title: Local generation of C-reactive protein in diseased coronary artery venous bypass grafts and normal vascular tissue.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Venous coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs) are prone to accelerated atherosclerosis. In atherosclerotic diseases, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels have become an important diagnostic and prognostic marker. The origin of CRP in this setting remains to be elucidated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Monoclonal anti-CRP identified CRP expression in medial and intimal alpha-actin-positive smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of diseased CABGs with type V and VI lesions and also of native saphenous veins of atherosclerotic individuals. In addition, patent coronary arteries with type IV and V but not with type I through III lesions exhibited intense SMC staining for CRP. Calcified desobliterates of occluded coronary arteries with end-stage disease did not show SMC staining for CRP and were consistently negative for CRP mRNA, as detected by means of real-time polymerase chain reaction. However, CRP mRNA was expressed in 11 of 15 diseased CABGs and also in 10 of 15 native veins. By contrast, only 3 of 18 internal mammary and 4 of 12 radial arteries with virtually no atherosclerosis were positive for CRP mRNA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CRP is produced by SMCs of atherosclerotic lesions with active disease but not in end-stage plaques. The role of CRP constitutively expressed by normal vascular tissue in vein graft disease has yet to be elucidated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine I, University of Lübeck School of Medicine, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany. wjabs@gmx.de
authors.forename: Wolfram J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Jabs
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Theissing
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nitschke
authors.forename: J F Matthias
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bechtel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duchrow
authors.forename: Salah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jahrbeck
authors.forename: Hans-Hinrich
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Sievers
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bartels
mesh_terms: D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000473:pathology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects; D023903:Coronary Restenosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008323:Mammary Arteries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014680:Veins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D002097:C-Reactive Protein