Integrated DNA methylation and gene expression analysis identifies SLAMF7 as a key regulator of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a multifactorial disease. Exploration of DNA methylation in regulating gene transcription in a cell type- and stage-specific manner will shed light on understanding the biological processes associated with plaque stability. We identified 174 up-regulated genes with hypo-methylation in the promoter, and 86 down-regulated genes with hyper-methylation in the promoter, in AS vs. healthy controls. Among them, high expression of signaling lymphocytic activation molecule 7 (SLAM7) was examined in carotid plaque vs. intact tissue, in advanced plaque vs. early atherosclerotic tissue, and SLAMF7 protein expressed significantly higher in the unstable plaques than that in the stable plaques, especially in the CD68-positive macrophages. Depletion of SLAMF7 in plaque-derived macrophages induced a suppressed secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, and inhibited proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. These data provide emerging evidence that SLAMF7 could be a target of potential therapeutic intervention in carotid AS.