Figure 2.

Differences in molecular expression levels between carotid plaques with or without rupture, as confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) array and proteomic analysis. (A) A Human Atherosclerosis qPCR array demonstrated different levels of diverse mRNAs between carotid plaques with or without rupture, and (B) proteomic analysis showed several differentially expressed protein spots. In ruptured plaques, RNA levels of the ATP-binding cassette subfamily A member 1 (ABCA1), apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF2), and perilipin 2 (PLIN2) were significantly higher, as measured with the qPCR array. (C) The ferritin level was markedly higher, while the β-actin (ACTB) and α-enolase 1 (α-ENO1) levels were relatively lower, as measured by proteomics. *P<0.05; † P<0.001 Student t-test (two-tail distribution).