Donate Help Contact The AHA Sign In Home
American Heart Association
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
Search: search_blue_button Advanced Search
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2000;20:683-688

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mahaney, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Wang, X. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mahaney, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Wang, X. L.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
*Compound via MeSH
*Substance via MeSH
*Genetics Home Reference
Hazardous Substances DB
*NITRIC OXIDE
Related Collections
Right arrow Genetics of cardiovascular disease
(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2000;20:683.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.


Vascular Biology

Plasma Levels of Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase in an Australian Population

Genetic Contribution to Normal Variation and Correlations With Plasma Nitric Oxide and Apolipoprotein A-I Levels

Michael C. Mahaney; Stefan A. Czerwinski; Tetsuo Adachi; David E. L. Wilcken; Xing Li Wang

From the Department of Genetics (M.C.M., S.A.C.), Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Tex; the Laboratory of Clinical Pharmaceutics (T.A.), Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan; and the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine (D.E.L.W., X.L.W.), University of New South Wales, Prince Henry/Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia.

Correspondence to M.C. Mahaney, PhD, Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, PO Box 760549, San Antonio, TX 78245-0549. E-mail mmahaney{at}darwin.sfbr.org


*    Abstract
up arrowTop
*Abstract
down arrowIntroduction
down arrowMethods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Abstract—Extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is a major superoxide scavenger and may be important to normal vascular function and cardiovascular health. We analyzed family data from 610 healthy Australians to detect and quantify the effects of genes on normal variation in plasma levels of EC-SOD and to test for pleiotropy with plasma nitric oxide (NO) and apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I). Using maximum-likelihood–based variance decomposition methods, we determined that sex, age, and plasma levels of HDL cholesterol, apoA-I, and creatinine accounted for 38.6% of the variance in plasma EC-SOD levels and that additive genes accounted for 35% (P<0.00002). Multivariate analyses of plasma levels of EC-SOD, NOx (a measure of basal NO production), and apoA-I detected significant genetic correlations, indicating pleiotropy between EC-SOD and apoA-I (genetic correlation [{rho}G]=-0.45) and between NOx and apoA-I ({rho}G=0.58) but not between EC-SOD and NOx. Genes shared by EC-SOD and apoA-I account for 20% of the genetic variance and, respectively, 7% and 9% of the phenotypic variance in both traits. Shared genes also account for >33% of the genetic variance and 5% and 15% of the respective phenotypic variance in NOx and apoA-I. In healthy individuals, over a third of the variance in EC-SOD plasma levels is due to the additive effects of genes. Some genes influence EC-SOD and apoA-I levels. The same is true of NOx and apoA-I but not of EC-SOD and NOx. These patterns of pleiotropy can guide subsequent attempts to identify the genes and physiological mechanisms underlying them.


Key Words: superoxide dismutase • nitric oxide • apolipoproteins • heritability • pleiotropy


*    Introduction
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
*Introduction
down arrowMethods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide anions, the hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, and peroxynitrites, are produced by many cell types, including endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, neutrophils, monocytes, and platelets,1 and are implicated in many pathologies, including those affecting the cardiovascular system. Superoxide radicals react with various molecules, resulting in either direct damage or potentially harmful products. Of particular interest to cardiovascular biology is their avid reaction with nitric oxide (NO), which is constantly produced by endothelium and facilitates the maintenance of basal vascular tone, to form peroxynitrite, a potent oxidant.1 2 3 4 Abundant peroxynitrite, as identified by nitrotyrosine, is detected in atherosclerotic lesions, and overproduction of peroxynitrite has been implicated in atherogenesis.3 5 6 7

One protective response of tissues against untoward effects of ROS is production of antioxidative molecules, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD). Whereas each of the 3 isoenzymes of SOD (secreted extracellular SOD [EC-SOD], cytosolic CuZn-SOD, and mitochondrial Mn-SOD)8 9 10 has specific cellular locations and functions, all reduce superoxide radicals to hydrogen peroxide and molecular oxygen. Over 90% of EC-SOD is found in the interstitial spaces of tissues and extracellular fluids and is responsible for the majority of SOD activity of plasma, lymph, and synovial fluid.8 11 12 EC-SOD has a high affinity for heparin sulfate proteoglycans13 14 15 present in the connective tissue matrix and on cell surfaces, particularly surfaces of endothelial cells. Endothelium surface–bound EC-SOD is the primary source of circulating plasma EC-SOD, and levels are in equilibrium between these 2 phases.11 12 16 It is a key component in the antioxidation capability of the vascular wall and likely contributes to atherogenesis.

