title: Proteomic analysis of aortae from human lipoprotein(a) transgenic mice shows an early metabolic response independent of atherosclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Elevated low density lipoprotein (LDL) and lipoprotein(a) are independent risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis. Using a proteomic approach we aimed to determine early changes in arterial protein expression in transgenic mice containing both human LDL and lipoprotein(a) in circulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma lipid analyses showed the lipoprotein(a) transgenic mice had significantly higher lipid levels than wildtype, including a much increased LDL and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Analysis of aortae from lipoprotein(a) mice showed lipoprotein(a) accumulation but no lipid accumulation or foam cells, leaving the arteries essentially atherosclerosis free. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, we identified 34 arterial proteins with significantly altered abundance (P<0.05) in lipoprotein(a) transgenic mice compared to wildtype including 17 that showed a ≥2 fold difference. Some proteins of interest showed a similarly altered abundance at the transcript level. These changes collectively indicated an initial metabolic response that included a down regulation in energy, redox and lipid metabolism proteins and changes in structural proteins at a stage when atherosclerosis had not yet developed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that human LDL and lipoprotein(a) promote changes in the expression of a unique set of arterial proteins which may be early indicators of the metabolic disturbances preceding atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Euan J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Rodger
authors.forename: Rachel J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Suetani
authors.forename: Gregory T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Torsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kleffmann
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carne
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Legge
authors.forename: Sally P A
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: McCormick
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019295:Computational Biology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017270:Lipoprotein(a) / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017270:Lipoprotein(a); D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL