Objective-Nucleotides such as ATP, ADP, UTP, and UDP serve as proinflammatory danger signals via purinergic receptors on their release to the extracellular space by activated or dying cells. UDP binds to the purinergic receptor Y 6 (P2Y 6 ) and propagates vascular inflammation by inducing the expression of chemokines such as monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, interleukin-8, or its mouse homologsCCL1 (chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 1)/keratinocyte chemokine, CXCL2 (chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 2)/macrophage inflammatory protein 2, and CXCL5 (chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 5)/LIX, and adhesion molecules such as vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1. Thus, P2Y 6 contributes to leukocyte recruitment and inflammation in conditions such as allergic asthma or sepsis. Because atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease driven by leukocyte recruitment to the vessel wall, we hypothesized a role of P2Y 6 in atherogenesis. Approach and Results-Intraperitoneal stimulation of wild-type mice with UDP induced rolling and adhesion of leukocytes to the vessel wall as assessed by intravital microscopy. This effect was not present in P2Y 6 -deficient mice. Atherosclerotic aortas of low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice consuming high-cholesterol diet for 16 weeks expressed significantly more transcripts and protein of P2Y 6 than respective controls. Finally, P2Y 6 −/− /low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice consuming high-cholesterol diet for 16 weeks developed significantly smaller atherosclerotic lesions compared with P2Y 6 +/+ /low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient mice. Bone marrow transplantation identified a crucial role of P2Y 6 on vascular resident cells, most likely endothelial cells, on leukocyte recruitment and atherogenesis. Atherosclerotic lesions of P2Y 6 -deficient mice contained fewer macrophages and fewer lipids as determined by immunohistochemistry. Mechanistically, RNA expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and interleukin-6 was decreased in these lesions and P2Y 6 -deficient macrophages took up less modified low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. 16 demonstrated that P2Y 6 promotes host defense by augmenting the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) and guiding monocytes to the location of infection. Besides the chemokine-driven recruitment, also a direct chemoattractant activity of the UDP-P2Y 6 R axis has been described 17 for leukocytes. Thus, stimulation of the P2Y 6 R has been implicated with chronic inflammatory diseases. Indeed, selective inhibition or knockdown of P2Y 6 R reduced all cardinal features of experimental acute and chronic allergic asthma in mice. 18 Furthermore, P2Y 6 contributes to inflammation of intestinal mucosa promoting IL-8-dependent neutrophil recruitment.
Conclusions-We
19Pyridoxal phosphate-6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disulfonic acid, a synthetic substance blocking several purinergic receptors including P2Y 6 , P2Y 4 , P2Y 11 , and purinergic receptors X (ion channels), reduced atherosclerosis in...