) U each of recombinant DNA-derived interferon-beta serine (IFN-beta ser) i.v. daily for 10 days. IFN-beta ser affected lipoprotein lipids of patients in a dose dependent fashion. A decrease in plasma total cholesterol concentration occurred 24 h after therapy was initiated, regardless of dose. A dose-related decrease in plasma cholesterol concentration of 9% and 23% for patients on the low dose and high dose respectively occurred after 9 days of therapy. The plasma total cholesterol concentration decrease resulted primarily from a decrease in LDL cholesterol of 28% and 50% for patients on low and high doses respectively of IFN-beta ser. HDL-cholesterol was not significantly affected by IFN-beta ser administration. A dose-related increase in plasma triglyceride concentration occurred during IFN-beta ser, increasing 74% for patients on low dose and 136% for patients on high doses. This increase was only observed after 9 days on IFN-beta ser. Cholesterol reduction and triglyceride increases followed different time courses indicating different mechanisms may be involved.
Atherosclerosis 1987 Oct
PMID:Plasma lipoprotein changes in humans induced by beta-interferon. 307 40

Proteoglycan (PG) metabolism by aortic smooth muscle cell cultures derived from atherosclerosis-susceptible White Carneau (WC) and -resistant Show Racer (SR) pigeons was compared using [35S]sodium sulfate and [3H]serine or [3H]glucosamine as labeling precursors. Chondroitin sulfate (CS) PG and dermatan sulfate (DS) PG were the major PG secreted into the medium by both cell types. Total PG production, whether measured by incorporation of radiolabel into either core protein or glycosaminoglycan chains, was consistently lower in WC compared to SR cultures at several time points. This difference was due in part to lower (30-37%) PG synthesis in WC cells, but degradation of newly synthesized PG was an important contributor. A pulse-chase study indicated that of the total radiolabeled PG present at time O, only 47% was present at 24 h in WC cultures compared to 88% in SR cultures. The large CS-PG appeared to be the primary target for degradation in WC cells, and this selective processing resulted in a higher DS-PG:CS-PG ratio in these cultures. Structural studies indicated similar core protein and glycosaminoglycan chain sizes within a PG type for both cell types. PG monomer composition differed, however, by a higher sulfation of WC CS-PG compared to SR CS-PG and by a disaccharide sulfation position favoring 6-sulfation in WC PG and 4-sulfation in SR PG.
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PMID:Distinct synthetic and structural characteristics of proteoglycans produced by cultured artery smooth muscle cells of atherosclerosis-susceptible pigeons. 313 65

The fatty acid composition of phospholipids and triglycerides in heart muscle was examined in normal and alloxan-diabetic male Wistar rats. In diabetes the major phospholipids, phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine, showed significant changes in fatty acid composition, whereas cardiolipin and phosphatidyl serine + phosphatidyl inositol did not show marked changes in fatty acid profile. In phosphatidyl choline there was a significant diminution in arachidonic acid, 20 : 4(n-6) and palmitic acid, 16 : 0, and a corresponding increase in linoleic acid, 18 : 2(n-6), and stearic acid, 18 : 0. In phosphatidyl ethanolamine the level of 20 : 4(n-6) was significantly reduced. The diabetic heart had normal levels of individual phospholipids, whereas the triglycerides were increased by 90% and contained significantly higher levels of 18 : 2(n-6). The results confirm that diabetes is associated with a diminution in fatty acid desaturation, affecting the fatty acid composition of phosphatidyl choline in particular. These changes may be relevant to development of atherosclerosis and relative resistance to catecholamine-induced cardiac necrosis in diabetes.
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PMID:Reduced arachidonic acid levels in major phospholipids of heart muscle in the diabetic rat. 343 62

Apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] is a glycoprotein with Mr approximately equal to 280,000 that is disulfide linked to apolipoprotein B in lipoprotein(a) particles. Elevated plasma levels of lipoprotein(a) are correlated with atherosclerosis. Partial amino acid sequence of apo(a) shows that it has striking homology to plasminogen. Plasminogen is a plasma serine protease zymogen that consists of five homologous and tandemly repeated domains called kringles and a trypsin-like protease domain. The amino-terminal sequence obtained for apo(a) is homologous to the beginning of kringle 4 but not the amino terminus of plasminogen. Apo(a) was subjected to limited proteolysis by trypsin or V8 protease, and fragments generated were isolated and sequenced. Sequences obtained from several of these fragments are highly (77-100%) homologous to plasminogen residues 391-421, which reside within kringle 4. Analysis of these internal apo(a) sequences revealed that apo(a) may contain at least two kringle 4-like domains. A sequence obtained from another tryptic fragment also shows homology to the end of kringle 4 and the beginning of kringle 5. Sequence data obtained from two tryptic fragments show homology with the protease domain of plasminogen. One of these sequences is homologous to the sequences surrounding the activation site of plasminogen. Plasminogen is activated by the cleavage of a specific arginine residue by urokinase and tissue plasminogen activator; however, the corresponding site in apo(a) is a serine that would not be cleaved by tissue plasminogen activator or urokinase. Using a plasmin-specific assay, no proteolytic activity could be demonstrated for lipoprotein(a) particles. These results suggest that apo(a) contains kringle-like domains and an inactive protease domain.
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PMID:Partial amino acid sequence of apolipoprotein(a) shows that it is homologous to plasminogen. 347 6

