Glycosylation of CD147 and cardiovascular diseases

Epidemiological data indicate that cardiovascular diseases pose a serious threat to public health. As China is gradually entering an aging society, this problem will be more serious. The interactions between cell and extracellular matrix can affect the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases. Growing studies have proved that the change of extracellular microenvironment plays a vital role in cardiovascular diseases. CD147 is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed in various tissues and the glycosylation of CD147 plays an important role in its function. CD147 promotes the development of pulmonary hypertension, atherosclerosis and platelet activation in the cardiovascular system. In addition, CD147 also disrupts NO metabolism and leads to deleterious endothelial activation, including RhoA protein kinase activation. More importantly, CD147 shows high expressions in the left ventricles of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction and inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Therefore, the glycosylation of CD147 might be a potential target for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.