title: Cytoskeleton deregulation and impairment in amino acids and energy metabolism in early atherosclerosis at aortic tissue with reflection in plasma.
abstract: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, being atherosclerosis the main cause. Main risk factors are known and current effort is very much dedicated to improve prevention. However, the asymptomatic and silent course of atherosclerosis hampers an accurate and individualized risk evaluation.
  
  
  
  Here we investigate subjacent molecular changes taking place in arterial tissue which can be ultimately translated in a measurable fingerprint in plasma.
  
  
  
  First, we applied a combined approach to find out main molecular alterations at protein and metabolite level in response to early atherosclerosis development in a rabbit model. A potential reflection of all these alterations observed in aortic tissue was investigated in rabbit plasma and further analyzed in a translational study in human plasma from 62 individuals.
  
  
  
  Data link the structural remodeling taking place in atherosclerotic arteries in terms of loss of contractile properties and favored cellular migration, with an up-regulation of integrin linked kinase, tropomyosin isoform 2 and capping protein gelsolin-like, and a down-regulation of vinculin. A molecular response to oxidative stress is evidenced, involving changes in the glucose metabolism enzymes pyruvate kinase (PKM) and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK), and pyruvate. Up-regulation of aspartate connects different changes observed in amino acid metabolism and, additionally, alterations in the phosphatidylcholine route of the glycerophospholipid metabolism were found.
  
  
  
  A specific molecular marker panel composed by PKM, valine and pyruvate is shown here linked to cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martin-Lorenzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Calero
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Aroa S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Maroto
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Paula J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zubiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Physiopathology, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de la Cuesta
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Physiopathology, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mourino-Alvarez
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Physiopathology, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, Toledo, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Barderas
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, UAM, Spain.
authors.forename: Angeles
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heredero
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, UAM, Spain.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aldamiz-Echevarría
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I, UCM, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vivanco
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, IIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz, UAM, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Llamas
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids
keywords: Arteries; Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular diseases; Metabolome; Plasma