We have examined, in normal subjects, the effects of a daily dietary supplement of fish oil concentrate ('maxEPA'), providing 3 g of omega-3 fatty acids, on erythrocyte membrane phospholipids, erythrocyte deformability and blood viscosity. After 3 weeks, incorporation of C20:5 omega 3 into erythrocyte phosphatidyl choline (PC) was greater compared to phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidyl serine (PS). After 6 weeks, there was no further increase in total erythrocyte C20:5 omega 3, but its distribution amongst phospholipid subclasses had changed. C20:5 omega 3 had increased further in PE and PS, but decreased in PC. Incorporation of C20:5 omega 3 also occurred into PC, PE and PS. omega-3 Fatty acids were incorporated almost entirely at the expense of C18:2 omega 6, but total unsaturation of phospholipids was increased. This is consistent with increased lipid fluidity, which may be an important determinant of erythrocyte deformability. The same dosage of maxEPA also resulted in a significant increase in erythrocyte deformability and a concomitant reduction in whole blood viscosity. Since plasma viscosity and haematocrit were unchanged it seems likely that the effects on blood rheology were mediated by changes in erythrocyte lipid fluidity. Modification of blood rheology by dietary omega-3 fatty acids is of potential value in the treatment of vascular disease.
Atherosclerosis 1985 Jun
PMID:The effects of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on erythrocyte membrane phospholipids, erythrocyte deformability and blood viscosity in healthy volunteers. 401 48

Elastin preparations from intimal layers and the media of normal and atherosclerotic human aortae were analyzed for protein and lipid content. In atherosclerotic aortae, elastin from plaques was compared with elastin from adjacent normal appearing areas of the same aorta. Arterial elastin purified by alkaline extraction appeared to be a protein-lipid complex containing free and ester cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides. The lipid component of normal arterial elastin was small (1-2%). With increasing severity of atherosclerosis, there was a progressive accumulation of lipid in intimal elastin from plaques, reaching a mean lipid content of 37% in severe plaques. The increase in the lipid content of plaque elastic preparations was mainly due to large increases in cholesterol, over 80% of which was cholesteryl ester. This deposition of cholesterol in plaque elastin accounted for 20-34% of the total cholesterol content of the plaque. The increased lipid deposition in plaque elastin was associated with alterations in the amino acid composition of plaque elastin. In elastin from plaque intima, the following polar amino acids were increased significantly: aspartic acid, threonine, serine, glutamic acid, lysine, histidine, and arginine; whereas, cross-linking amino acids: desmosine, isodesmosine, and lysinonorleucine were decreased significantly. The amino acid and lipid composition of elastin from normal appearing aortic areas was comparable to that of normal arterial elastin except for intimal elastin directly adjacent to and medial elastin directly below the most severe plaques.The data indicate that the focal lipid deposition in early atherosclerotic plaques is due to a large extent to lipid accumulations in altered elastin protein of localized intimal areas. Continued lipid deposition in altered elastin appears to contribute substantially to the progressive lipid accumulation in the plaque. The study suggests that elastin of intimal elastic membranes may play an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:The protein and lipid composition of arterial elastin and its relationship to lipid accumulation in the atherosclerotic plaque. 509 73

Human serum was found to contain enzyme activities hydrolyzing succinyl trialanine paranitroanilide and 3H-kappa-elastin Sepharose substrates. Both types of activities could be partly abolished by serine active site titrants (phenylmethanesulfonylfluoride, diisopropylphosphorofluoridate) and partly by neutral chelating agents (EDTA; 1-10-phenanthroline). The combination of phenylmethanesulfonylfluoride and EDTA gave a complete inhibition of human serum elastase-type activities indicating the presence of at least two different types of elastases (serine and metalloproteases) in human serum. In nonsmokers, the average serum elastase-type activity on succinyl trialanine paranitroanilide was found equal to 78.1 ng/ml porcine pancreatic elastase equivalents and on 3H-kappa-elastin sepharose beads equal to 688.8 ng/ml. No statistically significant differences were observed in elastase levels in the sera of individuals presenting clinical symptoms of atherosclerosis. The sera of patients suffering from chronic obstructive lung diseases contained, however, higher amounts of elastase-type activities, respectively equal to 237.2 ng/ml on succinyl trialanine paranitroanilide and 1,096 ng/ml on 3H-kappa-elastin Sepharose beads and was quantitatively significant when compared with control subjects.
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PMID:Elastase-type activity of human serum. Its variation in chronic obstructive lung diseases and atherosclerosis. 656 31

A lot of over 60 atherosclerotics with clinical manifestations of senile depressive illness was studied comparatively with a lot of subjects of the same age with essential arterial hypertension (EAH). As concerns the behaviour of the catecholamine content in CSF and blood, the total catecholamines are approxiately equal in the two lots, but with a clear difference of the catecholamine fractions. The CSF catecholamines behaviour in old atherosclerotics is characterized by the presence of increased values of noradrenaline (NA) and of adrenaline (A), with increased statistical significance, but without modifications of the adrenaline percentage (A %) from the total catecholamines, comparatively to the values found in normal subjects. The serotonin (5-HT) content of the CSF in men with atherosclerotic senile depressive illness was lower even than in subjects with coronary atherosclerosis. In atherosclerosis protides modifications precede the histologic changes. In CSF, GLU, ALA, TYR increase in old subjects. In blood, GLU, ALA, TYR, HIS, LEU, SER increase in the same subjects. ARG decreases with age. THR is higher in men than in women. In the urine of all the men as well as of all the women of more than 60 years, GLN and ALA have increased values. LYS increases with age. GLN and ARG are higher in men than in women.
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PMID:Pattern of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood biogenic amines and of the CSF, blood and urine amino acids as pathogenetic ground of the senile depressive illness. 677 91


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