Results of a recent study in an Australian population with coronary artery disease are consistent with a relation between EC-SOD bioavailability and cardiovascular disease risk.17 When individuals with a mutation known to produce extremely high EC-SOD levels were excluded, plasma EC-SOD levels were inversely associated with smoking behavior so that those of current smokers were lowest, those of exsmokers were intermediate, and those of nonsmokers were highest. Furthermore, patients with a history of myocardial infarction had lower plasma EC-SOD levels.

Known genetic effects on plasma EC-SOD levels are limited to those attributed to a single base-pair substitution, Arg213->Gly at the heparin-binding domain, in the structural gene for EC-SOD located on chromosome 4 (4pter-q21). This mutation has been identified and found to be associated with very high plasma EC-SOD levels in several populations, albeit with a low prevalence: eg, 6% in Japanese, 3.2% in Australian whites, and 2.2% in Swedes.17 18 19 20 21 The mutation impairs the affinity of EC-SOD for heparin at the endothelial cell surface,18 22 23 but given the equilibrium between plasma and endothelial cell surface EC-SOD, it appears to be directly responsible for markedly increased plasma EC-SOD levels in those who possess it. Although it is known that the Arg213->Gly mutation was responsible for a bimodal distribution of EC-SOD levels in the Australian study population cited above,17 the genetic contribution to quantitative variation in the more common range of this phenotype, exhibited by 93% to 97% of that population, is still unknown.

Slightly more is known about the genetic contribution to normal variation in endothelial constitutive NO, a key molecule in peroxynitrite production against which EC-SOD is a protective response. Analyses of data from a study of healthy members of >100 Australian families showed that genes and plasma levels of apoA-I significantly influence normal variation in plasma NO levels.24 The potential role of EC-SOD plus these observations on NO motivated the 2 principal objectives of the present study. The first was to detect and measure the effects of genes on normal quantitative variation in plasma levels of EC-SOD in individuals not possessing the Arg213->Gly mutation. The second objective was to discern the extent to which genes influencing plasma EC-SOD levels also influenced plasma levels of NO and apoA-I.


*    Methods
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
*Methods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Subjects
We collected blood samples from 610 members of 144 nuclear families, a majority of which provided the data for the earlier study in which we detected the effects of genes and apoA-I on variation in plasma NO levels.24 Subjects were healthy volunteers recruited from the ongoing Heart Health Education Program for family-based primary coronary disease prevention. Ascertainment was random with respect to cardiovascular disease risk. All volunteers were white, of European origin, and residing in Sydney; none were current smokers. They were advised to remain on their usual diets before blood collection, and all were healthy at the time of study. Written consent was obtained from every subject and/or subject’s parent. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of New South Wales.

A 4-mL venous blood sample was drawn into an EDTA tube after an overnight fast (12 to 14 hours). The blood sample was maintained at 4°C for 2 to 4 hours and centrifuged at 3500 rpm (2000g). Plasma was stored at -70°C in aliquots until analysis for EC-SOD.

Measurements of EC-SOD Levels and Biochemical Analyses
Circulating plasma EC-SOD levels were measured as described previously.25 Plasma levels of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and creatinine were measured by the Clinical Chemistry Department, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia, by using standard enzymatic methods. LDL cholesterol levels were calculated by use of the Friedewald formula. We measured levels of apoA-I, apoB, and Lp(a) by using ELISA methods developed in our laboratory.26 Plasma NO levels (NOx, measured as the metabolites nitrite and nitrate) were assayed as described by Wang et al.27

Statistical Genetic Analysis
Pedigree and phenotype data management and preparation were accomplished by using the computer package PEDSYS.28 Statistical genetic analyses were conducted with the use of maximum-likelihood methods implemented in Sequential Oliogenic Linkage Analysis Routines (SOLAR)29 and a modified version of Pedigree Analysis Programs (PAP) 3.030 to compute likelihoods of genetic models on phenotypic data distributed in pedigrees.

