Asmis Lab

Research focus

NIH R01 · 2024

Role of Monoamine Oxidase A and Diet-Induced Monocyte Dysfunction, Macrophage Reprogramming, and Atherosclerosis

Monocytes and macrophages are essential for tissue homeostasis, but in the context of metabolic disorders they become dysfunctional and promote chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well-understood. We showed that chronic exposure of blood monocytes to nutrient stress induced by a “Western”-style high-calorie diet (HCD) stimulates the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promotes protein thiol oxidation, resulting in monocyte dysfunction and the reprogramming of blood monocytes into a pro-inflammatory, pro-atherogenic phenotype, hyper-sensitive to chemoattractants. These metabolically “primed” blood monocytes give rise…

From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.