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Macchi C, Greco MF, Botta M, Sperandeo P, Dongiovanni P, Valenti L, Cicero AFG, Borghi C, Lupo MG, Romeo S, Corsini A, Magni P, Ferri N, Ruscica M. Leptin, Resistin, and Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9: The Role of STAT3. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2020; 190:2226-2236. [PMID: 32798443 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2020.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In a condition of dysfunctional visceral fat depots, as in the case of obesity, alterations in adipokine levels may be detrimental for the cardiovascular system. The proinflammatory leptin and resistin adipokines have been described as possible links between obesity and atherosclerosis. The present study was aimed at evaluating whether proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a key regulator of low-density lipoprotein metabolism, is induced by leptin and resistin through the involvement of the inflammatory pathway of STAT3. In HepG2 cells, leptin and resistin up-regulated PCSK9 gene and protein expression, as well as the phosphorylation of STAT3. Upon STAT3 silencing, leptin and resistin lost their ability to activate PCSK9. The knockdown of STAT3 did not affect the expression of leptin and resistin receptors or that of PCSK9. The analysis of the human PCSK9 promoter region showed that the two adipokines raised PCSK9 promoter activity via the involvement of a sterol regulatory element motif. In healthy males, a positive association between circulating leptin and PCSK9 levels was found only when the body mass index was <25 kg/m2. In conclusion, this study identified STAT3 as one of the molecular regulators of leptin- and resistin-mediated transcriptional induction of PCSK9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Macchi
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Maria Francesca Greco
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Botta
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Sperandeo
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Dongiovanni
- General Medicine and Metabolic Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Valenti
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Translational Medicine, Transfusion Medicine and Hematology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Arrigo F G Cicero
- Department of Medicine and Surgery Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Borghi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Giovanna Lupo
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Stefano Romeo
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Clinical Nutrition Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Science, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro, Italy; Department of Cardiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Alberto Corsini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; IRCCS MultiMedica, Sesto S. Giovanni, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Magni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; IRCCS MultiMedica, Sesto S. Giovanni, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Ferri
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Ruscica
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
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