Perilipin may predict heart attack or stroke - Science Upadate - fat-storing protein

Agricultural Research,  Sept, 2002  by Andrew S. Greenberg,  Jean Mayer

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A protein that helps body cells store fat may one day help doctors assess whether patients whose blood vessels contain fatty deposits called plaque are at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Research has shown that perilipin is more actively synthesized in ruptured, rather than stable, plaque. When plaque ruptures, it triggers formation of an internal plug that can stop blood flow in the artery--or reduce it to a trickle. Ruptured plaque in the heart can cause a heart attack. If it occurs in the head or neck, it can cause a stroke.

Researchers cloned genes from ruptured and nonruptured plaque and looked for differences in expression among the genes. They found good evidence that the perilipin gene turned on and expressed the protein in the ruptured plaques, but that it was hard to detect in stable plaques. Further research may lead to a test for the presence and amount of perilipin, to detect plaque that is in danger of rupturing. A perilipin antibody attached to the protein could be tagged with a radioactive tracer and viewed with imaging technology. This would help in monitoring the effectiveness of nutritional interventions--for example, of folate or antioxidants--on risk for heart attack or stroke. If scientists can better understand how plaques become unstable, they may find preventive measures. Andrew S. Greenberg, USDA-ARS Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts; phone (617) 556-3144, e-mail agreenberg@hnrc.tufts.edu.

COPYRIGHT 2002 U.S. Government Printing Office
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