Initial univariate analyses simultaneously estimated the mean effects of potential covariates and the proportions of the phenotypic variance in each of the 3 traits that were attributable to the additive effects of genes (heritability, or h2) and unmeasured environmental factors (e2). We estimated h2 as {varsigma}G2/{varsigma}P2, where {varsigma}G2 is the variance due to the effects of genes, and {varsigma}P2 is the phenotypic variance. In addition to effects of sex and sex-specific age terms, we screened the following for inclusion as covariates in genetic models for each trait: plasma levels of the other 2 phenotypes, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, apoB, Lp(a), glucose, and creatinine.

Multivariate quantitative genetic analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which variation in plasma levels of EC-SOD, NOx, and apoA-I were attributable to the additive effects of shared genes and shared nongenetic factors. We used an analytical approach developed by Blangero and Konigsberg31 and described in detail by Mahaney et al32 to model the multivariate phenotype of an individual as a linear function of the measurements on individuals’ traits, the population means of these traits, and the covariates and their regression coefficients, plus the additive genetic values and random environmental deviations. From this model, we also estimated the additive genetic and environmental (nongenetic) correlations, {rho}G and {rho}E, between trait pairs. Respectively, these 2 correlations estimate the effects of shared genes (ie, pleiotropy) and shared, unmeasured, nongenetic factors on the phenotypic variance in a trait. We used maximum-likelihood estimates of the 2 to obtain estimates of total phenotypic correlation, {rho}P, between trait pairs as described elsewhere.32

Significance of all parameters, including variance components, covariate effects, and correlations, was assessed by natural log likelihood ratio tests,33 in which -2xnatural log likelihood of a restricted model (in which the parameter value to be tested is fixed at zero) is compared with that same statistic for a more general model in which that parameter value is estimated. An additional likelihood ratio test in which the absolute value of the genetic correlation was fixed at 1.0 was used to test the hypothesis of complete pleiotropy, ie, the case for which all additive genetic variance in 2 traits is due to the same shared genes. Although critical values for including covariates in genetic models after initial screens corresponded to P=0.10, we did not consider maximum estimates of, for example, heritabilities, correlations, and covariate effects to be significant in the final analyses at P>0.05.

Analyses of nuclear family data may lead to inflated h2 estimates because of the confounding of additive genetic and common familial environmental effects. Spousal correlations (rsp) were estimated for each trait, and rsp values significantly >0.0 were considered evidence of such confounding.


*    Results
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMethods
*Results
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Of the 610 participants in the present study, 300 were females (mean ages were as follows: parent and offspring generations combined, 24.1±4.9 years; parent generation, 39.0±4.8 years; and offspring generation, 10.3±3.3 years), and 310 were males (mean ages were as follows: parent and offspring generations combined, 25.5±17.0 years; parent generation, 42.5±7.8 years; and offspring generation, 10.7±3.8 years). These individuals belonged to 144 nuclear families ranging in size from 3 to 6 members, with a modal size of 4 (2 parents and 2 children). Measures of plasma EC-SOD levels were obtained for 515 individuals; NOx levels, for 550; and apoA-I levels, for 562. Data for 15 individuals (2.97% of the sample) with EC-SOD levels >700 ng/L, all of whom were determined to possess the Arg213->Gly mutation,20 were identified as "outliers" and eliminated from further analysis. Summary statistics for age and the 3 phenotypes for the remaining individuals in the sample, none of whom was found to have the Arg213->Gly mutation, are presented in Table 1Down.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 1. Age, EC-SOD, NOx, and ApoA-I by Sex in Healthy Australian Families

