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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cholesterol feeding in miniature swine resulted in a hypercholesterolemia with a distinctive hyperlipoproteinemia and the subsequent development of atherosclerosis. Alterations in the type and distribution of plasma lipoproteins induced by cholesterol feeding were as follows: (a) the occurrence of beta-migrating lipoproteins (B-VLDL) as well as very low density lipoproteins in the d less than 1.006 ultracentrifugal fraction; (b) an increased prominence of the intermediate lipoproteins (d = 1.006-1.02); (c) an increased prominence of low density lipoproteins; and (d) the occurrence of a distinctive lipoprotein with alpha mobility which was referred to as HDLc (cholesterol induced). Characterization of the various plasma lipoproteins included chemical composition, size by electron microscopy, and apoprotein content. The B-VLDL resembled the beta-migrating lipoproteins of human Type III hyperlipoproteinemia and contained a prominent protein equivalent to the arginine-rich apoprotein in addition to the B apoprotein, apo-A-I, and the fast-migrating apoproteins (apo-C). The HDLc were rich in cholesterol, ranged in size from 100 to 240 A in diameter, and contained the arginine-rich apoprotein and apo-A0I but lacked the B apoprotein. The arginine-rich apoproteins isolated from B-VLDL and HDLc by gel chromatography were similar in amino acid analyses, with glutamic acid as their amino-terminal residue. The occurrence of a spectrum of cholesterol-rich lipoproteins which contained the arginine-rich apoprotein with the occurrence of accelerated atherosclerosis suggested an interesting, although speculative, association.
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PMID:Swine lipoproteins and atherosclerosis. Changes in the plasma lipoproteins and apoproteins induced by cholesterol feeding. 16 8

Endothelial cells play a critical role in thromboregulation by controlling the assembly of fibrinolytic constituents on the membrane. The assembly system illustrated in FIGURE 6 is characterized by the binding of circulating glu-plasminogen to a membrane receptor (Pathway 1). A membrane-associated protease (possibly plasmin) converts the inactive zymogen into a catalytically more efficient zymogen lys-plasminogen (Pathway 2). T-PA binds to a specific receptor, retains its catalytic activity, and is protected from its natural inhibitor PAI-1. The membrane provides a favorable environment for plasmin generation (Pathway 3) at the vessel surface and contributes to the maintenance of a physiological nonthrombogenic state. The immobilization and surface activation of plasminogen provides an important mechanism for localizing proteolytic activity at the surface of other cells such as macrophages and tumor cells. Lp(a), a plasminogen-like lipoprotein, by competing at the endothelial surface for plasminogen binding down-regulates endothelial cell plasmin generation and may thus promote localized thrombogenesis that over a period of time contributes to progressive atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Endothelial cell fibrinolytic assembly. 190 39

Endothelial cells play a critical role in thromboregulation by virtue of a surface-connected fibrinolytic system. Cultured endothelial cells synthesize and secrete tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) which can bind to at least two discrete sites on the cell surface. These binding sites preserve the catalytic activity of t-PA and protect it from its physiological inhibitor (PAI-1). N-terminal glutamic acid plasminogen (Glu-PLG), the main circulating fibrinolytic zymogen, also interacts specifically with the endothelial cell surface. Binding is associated with a 12-fold increase in catalytic efficiency of plasmin generation by t-PA which may reflect conversion of Glu-PLG to its plasmin-modified form, N-terminal lysine plasminogen (Lys-PLG). Lipoprotein(a) is an atherogenic lipoprotein particle which contains the plasminogen-like apolipoprotein(a) bound to low density lipoprotein. We report here that lipoprotein(a) interferes with endothelial cell fibrinolysis by inhibiting plasminogen binding and hence plasmin generation. In addition, we demonstrate lipoprotein(a) accumulation in atherosclerotic lesions. These findings may provide a link between impaired cell surface fibrinolysis and progressive atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Lipoprotein(a) modulation of endothelial cell surface fibrinolysis and its potential role in atherosclerosis. 252 66

