Isolation and characterization of a proteoglycan variant from human aorta exhibiting a marked affinity for low density lipoprotein and demonstration of its enhanced expression in atherosclerotic plaques.

Proteoglycans (PG) are implicated in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis due to their ability to complex with plasma low density lipoproteins (LDL). Studies were conducted to determine whether human aorta contains PG subclasses that exhibit enhanced LDL binding ability. PG were isolated from normal and atherosclerotic aortas by a combination of dissociative extraction and ion-exchange chromatography. The PG were further subfractionated on an LDL affinity column based on their binding affinity to LDL. Two PG fractions exhibiting high-affinity binding to LDL, as evidenced by their elution at 1.0 and 1.5 M NaCl, respectively, were isolated from both normal and atherosclerotic tissue. Compared with normal tissue, atherosclerotic tissue showed a twofold increase in the high-affinity PG that eluted at 1.5 M NaCl. Gel filtration of the high-affinity PG from normal tissue yielded two peaks (nPG2 and nPG3), while the high-affinity PG from plaque tissue was resolved into three peaks (pPG1, pPG2, and pPG3). pPG1 eluted at the void volume of the column, indicating that it was of very large molecular size. The hydrodynamic size of pPG2 was larger than that of the corresponding nPG2 (Kav = 0.44 versus 0.51), while pPG3 had the same hydrodynamic size as nPG3 (Kav = 0.86). The high-affinity PG subfractions from normal aorta contained varying proportions of chondroitin sulfates, dermatan sulfates, and heparan sulfate. In contrast, the PG subfractions from plaque tissue contained predominantly chondroitin sulfates and heparan sulfate. In vitro complexes of LDL and the high-affinity PG fractions from normal aorta and plaque tissue stimulated cholesteryl ester synthesis in human monocyte-derived macrophages. However, the LDL-plaque PG complex was significantly more potent than the LDL-normal aorta PG complex in this respect. These results indicate that PG subclasses with enhanced binding affinity to LDL occur in the normal human aorta and that their concentration increases significantly in atherosclerotic lesions. In addition, the high-affinity PG in plaque tissue have altered characteristics and increased ability to stimulate LDL-mediated cholesterol ester synthesis in macrophages. This could lead to increased lipid deposition during atherogenesis.