Maximum-likelihood parameter estimates and their standard errors from the unrestricted univariate quantitative genetic model for each of the 3 traits are presented in Table 2Down. In addition to age and sex terms, those covariates with potential utility for better characterization of the variance component model for each trait (ie, P<0.10 in the initial covariate screen) were also included. For EC-SOD, these covariates included plasma levels of HDL cholesterol, creatinine, and apoA-I and accounted for 38.6% of the phenotypic variance of this trait. Two variables, apoA-I and apoB, contributed only 6% of the phenotypic variance in NOx. Over 25% of the phenotypic variance in apoA-I was due to the effects of HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, apoB, NOx, and EC-SOD. Genes contributed significantly to the remaining residual phenotypic variance in plasma levels of EC-SOD (h2=0.58, P<0.000001), NOx (h2=0.18, P=0.000016), and apoA-I (h2=0.62, P<0.000001). Respectively, these estimates indicate that additive genetic effects account for 35.6%, 16.7%, and 15.7% of the total phenotypic variance in EC-SOD, NOx, and apoA-I. Because no rsp value was significantly >0.0 (SOD rsp=-0.03, NOx rsp=-0.02, and apoA-I rsp=0.06; P>0.10), inflation of the heritability estimates due to common familial environmental effects is unlikely in these data.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 2. Maximum-Likelihood Parameter Estimates (±SE) From Univariate Statistical Genetic Analyses of Plasma Levels of EC-SOD, NOx, and ApoA-I in Healthy Australian Families

Using parameter estimates from Table 2Up as the new initial values, we maximized the likelihood of a single trivariate quantitative genetic model that included plasma EC-SOD, NOx, and apoA-I on the same family data to estimate genetic and nongenetic correlations between these traits (note that because they were included as the primary phenotypes in this trivariate model, plasma levels for these 3 traits were not included also as covariates). Maximum-likelihood estimates of the correlations due to shared effects of additive genes and shared effects of nongenetic factors and the phenotypic correlations derived from them are presented in Table 3Down. Plasma levels of EC-SOD exhibit a significant negative genetic correlation with apoA-I levels only ({rho}G=-0.45). In contrast, plasma apoA-I levels show a significant, but positive, genetic correlation with plasma levels of NOx ({rho}G=0.58). Likelihood ratio tests rejected the hypothesis of complete pleiotropy for both significant correlations (P<0.05). None of the correlations due to unmeasured nongenetic factors was significant (P>0.09).


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 3. Correlations (±SE) Between Plasma EC-SOD, NOx, and ApoA-I Levels: Total Phenotypic Correlations ({rho}P) and Maximum-Likelihood Estimates of Correlations Due to Additive Effects of Genes ({rho}G) and Unmeasured Nongenetic Factors ({rho}E)

The squared additive genetic correlation is interpreted as the proportion of the additive genetic variance in each of the 2 traits attributable to shared genetic effects (Table 4Down). Shared genetic effects account for {approx}20% of the additive genetic variance in plasma levels of EC-SOD and apoA-I. NOx and apoA-I share nearly 34% of their additive genetic effects. Similar treatment of the nonsignificant correlations between EC-SOD and NOx reveals that shared genetic effects would account for <3% of the additive genetic variance in these 2 traits.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 4. Proportions of Variance in Plasma Levels of EC-SOD, NOx, and ApoA-I Due to Shared Additive Genetic Effects

The proportion of the total phenotypic variance in each trait of a trait pair that is due to the effects of shared genes equals the product of the squared additive genetic correlation, h2, and the proportion of the total phenotypic variance not attributable to covariate effects. For EC-SOD and NOx, these proportions are negligible; but for EC-SOD and apoA-I, respectively, the proportions of the total phenotypic variance due to shared gene effects are 7.2% and 9.3%; and, for NOx and apoA-I, the respective proportions are 5.7% and 15.5%.

Analogous calculations applied to correlations due to shared, unmeasured, nongenetic factors provides tentative evidence for such an effect between plasma levels of EC-SOD and apoA-I only. Shared unmeasured nongenetic factors account for <1% of the total phenotypic variance in either of these 2 traits.