The availability of epsilon-lysine residues of apolipoprotein B in LDL for chemical or enzymic modification was investigated. Amino acid analyses of detergent-solubilized apolipoprotein B, following cyanoethylation with acrylonitrile, revealed that 10% of the lysine in apolipoprotein B were unreactive. The unreactive residues were associated with the most hydrophobic subfraction of apolipoprotein B. Since apolipoprotein B has a high molecular weight a study was undertaken to determine whether lysine residues were crosslinked to glutamic acid via epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl)lysine as demonstrated for fibrin. Apolipoprotein B was digested exhaustively with proteases. The content of epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl) lysine was determined by chromatography and isotope dilution. In contrast to earlier reports for serum LDL the data showed that less than 0.01 moles of lysine/mole of LDL apolipoprotein B were present as epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl)lysine in plasma LDL. It was determined also that the crosslinks were not found in apolipoprotein B during clotting since LDL was not a substrate for clotting factor XIII which forms the bond in fibrin. Furthermore, the lipoprotein contained no inherent transglutaminase activity. It is concluded that the lysine residues in LDL, which are unreactive to cyanoethylation, can not be detected in the digests as epsilon-(gamma-glutamyl)lysine.
Atherosclerosis 1986 Jul
PMID:The biochemistry of epsilon-amino groups of lysine residues from apolipoprotein B of human low density lipoprotein. 373 52

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

Concentrations of peptidic compounds in blood plasma of uremics are increased. Evidence for participation of intestinal bacteria in the production of such peptides (presumably toxic) was obtained by isolation of a strongly basic peptide containing covalently bound spermidine from peritoneal dialysate of patients with chronic uremia. The same peptide was found in blood plasma of patients with end-stage chronic renal failure. The absence of glutamic acid in the spermidinepeptide molecule suggests that an enzyme different from the transglutaminase of mammalian cells must take part in the synthesis of spermidinepeptide. This conjugate forms a relatively stable complex with insulin, thus altering the action of the hormone on adipose cell metabolism. Also, interaction of spermidinepeptide with insulin and lipoproteins may contribute to hypertriglyceridemia and accelerated atherosclerosis in patients with chronic uremia.
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PMID:A uremic peptide containing polyamine: formation and possible role in uremic hypertriglyceridemia. 701 Mar 92

This review deals with some structural features of the collagen molecules involved in the adhesion of platelets representing the initial step of hemostasis, thrombosis, and (partly) atherosclerosis. The adhesion occurs at the level of a vascular lesion or deendothelialized area, whatever the genetic type of collagen. In vitro experiments with purified collagens have shown that vascular interstitial collagens (types I and III, the latter present in subendothelium) as well as basement membrane-derived collagens (types IV and V) induce an adhesion of platelets, provided that an ordered arrangement linked to the quaternary and tertiary structures of their molecule is preserved. Whatever the quaternary structure, the important point seems to be the size of the fibers and more precisely the availability of an optimal number of adhesion sites on multimerized fibers. Various direct or indirect proofs (for example, the occurrence of the impairment of collagen multimerization on platelet adhesion/aggregation) are reviewed. Our recent studies on interstitial collagens have shown the involvement of certain specific amino-acid sequences obtained after cyanogen bromide cleavage of collagen. These are the C-terminal alpha1 (I) CB6 peptide of the alpha 1 chains of type I collagen (216 amino acids) and the central alpha1 (III) CB4 peptide from type III collagen (149 amino acids) Cleavage of this last peptide by chymotrypsin, hydroxylamine, and trypsin has suggested the possibility that a nonapeptide (sequence gly-lys-hyp-gly-glu-hyp-gly-pro-lys) is a minimum site of adhesion for platelets. This assumption has been reinforced by the fact that a synthetic nonapeptide with this sequence specifically inhibits the aggregation of platelets to collagen in vitro. The adhesion of platelets may consequently be due to the repetitive staggering of short amino acid sequences (such as this nonapeptide from type III collagen) along the rigid structure formed by a multimerized collagen fiber.
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PMID:[The adhesion of blood platelets to collagen: molecular features of collagen (author's transl)]. 702 81

The subendothelial retention of LDLs through their interaction with proteoglycans has been proposed to be a key process in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. In vitro studies have identified eight clusters of basic amino acids in delipidated apo-B100, the protein moiety of LDL, that bind the negatively charged proteoglycans. To determine which of these sites is functional on the surface of LDL particles, we analyzed the proteoglycan-binding activity of recombinant human LDL isolated from transgenic mice. Substitution of neutral amino acids for the basic amino acids residues in site B (residues 3359-3369) abolished both the receptor-binding and the proteoglycan-binding activities of the recombinant LDL. Chemical modification of the remaining basic residues caused only a marginal further reduction in proteoglycan binding, indicating that site B is the primary proteoglycan-binding site of LDL. Although site B was essential for normal receptor-binding and proteoglycan-binding activities, these activities could be separated in recombinant LDL containing single-point mutation. Recombinant LDL with a K3363E mutation, in which a glutamic acid had been inserted into the basic cluster RKR in site B, had normal receptor binding but interacted defectively with proteoglycans; in contrast, another mutant LDL, R3500Q, displayed defective receptor binding but interacted normally with proteoglycans. LDL with normal receptor-binding activity but with severely impaired proteoglycan binding will be a unique resource for analyzing the importance of LDL- proteoglycan interaction in atherogenesis. If the subendothelial retention of LDL by proteoglycans is the initial event in early atherosclerosis, then LDL with defective proteoglycan binding may have little or no atherogenic potential.
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PMID:Identification of the principal proteoglycan-binding site in LDL. A single-point mutation in apo-B100 severely affects proteoglycan interaction without affecting LDL receptor binding. 963 99

