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(Circulation Research. 2007;101:357.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Molecular Medicine

Attenuated Expression of Profilin-1 Confers Protection From Atherosclerosis in the LDL Receptor–Null Mouse

Giulio R. Romeo, Karen S. Moulton, Andrius Kazlauskas

From the The Schepens Eye Research Institute (G.R.R., A.K.), the Vascular Biology Program, Children’s Hospital (K.S.M.), and the Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (K.S.M.), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

Correspondence to Giulio R. Romeo, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114. E-mail giulio.romeo{at}schepens.harvard.edu

Atherosclerosis-related events are a major cause of morbidity and death worldwide, but the mechanisms underlying atherogenesis are not fully understood. We showed in previous studies that the actin-binding protein profilin-1 (pfn) was upregulated in atherosclerotic plaques and in endothelial cells (ECs) treated with oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL). The present study addressed the role of pfn in atheroma formation. To this end, mice with heterozygous deficiency of pfn, Pfn^+/–, were crossed with Ldlr^–/– mice. After 2 months under a 1.25% cholesterol atherogenic diet, Pfn^+/–Ldlr^–/– (PfnHet) exhibited a significant reduction in lesion burden compared with Ldlr^–/– control mice (PfnWT), whereas total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were similar in the 2 groups. Relevant atheroprotective changes were identified in PfnHet. When compared with PfnWT, aortas from PfnHet mice showed preserved endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation and nitric oxide (NO)-dependent signaling, and reduced vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 expression and macrophage accumulation at lesion-prone sites. Similarly, knockdown of pfn in cultured aortic ECs was protective against endothelial dysfunction triggered by oxLDL. Finally, bone marrow–derived macrophages from PfnHet showed blunted internalization of oxLDL and oxLDL-induced inflammation. These studies demonstrate that pfn levels modulate processes critical for early atheroma formation and suggest that pfn heterozygosity confers atheroprotection through combined endothelial- and macrophage-dependent mechanisms.

Key Words: profilin • atherosclerosis • eNOS • vascular inflammation

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