*    Discussion
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMethods
up arrowResults
*Discussion
down arrowReferences
 
Because plasma EC-SOD levels have been shown to be correlated with history of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors,17 genes influencing quantitative variation in plasma EC-SOD levels are likely to contribute also to interindividual variance in cardiovascular disease susceptibility. To our knowledge, this is the first reported quantification of the effect of genes on normal quantitative variation in plasma levels of EC-SOD in this or any other population. We have learned that >35% of the total phenotypic variance in circulating plasma levels of EC-SOD is attributable to the effects of genes other than 1 previously described mutation.17 Although obtained from analysis of data from nuclear families, our finding of a nonsignificant spousal correlation suggests that the magnitude of this estimated genetic effect is unlikely to be inflated by common familial environmental factors. This is true also for the NOx and apoA-I heritability estimates and for the correlations obtained in subsequent multivariate analyses.

To our knowledge, little is known of the possible interactions of growth, development, and maturation on differences in plasma EC-SOD levels in children, adolescents, and adults.34 If they existed, such interactions might tend to obscure, rather than inflate, evidence of additive genetic effects on variation in a sample like ours, in which the data from both adults in the parental generation and their preadult offspring were analyzed. Consequently, we are confident that the estimates of heritability and genetic correlation presented in the present study are, at worst, conservative ones.

Contrary to our expectations, given the reported concordance between EC-SOD expression and inducible NO synthase expression in human and rabbit atherosclerotic lesions,35 we have also learned that in these Australian families EC-SOD levels are related to NOx levels through their separate pleiotropic interactions with plasma levels of apoA-I. Significant positive pleiotropy between apoA-I and NOx indicates that a common gene or suite of genes contributes to correlated upregulation and downregulation of production for both phenotypes. We believe that this pleiotropy is biologically important: over a third of the additive genetic variance in both traits and nearly 16% and 6% of the total phenotypic variance in apoA-I and NOx, respectively, are attributable to the additive effects of the same gene or genes. Because the pleiotropy is incomplete, other genes, not shared by these 2 traits, account for >60% of the additive genetic variance in these 2 traits.

EC-SOD and apoA-I also share genes in common, but this pleiotropic relation is a negative one. When mechanisms that influence plasma levels of EC-SOD are upregulated, those influencing plasma levels of apoA-I are downregulated, or vice versa. This pleiotropy is somewhat weaker than that between plasma levels of NOx and apoA-I, accounting for one fifth of the additive genetic variance in plasma EC-SOD and apoA-I levels and {approx}7% and 9% of their respective total phenotypic variance. Genes other than those producing this negative pleiotropy are responsible for the remaining additive genetic variance in plasma levels of EC-SOD and apoA-I.

A lack of pleiotropy between EC-SOD and NOx when both exhibit pleiotropy with apoA-I indicates that the 2 observed pleiotropic relations (EC-SOD with apoA-I and NOx with apoA-I) are attributable to 2 independent sets of genes. However, our findings are from analyses of data obtained from healthy families with no frank cardiovascular disease and the correlated expression of EC-SOD and inducible NOS, leading us to expect the pleiotropy between EC-SOD and NOx that was observed in studies of atherosclerotic lesions.33 It is possible that interaction with internal or external environmental factors, normal or pathological, that are not present in the families in the present study could effect the gene expression necessary to establish this "missing" pleiotropy.

It is highly unlikely that the genetic correlations detected in the present study are reflective of linkage rather than pleiotropy. That would require strong linkage disequilibrium resulting from multiple mutations at different loci within a very narrow region (eg, <<1 cM) of a chromosome.

The ultimate objective of any cardiovascular disease genetics research includes the unambiguous identification and complete characterization of the individual genes responsible for quantitative variation in a risk factor for, or susceptibility to, cardiovascular disease. The present study does not identify the specific loci responsible for our observations, but quantifying the extent to which variation in EC-SOD is heritable is a necessary prerequisite to initiating a formal search for those loci (ie, one cannot localize and identify genes for traits having no measurable genetic component). Whereas statistical power to localize and identify the actual loci involved is proportional to the effect size (ie, heritability) of those loci,29 this power can also be improved greatly by exploiting the pleiotropy observed between these phenotypes in a multivariate whole genome linkage screen.36 37 38

At this time, obvious candidate genes include structural loci for the 3 traits and/or loci whose products are thought to be central to regulating their production: eg, apoAI at 11q23, ecNOS at 7q35 to 36, iNOS at 17cen-q12, and ecSOD at 4pter-q21. One or more of these loci may contribute to the detected pleiotropy. The previously noted effect of the dominant-acting Arg213->Gly mutation in the ecSOD locus on plasma levels of EC-SOD17 and linkage of ecNOS4 genotypes to variation in NOx levels in many of these same families lend credence to this possibility.24 However, it is just as likely that other loci, including those that currently may be unknown and/or whose effects on one or more of these traits has yet to be appreciated, also are involved.

