CD137 signaling modulates Vein Graft atherosclerosis by driving T-Cell activation and regulating intraplaque Angiogenesis

Abstract

Atherosclerotic vein graft failure still presents a major problem. T-cells have been identified as one of the most abundant immune cell subset in atherosclerotic plaques. Their role, however, remains only partly understood. Using a murine vein graft model for advanced, unstable atherosclerotic lesions, we find that T-cells accumulate over time in atherosclerotic vein grafts, and appear to be activated rapidly after engraftment, demonstrated by increased expression of CD137 on plaque T-cells. Targeting of CD137 affects intraplaque angiogenesis and plaque growth, which renders CD137 a promising target for early immunomodulation to reduce atherosclerotic vein graft failure. (JACC Basic Transl Sci. 2025;10:101323) (c) 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).