Arterial calcification occurs with increasing age and in association with a diverse range of diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetes, and uremia. It occurs at two sites in the vessel wall--in the media where it is known as Monckeberg's sclerosis and in the intima where it is invariably associated with atherosclerosis. Although there are similarities between them, the molecular mechanisms underlying these two forms of calcification may be distinct. Evidence is accumulating that vascular calcification is an active process that has many similarities with ossification, including local expression of bone-associated collagenous and noncollagenous proteins. The recent generation of a matrix gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) protein (MGP) knockout mouse, which exhibits extensive and lethal calcification and cartilaginous metaplasia of the media of all elastic arteries, has refocused attention on the role of Gla-containing proteins in vascular calcification. Gla-containing proteins have glutamic acid residues that must by gamma-carboxylated by vitamin-K-dependent gamma-carboxylase to enable them to bind calcium and function normally. Therefore, there is considerable scope for both transcriptional and posttranslational modifications of Gla protein function. Recent studies in humans have shown that although MGP mRNA is constitutively expressed by normal vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), it is substantially upregulated in cells adjacent to both medial and intimal calcification. Studies in rats and on cultured human VSMCs showing that inhibition of MGP function by warfarin can accelerate spontaneous calcification have emphasized the potential importance of posttranslational processing in determining MGP function. It is therefore plausible that environmental influences such as diet and medication may have significant effects on vascular calcification. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that several other Gla-containing proteins with the potential to regulate or perhaps contribute to vascular calcification are present in the human vasculature. Future studies on the role of Gla-containing proteins combined with advances in noninvasive imaging techniques to quantify vascular calcification may lead to identification of individuals at particular risk of vascular calcification and the evaluation of novel therapies aimed at regulating its development or progression.
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PMID:The role of Gla proteins in vascular calcification. 980

Lp(a) is a major inherited risk factor for premature atherosclerosis. The mechanism of Lp(a) atherogenicity has not been elucidated, but likely involves both its ability to interfere with plasminogen activation and its atherogenic potential as a lipoprotein particle after receptor-mediated uptake. We demonstrate that Lp(a) stimulates production of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin in cultured human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC). This effect resulted from a rise in intracellular free calcium induced by Lp(a) and could be inhibited by the intracellular calcium chelator, BAPTA/AM. The involvement of the LDL and VLDL receptors in Lp(a) activation of HCAEC were ruled out since Lp(a) induction of adhesion molecules was not prevented by an antibody (IgGC7) to the LDL receptor or by receptor-activating protein, an antagonist of ligand binding to the VLDL receptor. Addition of alpha2-macroglobulin as well as treatment with heparinase, chondroitinase ABC, and sodium chlorate did not decrease levels of VCAM-1 and E-selectin stimulated by Lp(a), suggesting that neither the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein nor cell-surface proteoglycans are involved in Lp(a)-induced adhesion molecule production. Neither does the binding site on HCAEC responsible for adhesion molecule production by Lp(a) appear to involve plasminogen receptors, as levels of VCAM-1 and E-selectin were not significantly decreased by the addition of glu-plasminogen, the lysine analog epsilon-aminocaproic acid, or by trans-4-(aminomethyl)-cyclohexanecarboxymethylic acid (tranexamic acid), which acts by binding to the lysine binding sites carried on the kringle structures in plasminogen. In contrast, recombinant apolipoprotein (a) [r-apo(a)] competed with Lp(a) and attenuated the expression of VCAM-1 and E-selectin. In summary, we have identified a calcium-dependent interaction of Lp(a) with HCAEC capable of inducing potent surface expression of VCAM-1 and E-selectin that does not appear to involve any of the known potential Lp(a) binding sites. Because leukocyte recruitment to the vessel wall appears to represent one of the important early events in atherogenesis, this newly described endothelial cell-activating effect of Lp(a) places it at a crucial juncture in the initiation of atherogenic disease and may lead to a better understanding of the role of Lp(a) in the vascular biology of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Expression of adhesion molecules by lp(a): a potential novel mechanism for its atherogenicity. 983 67


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