HEMOSTASIS, THROMBOSIS, AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY The a-defensins stimulate proteoglycan-dependent catabolism of low-density lipoprotein by vascular cells: a new class of inflammatory apolipoprotein and a possible contributor to atherogenesis
نویسندگان
چکیده
Inflammation may contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. On the basis of previous reports that human atherosclerotic lesions contain a-defensins, a class of cationic proteins released by activated neutrophils, the study was designed to ask whether defensins modulate the binding and catabolism of lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) by human vascular cells. The results of the study demonstrated that defensin stimulated the binding of 125I-LDL to cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts approximately 5-fold in a dose-dependent and saturable manner. Defensin and LDL formed stable complexes in solution and on cell surfaces. Stimulation of LDL binding by defensin was not inhibited by antibodies against the LDL-receptor (LDLR), or by recombinant receptor-associated protein, which blocks binding of ligands to the a2-macroglobulin receptor/ LDL-R–related protein and other LDL-R family members. Furthermore, defensin stimulated the binding, endocytosis, and degradation of LDL by fibroblasts lacking LDL-R. Stimulation of LDL degradation by defensin was inhibited approximately 75% by low concentrations of heparin (0.2 units/mL) and was similarly reduced in CHO cells lacking heparan-sulfate–containing proteoglycans. The effect of defensin was substantially increased in cells overexpressing the core protein of the syndecan-1 heparan sulfate proteoglycan. The a-defensins released from activated neutrophils may provide a link between inflammation and atherosclerosis by changing the pattern of LDL catabolism from LDL-R to the less efficient LDL-R–independent, proteoglycan-dependent pathway. (Blood. 2000;96:1393-1398)
منابع مشابه
NG2 Proteoglycan Ablation Reduces Foam Cell Formation and Atherogenesis via Decreased Low-Density Lipoprotein Retention by Synthetic Smooth Muscle Cells.
OBJECTIVES Obesity and hyperlipidemia are critical risk factors for atherosclerosis. Because ablation of NG2 proteoglycan in mice leads to hyperlipidemia and obesity, we investigated the impact of NG2 ablation on atherosclerosis in apoE null mice. APPROACH AND RESULTS Immunostaining indicates that NG2 expression in plaque, primarily by synthetic smooth muscle cells, increases during atherogen...
متن کاملInterleukin-17 and atherosclerotic vascular disease.
Atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) involves several overlapping pathological processes. Atherogenesis, the process by which atherosclerotic plaques develop in the arterial wall, involves inspissation of abnormal circulating lipoproteins into the vessel intima, resulting in inflammation, injury, and responses to injury.1 Mouse models of atherogenesis, involving impaired low-density lipoprot...
متن کاملGenetic modifiers of atherosclerosis in mice.
Atherosclerosis is a complex, multifactorial disease with both genetic and environmental determinants. Experimental investigation of the effects of these determinants on the development and progression of atherosclerosis has been greatly facilitated by the use of targeted mouse models of the disease, particularly those resulting from the absence of functional genes for apolipoprotein E or the l...
متن کاملLoss of Reelin protects against atherosclerosis by reducing leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion and lesion macrophage accumulation.
The multimodular glycoprotein Reelin controls neuronal migration and synaptic transmission by binding to apolipoprotein E receptor 2 (Apoer2) and very low density lipoprotein receptor (Vldlr) on neurons. In the periphery, Reelin is produced by the liver, circulates in blood, and promotes thrombosis and hemostasis. To investigate if Reelin influences atherogenesis, we studied atherosclerosis-pro...
متن کاملMast cell tryptase degrades HDL and blocks its function as an acceptor of cellular cholesterol.
OBJECTIVE In human atherosclerotic lesions, degranulated mast cells are found in the vicinity of macrophage foam cells. Mast cell granules contain tryptase, a tetrameric serine protease requiring glycosaminoglycans for stabilization. No endogenous inhibitors have been described for tryptase, and the physiological functions of the enzyme are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects o...
متن کامل