Contents of mRNAs Encoding Endosome/Lysosome Components in Normal Human Aorta and in Stage II of Atherogenesis: a Hidden Regulation

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T. A. Shchelkunova¹, E. A. Albert¹, I. A. Morozov², P. M. Rubtsov², L. M. Samokhodskaya³, I. A. Sobenin⁴, A. N. Orekhov⁴, and A. N. Smirnov^1*

¹Biological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia; fax: (495) 939-4309; E-mail: smirnov__an@mail.ru

²Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Vavilova 32, 119991 Moscow, Russia; fax: (499) 135-1405; E-mail: rubtsov@eimb.ru

³Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Lomonosovsky pr. 31/5, 117192 Moscow, Russia; fax: (495) 932-9904; E-mail: sme@fbm.msu.ru

⁴Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Baltiiskaya ul. 8, 125315 Moscow, Russia; fax: (495) 415-9594; E-mail: office@inat.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received April 18, 2011; Revision received May 16, 2011

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Contents of mRNAs encoding endosome/lysosome components EEA1, Rab5a, Lamp1, Lamp2, p62 (SQSTM1), and CD63 were measured by quantitative PCR and compared in intact fragments of human aorta and in aorta fragments with atherosclerotic lesions of stage II (fatty streaks) of the same donors. During atherogenesis an increase was detected only in the level of p62 mRNA but not in other mRNAs. Nevertheless, correlation analysis revealed a profound rearrangement of inter-gene correlations: only 30% of correlations found in the fatty streaks coincided with the correlations in normal fragments. Thus, new constellations were formed in fatty streaks concurrently with disappearance of correlations between mRNAs under study and mRNAs encoding factors of lipid accumulation, reverse cholesterol transfer, and some lipid sensors/transcription regulators of lipid metabolism.

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KEY WORDS: endosomes, lysosomes, autophagy, atherogenesis, PCR, gene expression

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297911100129

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