Linking lipids to coronary artery disease

13 November 2010

Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have shed further light on why lipids (fats) and the body’s lipid transporters are important indicators for coronary artery disease.

Looking at the genomes and gene products of a sample of people in Finland, they found a correlation between a network of inflammatory genes and levels of lipids in the blood.

Furthermore, the expression of the genes involved was so highly coordinated that they appeared to function as part of a single pathway, itself highly correlated with and reactive to lipid levels. The findings provide an insight into how lipids activate circulating immune cells, potentially contributing to coronary artery disease.

Image: Coronary Thrombosis. Credit: Wellcome Images.

Reference

Inouye M et al. An immune response network associated with blood lipid levels. PLoS Genet 2010;6(9):e1001113.