[Lipoprotein(a): characteristics of a special lipoprotein and its potential clinical significance]

Abstract

The lipoprotein Lp(a) is a cholesterol-rich plasma lipoprotein from the density fraction 1.06-1.21 g/ml. Numerous clinical and epidemiological studies have revealed a strong correlation between high plasma Lp(a) concentrations and the incidence of coronary heart disease. Furthermore, the Lp(a)-specific protein apo(a) has been detected in atherosclerotic lesions. Lp(a) is essentially an LDL-like lipoprotein particle to which the glycoprotein apo(a) is attached through a disulfide bridge with apo B-100. The elucidation of the amino acid sequence of apo(a) revealed a high homology to specific regions of human plasminogen. The latter consists of five tandemly arranged kringle domains followed by a C-terminal trypsin-like protease region. Apo(a) is composed of a large number of kringle domains, all highly homologous to kringle IV of plasminogen, followed by a kringle V-like protease-domain. The lipoprotein Lp(a), therefore, combines structural elements of both the lipoprotein and coagulation systems. In contrast to plasminogen, Lp(a) cannot be activated by TPA, streptokinase or urokinase to give proteolytic activity. However, in vitro studies have shown that Lp(a) can both inhibit endothelial cell induced fibrinolysis and can also bind to plasmin modified fibrin. These findings provide a pathobiochemical basis for the involvement of Lp(a) in atherosclerotic and thrombotic processes. The function of this lipoprotein is, however, still unclear.