How do FURIN gene faults lead to coronary heart disease?

Functional analyses of coronary artery disease-related genetic variant at the FURIN locus

Professor Shu Ye and his team at the University of Leicester are working out how faults in a gene called FURIN are linked to coronary heart disease. This is just one of the genetic factors that, in combination with lifestyle factors such as smoking and unhealthy diet, can cause heart disease, but we don’t really understand how. Professor Ye has found that the faulty FURIN gene causes more of the Furin protein to be produced in blood vessel wall (smooth muscle) and endothelial cells that line the blood vessels. In this project, Professor Ye will work out how the gene fault influences the way the Furin protein is produced. He will find out how it affects the way blood vessel cells grow, multiply, age or die, and how it affects how smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells move around. This is important because the changes in how these cells move, interact and multiply is involved in the narrowing of the arteries in coronary heart disease. The results will provide a better understanding of the biological mechanisms leading to heart disease and may reveal if influencing FURIN could be a way to treat it.