Role of protein CD36 as a significant risk factor of cardiovascular diseases

The human essential hypertension syndrom (syndrom X) together with hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance involves a cluster of metabolic disorders whose molecular basis is largely unknown. The most widely studied animal model of hypertension is the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). To identify the chromosome region contributing to this clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in the SHR, quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia were searched for by using a recombinant inbred strain. SHR displays many features of human metabolic disease syndroms, thus SHR can be used as a model of mutation in CD36 and study of its protein. Protein CD36 is known as a receptor for thrombospondin-1 and collagen. It also functions as a signal transduction molecule and main glycoprotein of adipocytes and muscle cells. It binds long-chain fatty acids and functions in their membrane transport. CD36 in monocytes and macrophages serves as receptor for oxidized LDL (scavenger receptor). CD36 seems to be one of potential targets in atherosclerosis and insulin resistance treatment.