Oxidative modification of LDL is an important, if not obligatory, step that mediates the atherogenicity ofLDL. Many pathological conditions and environmental factors promote LDL oxidation, especially formation of early forms of oxidized LDL,termed minimally modified LDL (mmLDL). In addition to established presence of oxidized LDL in atherosclerotic lesions, recent reports find early oxidized forms of LDL even in the blood of apparently healthy individuals, and elevated levels in people with cardiovasculardisease. This proposal will examine my hypothesis that mmLDL promotes inflammation in atherosclerotic lesions via modulation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling. This hypothesis has been supported by our recently published findings that mmLDL, but not extensively oxidized LDL,binds to CD14 and that this complex activates TLR4, resulting in cytoskeletal rearrangements and pro-inflammatory signaling and cytokine expression. In addition, our preliminary data demonstrate that mmLDL augments LPS-induced cytokine secretion by macrophages in vitro. CD14 and TLR4 are crucial innate immune receptors that sense bacterial LPS.The existence of mmLDL signaling through CD14/TLR4 suggests convergence of immune responses to oxidation-specific self-antigens and to microbial pathogens. I propose the following Specific Aims for this project: 1) To test the hypothesis that mmLDL induces specific clustering of TLR4 with other receptors on the surface of macrophages, thereby initiating a unique intracellular signaling cascade. 2) To test the hypothesis that a unique set of pro-inflammatory genes expressed and secreted in response to mmLDL is a result of a crosstalk between TLR4-dependent and independent signaling pathways. 3) To test the hypothesis that mmLDL augments pro-inflammatory gene expression induced by LPS and other TLR ligands in animal models of inflammation. 4) To test the hypothesis that mmLDL promotes TLR-dependent inflammation in atherosclerotic lesions. Further development of my hypothesis will help elucidate mechanisms of chronic inflammation in development of atherosclerosis and better understand how particular microbial pathogens increase the risk of atherosclerotic complications. Because the oxidized moieties in mmLDL are likely to be common components of oxidized membranes in general, these studies are likely to have generalized importance.
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