title: Death receptors and their ligands in atherosclerosis.
abstract: Atherosclerosis is characterized by the accumulation of a fibro-fatty plaque consisting of immune cells, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), vascular endothelial cells (ECs), and extracellular matrix, surrounding a lipid-rich core. The complexity of atherosclerosis is highlighted by the multifaceted effects that apoptosis and proliferation of specific cell types can have on vessels at different stages of the disease. Death receptors are membrane-bound protein complexes that on binding their cognate ligand, activate an intracellular signaling cascade that results in apoptosis. More recently, signaling from these receptors has been shown to activate multiple other processes, including cell proliferation. This review summarizes our current understanding of signaling events after death receptor activation and the role of death receptors and their ligands in atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Vascular Research, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. m.kavurma@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Mary M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kavurma
authors.forename: Nicole Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Martin R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bennett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D053418:Death Domain Receptor Signaling Adaptor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism; D053218:Receptors, Death Domain / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D053418:Death Domain Receptor Signaling Adaptor Proteins; D008024:Ligands; D053218:Receptors, Death Domain