title: Testin on Atherosclerosis in Rabbits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The expression of TES, a novel tumor suppressor gene, is found to be down-regulated in the left anterior descending aorta of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with non-CAD subjects. This study aimed to investigate the expression of TES during the development of atherosclerosis in rabbits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into a normal diet (ND) and high-fat diet (HFD) groups. Body weight and serum lipid levels were measured at 0, 4, and 12 weeks after diet treatment. The degree of atherosclerosis in thoracic aortas was analyzed by histological examinations. The expression of Testin in the tissue samples was inspected via immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. Real time-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were performed to evaluate the expression of TES/Testin at mRNA and protein levels in the aortic tissues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 12 weeks postenrollment, rabbits in HFD group had a higher level of serum lipids and atherosclerotic plaque compared to ND group (P < 0.05). Testin expression was detected at high levels in the endothelium and a weak expression on the subendothelium area. The expression of TES mRNA was markedly reduced by 10-fold in the aortic tissues in the HFD group compared with the ND group (P = 0.015), and the protein level was also significantly decreased in the HFD group (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced TES/Testin expression is associated with the development of atherosclerosis, implicating a potentially important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Hong-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lao
authors.forename: Zhao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ionic-Molecular Function of Cardiovascular Disease (Key Lab-TIC), Tianjin Institute of Cardiology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300211, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Ping
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins