Scanu A M
Department of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, IL.
J Intern Med. 1992 Jun;231(6):679-83. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.1992.tb01257.x.
Lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a) is a genetic variant of plasma low density lipoproteins (LDL) containing apoB100 covalently linked to apolipoprotein(a) or apo(a), the specific marker of Lp(a). Lp(a) is heterogeneous in size and density, accounting in part for the marked size polymorphism of apo(a), 300 to 800 kDa. The apo(a) size polymorphism is related to the different number of kringle repeats which are structurally similar although not identical to the kringle 4 of plasminogen. Recent studies on a genomic level have indicated that the apo(a) gene contains at least 19 different alleles varying in length between 48 and 190 kb, partially impacting on the plasma levels of Lp(a). High plasma levels of Lp(a) have been found to be associated with an increased prevalence of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by mechanism(s) yet to be established. Both atherogenic and thrombogenic potentials have been postulated and have been related to the LDL-like and plasminogen-like properties of Lp(a), respectively.
脂蛋白(a)或Lp(a)是血浆低密度脂蛋白(LDL)的一种基因变异体，其包含与载脂蛋白(a)或apo(a)共价连接的载脂蛋白B100，apo(a)是Lp(a)的特异性标志物。Lp(a)在大小和密度上具有异质性，这部分解释了apo(a)明显的大小多态性，其分子量在300至800 kDa之间。apo(a)的大小多态性与kringle重复序列的不同数量有关，这些kringle重复序列在结构上与纤溶酶原的kringle 4相似但并不相同。近期在基因组水平上的研究表明，apo(a)基因包含至少19种不同的等位基因，长度在48至190 kb之间，部分影响Lp(a)的血浆水平。血浆中Lp(a)水平升高已被发现与早发性动脉粥样硬化性心血管疾病的患病率增加相关，但其机制尚待确定。已提出Lp(a)具有致动脉粥样硬化和致血栓形成的潜能，分别与Lp(a)的LDL样特性和纤溶酶原样特性有关。
