Atherogenic Factors and Their Epigenetic Relationships

Hypercholesterolemia, homocysteine, oxidative stress, and hyperglycemia have been recognized as the major risk factors for atherogenesis. Their impact on the physiology and biochemistry of vascular cells has been widely demonstrated for the last century. However, the recent discovery of the role of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ana Z. Fernandez, Andrew L. Siebel, Assam El-Osta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2010-01-01
Series:International Journal of Vascular Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/437809
Description
Summary:Hypercholesterolemia, homocysteine, oxidative stress, and hyperglycemia have been recognized as the major risk factors for atherogenesis. Their impact on the physiology and biochemistry of vascular cells has been widely demonstrated for the last century. However, the recent discovery of the role of epigenetics in human disease has opened up a new field in the study of atherogenic factors. Thus, epigenetic tags in endothelial, smooth muscle, and immune cells seem to be differentially affected by similar atherogenic stimuli. This paper summarizes some recent works on expression of histone-modifying enzymes and DNA methylation directly linked to the presence of risk factors that could lead to the development or prevention of the atherosclerotic process.
ISSN:2090-2824
2090-2832