| Autor: |
Wierda, R.J. |
| Přispěvatelé: |
Elsen, P.J. van den, Leiden University |
| Jazyk: |
angličtina |
| Rok vydání: |
2015 |
| Předmět: |
|
| Zdroj: |
None |
| Popis: |
Atherosclerosis is one of the primary causes of cardiovascular disease; the number one cause of death in the western society. Atherosclerotic plaque formation is a dynamic multi-cellular process where regulation of different genes essentially determines the activity of the different cell types involved. Gene expression is regulated, amongst others, by epigenetic processes. Epigenetic mechanisms change the accessibility of the DNA sequence and is thought to form a link between environmental factors and gene expression. Epigenetics may therefor play an important role in atherosclerosis pathology. The research described in this thesis evaluated the role of epigenetic regulation on various aspects of atherosclerosis pathology. It was found that the epigenetic H3K27Me3-mark was reduced in later stages of the disease. Monocytes differentiating into dendritic cells and macrophages (an important process in atherosclerosis pathology) showed higher transcription of the epigenetic regulatory gene KMT1c. Specifically blocking this gene resulted in reduction of DC-SIGN (a dendritic cell specific molecule) expression. By specifically blocking other epigenetic proteins, CCR5 (a molecule important to monocyte migration) was re-expressed on cells which did not express CCR5. This shows that epigenetic regulation is an important process in atherosclerosis pathology and might prove to be novel pharmacological target for treatment of atherosclerosis. |
| Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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