Dyslipidemia, metabolism and autophagy : antigen-independent modulation of T cells in atherosclerosis

Amersfoort, J. (2019)

Doctoral Thesis

Atherosclerosis is the main underlying pathology of cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis is caused by an immune response which is directed against (modified) lipoproteins which accumulate in the vessel wall. Over time, this accumulation of lipids and immune cells induce morphological abnormalities in the vessel wall which cause the vessel lumen to narrow. This narrowing of the lumen (stenosis) causes ischemia in the downstream tissue. Prolonged ischemia causes myocardial ischemia and/or stroke. The research described in my thesis examines a well-recognized risk factor of atherosclerosis, being dyslipidemia, from an entirely new perspective. More specifically, it describes how dyslipidemia affects intrinsic metabolic processes in T cells, the conductors of the immune response characterizing atherosclerosis, and how this affects their function. My research has contributed to knowledge on the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and might one day pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic approaches to treat cardiovascular disease.

• Cardiovascular disease
• Atherosclerosis
• T cells
• Regulatory T cells
• Metabolism
• Autophagy

• All authors: Amersfoort, J.
• Supervisor: Kuiper, J.
• Co-supervisor: Bot, I.
• Committee: Irth, H.; Bouwstra, J.A.; Zonneveld, A.J. van; Sluimer, J.C.; Ketelhuth, D.F.J.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Faculty of Science, Leiden University
• Date: 2019-01-23
• ISBN (print): 9789463612159
• Sponsorship: De Nederlandse Hartstichting