The actual regulatory mechanisms responsible for these pleiotropic relations remain speculative. A possible role for apoA-I may derive from recent reports that it is readily oxidizable in vitro.39 40 Although in vivo apoA-I oxidation remains to be demonstrated, a recent study suggests that compared with native apoA-I, oxidized apoA-I may promote more efficient reverse cholesterol transport.41 Therefore, a possible functional link between apoA-I and NO and between apoA-I and EC-SOD is a scenario casting apoA-I as an antioxidant or ROS recipient whereby overproduction of NO might necessitate increased apoA-I production to counter the untoward oxidation effect.

In summary, genes influence a significant proportion of the quantitative phenotypic variation in plasma levels of EC-SOD in healthy Australians. Some, but not all, of these genes also contribute significantly to variation in plasma levels of apoA-I but not NOx. Although a small, but significant, proportion of normal variation in plasma levels of NOx is attributable to the effects of genes that also influence variation in plasma apoA-I levels, these genes, or their effects, are not shared with plasma EC-SOD. Given the hypothesized importance of mechanisms that counter ROS to the maintenance of healthy endothelial function and prevention or amelioration of cardiovascular disease,42 our results warrant further studies. The objectives of these studies should include localizing and identifying the genes responsible for this pleiotropy in healthy individuals, determining whether it is maintained in the presence of cardiovascular disease and/or exposure to pathological levels of other known risk factors, and investigating its possible physiological bases.


*    Acknowledgments
 
This study was supported primarily by a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia to X.L.W. and D.E.L.W. Partial support to M.C.M. and S.A.C. was provided by grants (P01 HL-45522 and R01 HL-54141) from the National Institutes of Health and to T.A. from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan.

Received July 9, 1999; accepted October 1, 1999.


*    References
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMethods
up arrowResults
up arrowDiscussion
*References
 

