Proliferation of Human Smooth Muscle Cells Promoted by Lipoprotein(a)

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 260; no. 5114; pp. 1655 - 1658
• Main Authors: Grainger, David J., Kirschenlohr, Heide L., Metcalfe, James C., Weissberg, Peter L., Wade, David P., Lawn, Richard M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 11.06.1993; American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Animals; Apolipoproteins - physiology; Apoprotein(a); Atherosclerosis; Biological and medical sciences; Blood plasma; Causes of; Cell Division - drug effects; Cell Division - physiology; Cell growth; Cell physiology; Cells, Cultured; Cultured cells; Doubling time; Fibrinolysin - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth; Hepatocytes; Human growth; Humans; Lipoprotein A; Lipoprotein(a) - physiology; Lipoproteins; Molecular and cellular biology; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - cytology; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - metabolism; Plasminogen Activators - metabolism; Rats; Responses to growth factors, tumor promotors, other factors; Smooth muscle; Smooth muscle myocytes; Tamoxifen - pharmacology; Transforming Growth Factor beta - physiology; Human; Cell proliferation; Cell culture; Rat; Enzyme; Rodentia; Environmental factor; Smooth muscle; Lipoprotein; Plasmin; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Metabolic activation; Kinetics; Mechanism of action
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.8503012

Elevated blood concentrations of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and its constituent, apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)], constitute a major risk factor for atherosclerosis, but their physiological activities remain obscure. Lp(a) and purified apo(a) stimulated the growth of human smooth muscle cells in culture. This effect resulted from inhibition of plasminogen activation, and consequently the activation by plasmin of latent transforming growth factor-β, which is an inhibitor of smooth muscle cell growth. Because smooth muscle proliferation is one of the hallmarks of atherosclerotic lesions, these results point to a plausible mechanism for the atherogenic activity of Lp(a).