Key result
Periostin deletion reduces atherosclerotic lesion area and vascular inflammation in preclinical model.
Why the study?
Does periostin gene deletion reduce atherosclerotic lesion area in ApoE-/- mice?
Does periostin gene deletion reduce atherosclerotic lesion area in ApoE-/- mice?
Periostin deletion protects against atherosclerosis progression by altering extracellular matrix remodeling and reducing macrophage recruitment, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target.
No immediate clinical implications; hypothesis-generating for periostin as atherosclerosis target pending human studies.
OBJECTIVE: Periostin is a secreted protein that can alter extracellular matrix remodeling in response to tissue injury. However, the functional role of periostin in the development of atherosclerotic plaques has yet to be described despite its observed induction in diseased vessels and presence in the serum. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Hyperlipidemic, apolipoprotein E-null mice (ApoE(-/) (-)) were crossed with periostin (Postn(-/-)) gene-deleted mice and placed on a high-fat diet for 6 or 14 weeks to induce atherosclerosis. En face analysis of aortas showed significantly decreased lesion areas of ApoE(-/-) Postn(-/-) mice compared with ApoE(-/-) mice, as well as a reduced inflammatory response with less macrophage content. Moreover, diseased aortas from ApoE(-/-) Postn(-/-) mice displayed a disorganized extracellular matrix with less collagen cross linking and smaller fibrotic caps, as well as increased matrix metalloproteinase-2, metalloproteinase-13, and procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase-1 mRNA expression. Furthermore, the loss of periostin was associated with a switch in vascular smooth muscle cells toward a more proliferative and synthetic phenotype. Mechanistically, the loss of periostin reduced macrophage recruitment by transforming growth factor-β in cellular migration assays. CONCLUSIONS: These are the first genetic data detailing the function of periostin as a regulator of atherosclerotic lesion formation and progression. The data suggest that periostin could be a therapeutic target for atherosclerotic plaque formation through modulation of the immune response and extracellular matrix remodeling.
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Schwanekamp et al. (2015) studied Atherosclerosis. Periostin gene deletion (Postn-/-) vs. ApoE-/- mice with intact periostin was evaluated on Atherosclerotic lesion area. Deletion of periostin in ApoE-null mice significantly decreased atherosclerotic lesion areas and reduced inflammatory response compared with ApoE-null controls.
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