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ADAMTS7, thrombospondin, genetics, and arterial plaque. |
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EurekAlert: In this study the scientists focused on a genetic region associated with coronary heart disease which contained the ADAMTS7 gene. This gene governs the production of an enzyme, also called ADAMTS7, which breaks down a structural protein called thrombospondin-5 in the arterial wall. This breakdown allows cells in the wall of the artery to move about more freely, and to migrate into the atherosclerotic plaques, making them larger and the affected artery narrower. By analysing genetic data from an earlier study which involved 787 people in Italy, together with ultrasound scans of their arteries, the researchers found that a particular variant of the ADAMTS7 gene was associated with a 50 per cent reduction in risk of atherosclerosis.
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