Mechanistic study
Spatial Transcriptional Mapping Reveals Site-Specific Pathways Underlying Human Atherosclerotic Plaque Rupture
- Mechanistic study
- spatial transcriptomics
- Mendelian randomization
Authors' conclusion
Our findings show plaque site-specific transcriptional signatures associated with proximal rupture-prone regions of carotid atherosclerotic plaques.
Study context
- Population
- Human carotid atherosclerotic plaques
- Comparison
- Proximal and most stenotic vs distal plaque regions
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Location of plaque rupture and site-specific transcriptional pathways along the carotid plaque
- Ruptures predominantly in the proximal and most stenotic regions, not in the distal region
- Proximal and most stenotic regions showed features of plaque vulnerability and thrombosis on histology and electron microscopy
- Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) distinguishing proximal and most stenotic from distal regions were most relevant to atherosclerosis-associated diseases (heritability enrichment)
- Pathways of proximal rupture-prone regions validated by spatial transcriptomics
- Of 3 top DEGs, Mendelian randomization suggested high circulating MMP-9 levels causally associated with atherosclerosis risk
Original publication
Spatial Transcriptional Mapping Reveals Site-Specific Pathways Underlying Human Atherosclerotic Plaque Rupture. J Am Coll Cardiol. Published 13 June 2023. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2023.04.008
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it