Ligation of macrophage Fcγ receptors recapitulates the gene expression pattern of vulnerable human carotid plaques.

ABSTRACT: Stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States. As ∼60% of strokes result from carotid plaque rupture, elucidating the mechanisms that underlie vulnerability is critical for therapeutic intervention. We tested the hypothesis that stable and vulnerable human plaques differentially express genes associated with matrix degradation. Examination established that femoral, and the distal region of carotid, plaques were histologically stable while the proximal carotid plaque regions were vulnerable. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to compare expression of 22 genes among these tissues. Distal carotid and femoral gene expression was not significantly different, permitting the distal carotid segments to be used as a paired control for their corresponding proximal regions. Analysis of the paired

SUBMITTER: Lennartz MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3140977 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature