. The Biological bulletin. Biology; Zoology; Biology; Marine Biology. 208 SZENT-GYORGYI SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACTS Toward a Molecular Understanding of Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis Joseph L. Goldstein and Michael S. Brown University of Texas Health Science Center The most striking biochemical abnormality in human atherosclerosis is the massive accumulation and deposi- tion of cholesteryl esters in the artery wall. This choles- teryl ester is derived primarily from a cholesterol-carry- ing protein called low density lipoprotein (LDL) that cir- culates in the bloodstream. The lipoprotein enters the a
. The Biological bulletin. Biology; Zoology; Biology; Marine Biology. 208 SZENT-GYORGYI SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACTS Toward a Molecular Understanding of Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis Joseph L. Goldstein and Michael S. Brown University of Texas Health Science Center The most striking biochemical abnormality in human atherosclerosis is the massive accumulation and deposi- tion of cholesteryl esters in the artery wall. This choles- teryl ester is derived primarily from a cholesterol-carry- ing protein called low density lipoprotein (LDL) that cir- culates in the bloodstream. The lipoprotein enters the artery wall and deposits its cholesterol in places where the cells that line the wall (the endothelium) have been injured. The rate at which LDL deposits its cholesterol in arteries is influenced by several so-called "risk factors" that have been defined by epidemiologic studies. Many of these risk factors damage the endothelium and thereby promote the penetration of plasma LDL into the wall. These include cigarette smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and poorly understood genetic influences that determine the vulnerability of an individual's vessels to cholesterol deposition. The more LDL in blood, the faster the development of atherosclerosis. Conversely, if the level of LDL is low enough, atherosclerosis is slow to develop, even in the face of all of the other risk factors. Epidemiologic studies have revealed the surprising fact that more than half of all people in Western industri- alized societies, including the United States, have levels of circulating LDL that are above the threshold at which atherosclerosis is accelerated. In the past these concen- trations of LDL have been considered "normal" in the sense that they are the usual values found in such popula- tions. However, they seem not to be normal for the hu- man species in the sense that they lead to accelerated ath- erosclerosis. What determines the concentration of LDL in the bloodstream?
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Keywords: ., bookauthorlilliefrankrat, booksubjectbiology, booksubjectzoology
