Evaluation of Fibrillin-1's role in arterial thrombogenesis

• Grant number: 09/01801-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2009
• End date: November 30, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Chemistry of Macromolecules
• Principal Investigator: Claudio Chrysostomo Werneck
• Grantee: Camila Kopezky Possari
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Fibrillin-1 is an important microfibril network component. Microfibrils are present in elastic fiber responsible for resilience and elastic properties from structures like lungs, skin and large vessels. Mutations in Fibrillin-1 gene are associated with Marfan's Syndrome. Marfan's Syndrome patients shown many different clinical manifestations in lungs, cardiovascular tract and eyes tissues. Marfan's models have been created to get better insights about this disease development. Recent studies from mice models have suggested an important role to unbalanced TGF ² activity promoting almost whole alterations found in those animals. Preliminary studies using genetic modified mice expressing about half amount of fibrillin-1 if compared with wild type mice, have shown these mice need longer time to form thrombus in an arterial thrombosis model than wild type mice. Our present project aims to clarify fibrillin-1's role in this process and verify if TGF ² is a player in this process too.