Cathepsin G activity lowers plasma LDL and reduces atherosclerosis

Cathepsin G (CatG), a serine protease present in mast cells and neutrophils, can produce angiotensin-II (Ang-II) and degrade elastin. Here we demonstrate increased CatG expression in smooth muscle cells (SMCs), endothelial cells (ECs), macrophages, and T cells from human atherosclerotic lesions. In...

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Published in:Biochimica et biophysica acta 2014-11, Vol.1842 (11), p.2174-2183
Main Authors: Wang, Jing, Sjöberg, Sara, Tang, Ting-Ting, Öörni, Katariina, Wu, Wenxue, Liu, Conglin, Secco, Blandine, Tia, Viviane, Sukhova, Galina K., Fernandes, Cleverson, Lesner, Adam, Kovanen, Petri T., Libby, Peter, Cheng, Xiang, Shi, Guo-Ping
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angiotensin-II
Atherosclerosis
Cathepsin G
Elastin
Low-density lipoprotein
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Summary:Cathepsin G (CatG), a serine protease present in mast cells and neutrophils, can produce angiotensin-II (Ang-II) and degrade elastin. Here we demonstrate increased CatG expression in smooth muscle cells (SMCs), endothelial cells (ECs), macrophages, and T cells from human atherosclerotic lesions. In low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-deficient (Ldlr–/–) mice, the absence of CatG reduces arterial wall elastin degradation and attenuates early atherosclerosis when mice consume a Western diet for 3months. When mice consume this diet for 6months, however, CatG deficiency exacerbates atherosclerosis in aortic arch without affecting lesion inflammatory cell content or extracellular matrix accumulation, but raises plasma total cholesterol and LDL levels without affecting high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or triglyceride levels. Patients with atherosclerosis also have significantly reduced plasma CatG levels that correlate inversely with total cholesterol (r=–0.535, P
ISSN:0925-4439
0006-3002
1879-260X
1878-2434
DOI:10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.07.026