Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Mo i Rana, Norway.
Department of Medicine, Solleftea Hospital, Solleftea, Sweden.
Curr Med Chem. 2020;27(10):1647-1660. doi: 10.2174/0929867325666180716104159.
Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is a vitamin K-dependent protein, which is synthesized in bone and many other mesenchymal cells, which is also highly expressed by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and chondrocytes. Numerous studies have confirmed that MGP acts as a calcification-inhibitor although the mechanism of action is still not fully understood. The modulation of tissue calcification by MGP is potentially regulated in several ways including direct inhibition of calcium-phosphate precipitation, the formation of matrix vesicles (MVs), the formation of apoptotic bodies (ABs), and trans-differentiation of VSMCs. MGP occurs as four species, i.e. fully carboxylated (cMGP), under-carboxylated, i.e. poorly carboxylated (ucMGP), phosphorylated (pMGP), and non-phosphorylated (desphospho, dpMGP). ELISA methods are currently available that can detect the different species of MGP. The expression of the MGP gene can be regulated via various mechanisms that have the potential to become genomic biomarkers for the prediction of vascular calcification (VC) progression. VC is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is particularly prevalent in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The specific action of MGP is not yet clearly understood but could be involved with the functional inhibition of BMP-2 and BMP-4, by blocking calcium crystal deposition and shielding the nidus from calcification.
基质 Gla 蛋白（MGP）是一种维生素 K 依赖性蛋白，在骨骼和许多其他间充质细胞中合成，也在血管平滑肌细胞（VSMCs）和软骨细胞中高度表达。大量研究证实，MGP 作为一种钙化抑制剂发挥作用，尽管其作用机制尚不完全清楚。MGP 通过几种方式潜在调节组织钙化，包括直接抑制钙磷沉淀、基质小泡（MVs）形成、凋亡小体（ABs）形成和 VSMCs 转分化。MGP 有四种形式，即完全羧化（cMGP）、低羧化（ucMGP）、磷酸化（pMGP）和非磷酸化（desphospho，dpMGP）。目前有 ELISA 方法可检测不同形式的 MGP。MGP 基因的表达可以通过多种机制进行调节，这些机制有可能成为血管钙化（VC）进展的基因组生物标志物。VC 是心血管疾病的既定危险因素，在慢性肾脏病（CKD）患者中尤为普遍。MGP 的具体作用尚不清楚，但可能涉及通过阻止钙晶体沉积和保护病灶免受钙化来抑制 BMP-2 和 BMP-4 的功能。
