Response of Atf3-/- and WT BMDMs to treatment with LPS for 4 h

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the accumulation of lipid-loaded macrophages in the arterial wall. Intimal macrophages internalize modified lipoproteins such as oxidized LDL (oxLDL) through scavenger receptors, leading to storage of excess cholesteryl esters in lipid bodies and a "foam cell" phenotype. In addition, stimulation of macrophage Toll-like receptors (TLRs) has been shown to promote lipid body proliferation. We investigated the possibility that there are transcriptional regulators that are common to both pathways for stimulating foam cell formation (modified lipoproteins and TLR stimulation), and identified the transcription factor ATF3 as a candidate regulator.

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Gold ES, Ramsey SA, Sartain MJ, Selinummi J, Podolsky I, Rodriguez DJ, Moritz RL, Aderem A