| First Author | Callegari A | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol | Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 11 | Pages | 2473-82 |
| PubMed ID | 21868708 | Mgi Jnum | J:191462 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5461786 | Doi | 10.1161/ATVBAHA.111.229765 |
| Citation | Callegari A, et al. (2011) Gain and loss of function for glutathione synthesis: impact on advanced atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 31(11):2473-82 |
| abstractText | OBJECTIVE: Glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL) is the rate-limiting step in glutathione synthesis. The enzyme is a heterodimer composed of a catalytic subunit, GCLC, and a modifier subunit, GCLM. We generated apolipoprotein E (apoE)-/- mice deficient in GCLM (apoE-/-/Gclm-/-) and transgenic mice that overexpress GCLC specifically in macrophages (apoE-/-/Gclc-Tg) to test the hypothesis that significantly altering the availability of glutathione has a measurable impact on both the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Atherosclerotic plaque size and composition were measured in the innominate artery in chow-fed male and female mice at 20, 30, 40, and 50 weeks of age and in the aortic sinus at 40 and 50 weeks of age. The apoE-/-/Gclm-/- mice more rapidly developed complex lesions, whereas the apoE-/-/Gclc-Tg mice had reduced lesion development compared with the littermate apoE-/- control mice. Transplantation of bone marrow from the apoE-/-/Gclm-/- and apoE-/-/Gclc-Tg mice into apoE-/- mice with established lesions also stimulated or inhibited further lesion development at 30 weeks posttransplant. CONCLUSION: Gain and loss of function in the capacity to synthesize glutathione especially in macrophages has reciprocal effects on the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis at multiple sites in apoE-/- mice. |
