The increment of anti-ORP150 autoantibody in initial stages of atheroma in high-fat diet fed mice.

Expression of 150 kda oxygen-regulated protein, ORP150, was examined in the atheromatous lesions on aortic valves in high-fat diet fed mice. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that ORP150 was expressed on the surface of plaque and was co-localized with phagocytes bearing Mac-3, a mouse macrophage differentiation antigen. These findings suggest that ORP150 is involved in the development of the atheromatous plaque. Titer of autoantibody against ORP150 was gradually elevated in parallel with the length of period of high-fat diet feeding. These results suggest that the deposition of immunocomplex toward ORP150 antigen is involved in atheromatous plaque progression.