Recently, a ground-breaking study led by professor Jia Enzhi from The Department of Cardiology at The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University has been in JACC: Basic to Translational Science. The research article, titled “Phosphoglycerate mutase 5 is important mediator for instigating arterial lipid accumulation and aggravating atherosclerosis” reveals the novel mechanistic role of PGAM5 in atherosclerotic lesions, offering novel insights into potential strategies for atherosclerosis prevention and therapeutic intervention.
The investigation demonstrates that PGAM5 protein expression is significantly elevated in macrophages within atherosclerotic plaques, with expression levels directly correlating to disease severity. Through comprehensive preclinical models, the team established PGAM5's critical role in modulating angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) at both transcriptional and translational levels. This molecular interaction facilitates intercellular communication between macrophages and vascular cells, driving pathogenic processes including cellular proliferation, migration, and inflammatory responses that accelerate plaque formation.
"This work establishes the PGAM5-ANGPTL3 signaling axis as a central mechanism in atherosclerosis progression," explained Professor Jia. "Our findings provide a scientific foundation for developing targeted therapies to interrupt this disease pathway."
Dr. Qian Zhang (Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Cardiology) and Mr. Peng Zheng (currently pursuing Ph.D. at School of Medicine, Southeast University) are co-first authors for this investigation. This work was supported by the Jiangsu Provincial Outstanding Postdoctoral Program, the Postdoctoral Research Initiation Fund of The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University, and the Youth Research Development Program.
Article Link:
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacbts.2024.12.007
(Drafted and Reviewed by Prof. Jia Enzhi; Translation revised by Wu Wenbo)
