Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • Sex Differences in Medicine (Sep 2024)
    • Vascular Malformations (Apr 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Advertisement

Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI181

Expression of the elastolytic cathepsins S and K in human atheroma and regulation of their production in smooth muscle cells.

G K Sukhova, G P Shi, D I Simon, H A Chapman, and P Libby

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Vascular Medicine and Atherosclerosis Unit and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Divisions, Department of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Find articles by Sukhova, G. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Vascular Medicine and Atherosclerosis Unit and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Divisions, Department of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Find articles by Shi, G. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Vascular Medicine and Atherosclerosis Unit and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Divisions, Department of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Find articles by Simon, D. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Vascular Medicine and Atherosclerosis Unit and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Divisions, Department of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Find articles by Chapman, H. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Vascular Medicine and Atherosclerosis Unit and Cardiovascular and Respiratory Divisions, Department of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.

Find articles by Libby, P. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published August 1, 1998 - More info

Published in Volume 102, Issue 3 on August 1, 1998
J Clin Invest. 1998;102(3):576–583. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI181.
© 1998 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published August 1, 1998 - Version history
View PDF
Abstract

Formation of the atherosclerotic intima must involve altered metabolism of the elastin-rich arterial extracellular matrix. Proteases potentially involved in these processes remain unclear. This study examined the expression of the potent elastases cathepsins S and K in human atheroma. Normal arteries contained little or no cathepsin K or S. In contrast, macrophages in atheroma contained abundant immunoreactive cathepsins K and S. Intimal smooth muscle cells (SMC), especially cells appearing to traverse the internal elastic laminae, also contained these enzymes. Extracts of atheromatous tissues had approximately twofold greater elastase-specific activity than extracts of uninvolved arteries, mostly due to cysteine proteases. Cultured human SMC displayed no immunoreactive cathepsins K and S and exhibited little or no elastolytic activity when incubated with insoluble elastin. SMC stimulated with the atheroma-associated cytokines IL-1beta or IFN-gamma secreted active cathepsin S and degraded substantial insoluble elastin (15-20 microg/10(6) cells/24 h). A selective inhibitor of cathepsin S blocked > 80% of this elastolytic activity. The presence of cathepsins K and S at sites of vascular matrix remodeling and the ability of SMC and macrophages to use these enzymes to degrade elastin supports a role for elastolytic cathepsins in vessel wall remodeling and identifies novel therapeutic targets in regulating plaque stability.

Version history
  • Version 1 (August 1, 1998): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal

Metrics

  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Go to

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts