Acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase-1 (ACAT-1) converts intracellular free cholesterol into cholesterol ester for storage in lipid droplets and plays an important role in the formation of macrophage-derived foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions. Serotonin (5-HT), a potent vasoconstrictor that is released from activated platelets, increases uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by macrophages, leading to foam cell formation, and contributes to the development of atherosclerotic plaque. However, it is not yet known whether 5-HT affects ACAT-1 expression in human monocyte-macrophages as the molecular mechanism of enhanced foam cell formation by 5-HT remains unclear. We examined the effects of 5-HT on ACAT-1 expression during differentiation of cultured human monocytes into macrophages. Expression of ACAT-1 protein but not 5-HT2A receptor increased in a time-dependent manner. 5-HT increased ACAT activity in a concentration-dependent manner after 7 days in primary monocyte culture. Immunoblotting analysis showed that 5-HT at 10 microM increased ACAT-1 protein expression level by two-fold, and this effect was abolished completely by a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist (sarpogrelate), its major metabolite (M-1), a G protein inactivator (GDP-beta-S), a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor (rottlerin), a Src family inhibitor (PP2), or a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase inhibitor (PD98059). Northern blotting analysis indicated that among the four ACAT-1 mRNA transcripts (2.8-, 3.6-, 4.3-, and 7.0-kb), the levels of the 2.8- and 3.6-kb transcripts were selectively up-regulated by approximately 1.7-fold by 5-HT (10 microM). The results of the present study suggested that 5-HT may play a crucial role in macrophage-derived foam cell formation by up-regulating ACAT-1 expression via the 5-HT2A receptor/G protein/c-Src/PKC/MAPK pathway, contributing to the progression of atherosclerotic plaque.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2005.08.007 | DOI Listing |
Sci Rep
January 2025
School of Forensic Medicine, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China.
DNA methylation modifications are an important mechanism affecting the process of atherosclerosis (AS). Previous studies have shown that Galectin-8 (GAL8) DNA methylation level is associated with sudden death of coronary heart disease or acute events of coronary heart disease. However, the mechanism of GAL8 DNA methylation and gene expression in AS has not been elucidated, prompting us to carry out further research on it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallic Materials of Jiangsu Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.
Gradient structures are effective for microwave absorbing but suffer from inadequate lightweight and poor flexibility, making them fall behind the comprehensive requirements of electromagnetic protection. Herein, we propose a hierarchical gradient structure by integration with porous and sandwich structures. Specifically, polyimide (PI) foams are used as a robust and flexible skeleton, in which the foam cell walls are sandwiched by TiCT, ZnO, and ZrO atomic layers in sequence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Microbiol
December 2024
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
ACS Appl Eng Mater
December 2024
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States.
Nat Rev Cardiol
January 2025
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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