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Enzymatically modified LDL induces cathepsin H in human monocytes: potential relevance in early atherogenesis
Shan-Rui Han1, Arash Momeni, Katharina Strach
1Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene and Department for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Hochhaus am Augustusplatz, 55131 Mainz, Germany.
Objective:
Modification with proteases and cholesterylesterase transforms LDL to a moiety that resembles lipoproteins isolated from atherosclerotic lesions and possesses atherogenic properties. To identify changes in monocyte-derived foam cells laden with enzymatically modified LDL (E-LDL), we compared patterns of the most abundant transcripts in these cells after incubation with LDL or E-LDL.
Methods And Results:
Serial analyses of gene expression (SAGE) libraries were constructed from human monocytes after treatment with LDL or E-LDL. Several tags were differentially expressed in LDL-treated versus E-LDL-treated cells, whereby marked selective induction by E-LDL of cathepsin H was conspicuous. We show that cathepsin H is expressed in atherosclerotic lesions in colocalization with E-LDL. Furthermore, we demonstrate that LDL modified with cathepsin H and cholesterylesterase can confer onto LDL the capacity to induce macrophage foam cell formation and to induce cathepsin H.
Conclusions:
Cathepsin H could contribute to the transformation of LDL to an atherogenic moiety; the process might involve a self-sustaining amplifying circle.