Abstract
Elevated lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels are a causal risk factor for coronary heart disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that Lp(a) can stimulate cellular inflammatory responses through the kringle-containing apolipoprotein (a) [apo(a)] component. Here, we report that recombinant apo(a) containing 17 kringle (17K) IV domains elicits a dose-dependent increase in interleukin (IL)-8 mRNA and protein expression in THP-1 and U937 macrophages. This effect was blunted by mutation of the lysine binding site in apo(a) kringle IV type 10, which resulted in the loss of oxidized phospholipid (oxPL) on apo(a). Trypsin-digested 17K had the same stimulatory effect on IL-8 expression as intact apo(a), while enzymatic removal of oxPL from apo(a) significantly blunted this effect. Using siRNA to assess candidate receptors, we found that CD36 and TLR2 may play roles in apo(a)-mediated IL-8 stimulation. Downstream of these receptors, inhibitors of MAPKs, Jun N-terminal kinase and ERK1/2, abolished the effect of apo(a) on IL-8 gene expression. To assess the roles of downstream transcription factors, luciferase reporter gene experiments were conducted using an IL-8 promoter fragment. The apo(a)-induced expression of this reporter construct was eliminated by mutation of IL-8 promoter binding sites for either NF-κB or AP-1. Our results provide a mechanistic link between oxPL modification of apo(a) and stimulation of proinflammatory intracellular signaling pathways.
Highlights
Elevated lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels are a causal risk factor for coronary heart disease
Lp(a) is a unique lipoprotein class owing to the presence of the large glycoprotein, apolipoprotein (a) [apo(a)], that is covalently linked to apoB-100 via a single disulfide bond [8]
The increase in IL-8 gene expression by Lp(a) was comparable to that observed for apo(a), while LDL treatment of the cells resulted in no significant increase in IL-8 gene expression (Fig. 1A)
Summary
Elevated lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels are a causal risk factor for coronary heart disease. We report that recombinant apo(a) containing 17 kringle (17K) IV domains elicits a dose-dependent increase in interleukin (IL)-8 mRNA and protein expression in THP-1 and U937 macrophages. This effect was blunted by mutation of the lysine binding site in apo(a) kringle IV type 10, which resulted in the loss of oxidized phospholipid (oxPL) on apo(a). Using siRNA to assess candidate receptors, we found that CD36 and TLR2 may play roles in apo(a)-mediated IL-8 stimulation Downstream of these receptors, inhibitors of MAPKs, Jun N-terminal kinase and ERK1/2, abolished the effect of apo(a) on IL-8 gene expression.
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