CD200 Limits Monopoiesis and Monocyte Recruitment in Atherosclerosis (original) (raw)

Rationale: Inflammation is a basic component of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. CD200 is an immune checkpoint known to control macrophage activation. CD200 recently emerged in the Framingham Heart Study and 2 other cohorts as being potentially relevant in cardiovascular disease. The role of this pathway in cardiovascular disease is unknown. Objective: We sought to examine the role of CD200 in atherosclerosis. Methods and Results: Using hypercholesterolemic apolipoprotein-E deficient mice, we demonstrate that whole-body CD200 deficiency augments atherosclerotic lesion formation and vulnerability. Administration of a CD200-Fusion protein reduces neointima formation. Our data show that the CD200-CD200R pathway restrains activation of CD200R+ lesional macrophages, their production of CCR2 ligands, and monocyte recruitment in vitro and in vivo in an air pouch model. Loss of CD200 leads to an excessive accumulation of classical Ly6C hi monocytes and CCR2 + macrophages within the athe...