DBA/2J Haplotype on Distal Chromosome 2 Reduces Mertk Expression, Restricts Efferocytosis, and Increases Susceptibility to Atherosclerosis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Arch atherosclerosis 4 (Aath4) is a quantitative trait locus for atherosclerotic plaque formation in the inner curve of the aortic arch previously identified in an F2 cross of Apoe^-/- mice on DBA/2J and 129S6 backgrounds. C-mer proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase (Mertk), coding for a ligand-activated transmembrane tyrosine kinase, is a candidate gene within the same chromosomal region. Our objective was to determine whether strain differences in Mertk influence plaque formation.

Approach and results

To dissect the strain effects of Mertk on atherosclerosis, we first established a congenic mouse line (Aath4a^DBA/DBA ) in which a 5' region of Aath4 of DBA/2J, including Mertk, was b

SUBMITTER: Kayashima Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5497749 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature