Complement protein C1q modulates macrophage molecular signaling and inflammatory responses during ingestion of atherogenic lipoproteins

C1q suppresses JAK-STAT signal transduction and activates PPAR-mediated transcription in macrophages during clearance of modified forms of LDL leading to a reduction in inflammatory response. Human monocyte-derived macrophages (HMDM) were incubated with either oxidized (oxLDL) or acetylated low-density lipoprotein (acLDL) in the presence or absence of C1q for 3 hours. Total RNA was extracted using the Qiagen RNeasy Mini Kit. RNA libraries were constructed using the Illumina TruSeq Stranded mRNA Sample Preparation Kit. Sequences were aligned to a reference genome (hg38), RPKM and raw counts were determined using CASAVA version 1.8.2.