[Screening for cellular signal transduction pathway involved in C-reactive protein induced endothelial cell...

To investigate the cellular signal transduction pathway involved in participation of C-reactive protein (CRP) in inflammation process in endothelial cell.

Human umbilical vascular endothelial cells were cultured and characterized by anti-Factor VIII-related antigen. The cells were divided into CRP group and control group, and they were respectively treated with CRP (20 mg/L) or serum-free medium for 24 hours. RNAs of two groups were extracted and analyzed by human signal transduction pathway gene array.

Expressions of 13 genes were increased, whereas expressions of 25 genes were decreased in CRP group compared with control group. Especially, WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein 2 (WISP2) was increased by 37.63 folds, which was believed to involve in inflammation process as a growth factor, p53 was increased by 30.50 folds, which was a key factor to modulate apoptosis, whereas, Bcl-x and Bcl-2 were decreased by 9.61% and 49.95% which were characterized as an important factor to prevent apoptosis. Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) was increased by 2.75 folds after treated with CRP, while intercellular adhesion molecular (ICAM) between two groups didn't show statistically significant difference.

CRP may be involved in inflammatory process of endothelial cell, and the mechanism may be to induce apoptosis and activate cellular signal transduction pathway of cell adhesion proteins.