  1. Beckman JS, Koppenol WH. Nitric oxide, superoxide, and peroxynitrite: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Am J Physiol.. 1996;271:C1424–C1437.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  2. Kroncke K-D, Fehsel K, Kolb-Bachofen V. Nitric oxide: cytotoxicity versus cytoprotection–how, why, when and where? Nitric Oxide. 1997;1:107–120.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  3. White CR, Brock TA, Chang L-Y, Crapo J, Briscoe P, Ku D, Bradley WA, Gianturco SH, Gore J, Freeman BA, Tarpey MM. Superoxide and peroxynitrite in atherosclerosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994;91:1044–1048.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  4. Squadrito GL, Pryor WA. The formation of peroxynitrite in vivo from nitric oxide and superoxide. Chem Biol Interact. 1995;96:203–206.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  5. Beckman JS, Beckman TW, Chen J, Marshall PA, Freeman BA. Apparent hydroxyl radical formation by peroxynitrite: implications for endothelial injury from nitric oxide and superoxide. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990;86:1620–1624.
  6. Beckman JS, Ye YZ, Anderson PG, Chen J, Accavitti MA, Tarpey MM, White RC. Extensive nitration of protein tyrosines in human atherosclerosis detected by immunohistochemistry. Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler. 1994;375:81–88.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  7. Buttery LDK, Springall DR, Chester AH, Evans TJ, Standfield N, Parums DV, Yacoub MH, Polak JM. Inducible nitric oxide synthase is present within human atherosclerotic lesions and promotes the formation and activity of peroxynitrite. Lab Invest. 1996;75:77–85.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  8. Stralin P, Karlsson K, Johansson BO, Marklund SL. The interstitium of the human arterial wall contains very large amounts of extracellular superoxide dismutase. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1995;15:2032–2036.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  9. Marklund SL. Human copper-containing superoxide dismutase of high molecular weight. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982;79:7634–7638.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  10. Weisiger RA, Fridovich I. Mitochondrial superoxide dismutase: site of synthesis and intramitochondrial localization. J Biol Chem. 1973;248:4793–4896.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  11. Karlsson K, Sandstrom J, Edlund A, Edlund T, Marklund SL. Pharmacokinetics of extracellular-superoxide dismutase in the vascular system. Free Radic Biol Med. 1993;14:185–190.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  12. Karlsson K, Marklund SL. Extracellular superoxide dismutase in the vascular system of mammals. Biochem J. 1988;255:223–228.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  13. Abrahamsson T, Brandt U, Marklund SL, Sjoqvist PO. Vascular bound recombinant extracellular superoxide dismutase type C protects against the detrimental effects of superoxide radicals on endothelium-dependent arterial relaxation. Circ Res. 1992;70:264–271.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  14. Karlsson K, Marklund SL. Extracellular superoxide dismutase association with cell surface-bound sulfated glucosaminoglycans. Basic Life Sci. 1988;49:647–650.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  15. Sandstrom J, Karlsson K, Edlund T, Marklund SL. Heparin-affinity patterns and composition of extracellular-superoxide dismutase in human plasma and tissues. Biochem J. 1993;294:853–847.
  16. Karlsson K, Marklund SL. Heparin-induced release of extracellular-superoxide dismutase to human blood plasma. Biochem J. 1987;242:55–59.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  17. Wang XL, Adachi T, Sim AS, Wilcken DEL. Plasma extracellular superoxide dismutase levels in an Australian population with coronary artery disease. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1998;18:1915–1921.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  18. Sandstrom J, Nilsson P, Karlsson K, Marklund SL. 10-fold increase in human plasma extracellular superoxide dismutase content caused by a mutation in heparin-binding domain. J Biol Chem. 1994;269:19163–19166.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  19. Folz RJ, Crapo JD. Extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD3): tissue-specific expression, genomic characterization, and computer-assisted sequence analysis of the human EC SOD gene. Genomics. 1994;22:162–171.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  20. Folz RJ, Peno-Green L, Crapo JD. Identification of a homozygous missense mutation (Arg to Gly) in the critical binding region of the human EC-SOD gene (SOD3) and its association with dramatically increased serum enzyme levels. Hum Mol Genet. 1994;3:2251–2254.[Free Full Text]
  21. Yamada H, Yamada Y, Adachi T, Goto H, Ogasawara N, Futenma A, Kitano M, Hirano K, Kato K. Molecular analysis of extracellular-superoxide dismutase gene associated with high levels in serum. Jpn J Hum Genet. 1995;40:177–184.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  22. Adachi T, Yamada H, Yamada Y, Morihara N, Yamazaki N, Murakami T, Futenma A, Kato K, Hirano K. Substitution of glycine for arginine-213 in extracellular-superoxide dismutase impairs affinity for heparin and endothelial cell surface. Biochem J. 1996;313:235–239.
