title: Role of endothelial cell-derived angptl2 in vascular inflammation leading to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis progression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the most common morbidity resulting from atherosclerosis, remains a frequent cause of death. Efforts to develop effective therapeutic strategies have focused on vascular inflammation as a critical pathology driving atherosclerosis progression. Nonetheless, molecular mechanisms underlying this activity remain unclear. Here, we ask whether angiopoietin-like protein 2 (Angptl2), a proinflammatory protein, contributes to vascular inflammation that promotes atherosclerosis progression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histological analysis revealed abundant Angptl2 expression in endothelial cells and macrophages infiltrating atheromatous plaques in patients with cardiovascular disease. Angptl2 knockout in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice (ApoE(-/-)/Angptl2(-/-)) attenuated atherosclerosis progression by decreasing the number of macrophages infiltrating atheromatous plaques, reducing vascular inflammation. Bone marrow transplantation experiments showed that Angptl2 deficiency in endothelial cells attenuated atherosclerosis development. Conversely, ApoE(-/-) mice crossed with transgenic mice expressing Angptl2 driven by the Tie2 promoter (ApoE(-/-)/Tie2-Angptl2 Tg), which drives Angptl2 expression in endothelial cells but not monocytes/macrophages, showed accelerated plaque formation and vascular inflammation because of increased numbers of infiltrated macrophages in atheromatous plaques. Tie2-Angptl2 Tg mice alone did not develop plaques but exhibited endothelium-dependent vasodilatory dysfunction, likely because of decreased production of endothelial cell-derived nitric oxide. Conversely, Angptl2(-/-) mice exhibited less severe endothelial dysfunction than did wild-type mice when fed a high-fat diet. In vitro, Angptl2 activated proinflammatory nuclear factor-κB signaling in endothelial cells and increased monocyte/macrophage chemotaxis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endothelial cell-derived Angptl2 accelerates vascular inflammation by activating proinflammatory signaling in endothelial cells and increasing macrophage infiltration, leading to endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis progression.
authors: From the Department of Molecular Genetics (E.H., T.K., K.M., H.H., M.E., M. Tabata, H.T., Z.T., O.T., K.T., Y.O.), Department of Cardiovascular Medicine (E.H., H.O., K.K.), and Department of Cell Pathology (M. Takeya), Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan; Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine (Y.A., N.H.) and Department of Cell Differentiation, The Sakaguchi Laboratory, School of Medicine (K.H., T.S.), Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Environmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan (Y.D., T.N., Y.K.); Department of Surgical Pathology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan (H.H.); Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan (T.M.); and Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, Japan (Y.O.).
authors: Eiji
authors: E
authors: Horio
authors: Tsuyoshi
authors: T
authors: Kadomatsu
authors: Keishi
authors: K
authors: Miyata
authors: Yasumichi
authors: Y
authors: Arai
authors: Kentaro
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authors: Hosokawa
authors: Yasufumi
authors: Y
authors: Doi
authors: Toshiharu
authors: T
authors: Ninomiya
authors: Haruki
authors: H
authors: Horiguchi
authors: Motoyoshi
authors: M
authors: Endo
authors: Mitsuhisa
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authors: Tabata
authors: Hirokazu
authors: H
authors: Tazume
authors: Zhe
authors: Z
authors: Tian
authors: Otowa
authors: O
authors: Takahashi
authors: Kazutoyo
authors: K
authors: Terada
authors: Motohiro
authors: M
authors: Takeya
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Hao
authors: Nobuyoshi
authors: N
authors: Hirose
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Minami
authors: Toshio
authors: T
authors: Suda
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Kiyohara
authors: Hisao
authors: H
authors: Ogawa
authors: Koichi
authors: K
authors: Kaikita
authors: Yuichi
authors: Y
authors: Oike
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000091302:Angiopoietin-Like Protein 2; D000075802:Angiopoietin-like Proteins; D042682:Angiopoietins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism*; D039081:Integrin alpha5beta1 / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013997:Time Factors; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014664:Vasodilation
chemical_list: C485792:ANGPTL2 protein, human; D000091302:Angiopoietin-Like Protein 2; D000075802:Angiopoietin-like Proteins; D042682:Angiopoietins; C485793:Angptl2 protein, mouse; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D039081:Integrin alpha5beta1; D016328:NF-kappa B; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: atherosclerosis; cardiovascular diseases; endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor factors; inflammation