Publication at First Faculty of Medicine |
2007
Abstract
The zinc finger transcription factor Egr-1 plays an important role in cardiovascular biology. While binding complementary motifs on DNA in the target genes, Egr-1 either increases or decreases proteosynthesis of many proinflammatory and antiinflammatory mediators.
In physiologic circumstances, these mediators support healing and regeneration of damaged tissue, mainly by conducting angioneogenesis. In pathologic circumstances these same mediators take an active part in promoting tissue injury.The participation of the transcription factor Egr-1 in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis can be traced from the initial phases with the generation of foam cells as far as the onset of acute cardiovascular or cerebrovascular ischemic events.