  23. Karlsson K, Sandstrom J, Edlund A, Marklund SL. Turnover of extracellular-superoxide dismutase in tissues. Lab Invest. 1994;70:705–710.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  24. Wang XL, Mahaney MC, Sim AS, Wang J, Wang J, Blangero J, Almasy L, Badenhop RB, Wilcken DEL. Genetic contribution of the endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase gene to plasma nitric oxide levels. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1997;17:3147–3153.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  25. Adachi T, Ohta H, Yamada H, Futenma A, Kato K, Hirano K. Quantitative analysis of extracellular-superoxide dismutase in serum and urine by ELISA with monoclonal antibody. Clin Chim Acta. 1992;212:89–102.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  26. Wang XL, Tam C, McCredie RM, Wilcken DEL. Determinants of severity of coronary artery disease in Australian men and women. Circulation. 1994;89:1974–1981.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  27. Wang J, Brown MA, Tam SH, Chan MC, Whitworth JA Effects of diet on measurement of nitric oxide metabolites. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 1997;24:418–420.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  28. Dyke B. PEDSYS: A Pedigree Data Management System. San Antonio, Tex: Population Genetics Laboratory, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research; 1998.
  29. Almasy L, Blangero J. Multipoint quantitative linkage analysis in general pedigrees. Am J Hum Genet. 1998;62:1198–1211.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  30. Hasstedt SJ. Pedigree Analysis Package, version 3.0. Salt Lake City, Utah: Department of Genetics, University of Utah; 1989.
  31. Blangero J, Konigsberg LW. Multivariate segregation analysis using the mixed model. Genet Epidemiol. 1991;8:299–316.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  32. Mahaney MC, Blangero J, Comuzzie AG, VandeBerg JL, Stern MP, MacCluer JW. Plasma HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and adiposity: a quantitative genetic test of the conjoint trait hypothesis in the San Antonio Family Heart Study. Circulation. 1995;92:3240–3248.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  33. Edwards AWF. Likelihood. Cambridge,.UK: Cambridge University Press; 1972.
  34. Elhadd TA, Khan F, Kirk G, McLaren M, Newton R, Greene SA, Belch JJF. Influence of puberty on endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress in young patients with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 1998;21:1990–1996.[Abstract]
  35. Luoma JS, Stralin P, Marklund SL, Hiltunen TP, Sarkioja T, Yla-Hertualla S. Expression of extracellular SOD and iNOS in macrophages and smooth muscle cells in human and rabbit atherosclerotic lesions: colocalization with epitopes characteristic of oxidized LDL and peroxynitrite-modified proteins. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1998;18:157–167.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  36. Comuzzie AG, Mahaney MC, Almasy L, Dyer TD, Blangero J. Exploiting pleiotropy to map genes for oligogenic phenotypes using extended pedigree data. Genet Epidemiol. 1997;14:975–980.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  37. Czerwinski SA, Mahaney MC, Williams JT, Almasy L, Blangero J. Genetic analysis of personality traits and alcoholism using a mixed discrete continuous trait variance component model. Genet Epidemiol. 1999;17(Suppl 1):S121–S126.
  38. Ott J, Rabinowitz D. A principal-components approach based on heritability for combining phenotype information. Hum Hered. 1999;49:106–111.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
  39. Garner B, Wedlock R, Witting PK, Rye K-A, Stock R. Oxidation of high density lipoproteins, I: formation of methionine sulfoxide in apolipoproteins AI and AII is an early event that accompanies lipid peroxidation and can be enhanced by {alpha}-tocopherol. J Biol Chem. 1998;273:6080–6087.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  40. Garner B, Waldeck R, Witting PK, Rye K-A, Stock R. Oxidation of high density lipoproteins, I: evidence for direct reduction of lipid hydroperoxides by methionine residues of apolipoprotein AI and AII. J Biol Chem. 1998;273:6088–6095.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  41. Wang W-Q, Merriam DL, Moses AS, Francis GA. Enhanced cholesterol efflux by tyrosyl radical-oxidized high density lipoprotein is mediated by apolipoprotein AI-AII heterodimers. J Biol Chem. 1998;273:17391–17398.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  42. Rudic RD, Sessa WC. Nitric oxide in endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling: clinical correlates and experimental links. Am J Hum Genet. 1999;64:673–677.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
J. Med. Genet.Home page
J Esparza-Gordillo, J M Soria, A Buil, J C Souto, L Almasy, J Blangero, S R de Cordoba, and J Fontcuberta
Genetic correlation between plasma levels of C4BP isoforms containing {beta} chains and susceptibility to thrombosis
J. Med. Genet., January 1, 2004; 41(1): e5 - 5.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Bio.Home page
X. L. Wang, D. L. Rainwater, J. F. VandeBerg, B. D. Mitchell, and M. C. Mahaney
Genetic Contributions to Plasma Total Antioxidant Activity
Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol., July 1, 2001; 21(7): 1190 - 1195.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mahaney, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Wang, X. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mahaney, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Wang, X. L.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
*Compound via MeSH
*Substance via MeSH
*Genetics Home Reference
Hazardous Substances DB
*NITRIC OXIDE
Related Collections
Right arrow Genetics of cardiovascular disease