Abstract
Adhesion of monocytes to the endothelium in lesion-prone areas is one of the earliest events in fatty streak formation leading to atherogenesis. The molecular basis of increased monocyte adhesion is not fully characterized. We have identified a novel vascular monocyte adhesion associated protein, VMAP- 1, that plays a role in adhesion of monocytes to activated endothelium. Originally selected for its ability to block binding of a mouse monocyte- like cell line (WEHI78/24) to cytokine- or LPS-stimulated cultured mouse endothelial cells in vitro, anti-VMAP-1 mAb LM151 cross-reacts with rabbit endothelium and blocks binding of human monocytes to cultured rabbit aortic endothelial cells stimulated with minimally modified low density lipoprotein, thought to be a physiologically relevant atherogenic stimulus. Most importantly, LM151 prevents adhesion of normal monocytes and monocytoid cells to intact aortic endothelium from cholesterol fed rabbits in an ex vivo assay. VMAP-1 is a 50-kD protein. Immunohistology of vessels reveals focal constitutive expression in aorta and other large vessels. VMAP-1 is thus a novel vascular adhesion-associated protein that appears to play a critical role in monocyte adhesion to aortic endothelial cells in atherogenesis in vivo.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2069-2077 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Experimental Medicine |
Volume | 185 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 16 1997 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology