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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2007;27:2384.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Atherosclerosis and Lipoproteins

Local Overexpression of Toll-Like Receptors at the Vessel Wall Induces Atherosclerotic Lesion Formation

Synergism of TLR2 and TLR4

Masakazu Shinohara; Ken-ichi Hirata; Tomoya Yamashita; Tomofumi Takaya; Naoto Sasaki; Rio Shiraki; Tomomi Ueyama; Noriaki Emoto; Nobutaka Inoue; Mitsuhiro Yokoyama; Seinosuke Kawashima

From the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.

Correspondence to Seinosuke Kawashima, MD, PhD, Department of General Medicine, Nakatsu Saiseikai Hospital, Japan. E-mail kawashima1008{at}nakatsu.saiseikai.or.jp

Objective— Atherosclerosis is now considered as a chronic inflammatory disease, and inflammation is closely related to immune systems, which consist of innate-immunity and adaptive-immunity. Recently, toll-like receptors (TLRs) have been identified as key components of innate-immunity. We examined the role of local expressions of TLRs at the vessel wall in atherosclerosis.

Methods and Results— We transfected cDNA encoding human TLR2 and TLR4 into the carotid arterial vessel wall of rabbits fed high-cholesterol diets with the use of HVJ-liposome. The rabbits were transfected with (1) pCMV-β-gal, (2) empty vector, (3) TLR2, (4) TLR4, (5) TLR2+4. X-gal staining and immunohistochemical analysis showed that the transfected plasmids were mainly expressed in the media. Neither TLR2 nor TLR4 transfection induced significant augmentation of atherosclerosis. Transfection of TLR2- and TLR4-containing HVJ synergistically accelerated atherosclerosis and increased expressions of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and MCP-1. Moreover, transfection of TLR2 and TLR4 resulted in synergistic activation of NF-B at the vessel wall in vivo, and in vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro.

Conclusions— Expressions of both TLR2 and TLR4 at the vessel wall synergistically accelerated atherosclerosis. The present study revealed the role of TLRs expressed locally at the vessel wall in the early stage of atherosclerosis.

Local cotransfection of TLR2 and TLR4 at the vessel wall synergistically accelerated atherosclerosis in carotid arteries of rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet. The synergistic augmentation was likely related to the marked activation of NF-B, leading to augmented expressions of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and MCP-1, at the vessel wall.

Key Words: atherosclerosis • toll-like receptors • inflammation • gene transfer • adhesion molecules

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