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Title: Expression of the human apolipoprotein A-I gene in transgenic mice alters high density lipoprotein (HDL) particle size distribution and diminishes selective uptake of HDL cholesteryl esters

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States)
; ; ;  [1]
  1. Rockefeller University, New York, NY (USA)

Transgenic mice carrying the human apolipoprotein (apo) A-I gene (HuAITg mice) were used to examine the effects of overexpression of the human gene on high density lipoprotein (HDL) particle size distribution and metabolism. On a chow diet, control mice had HDL cholesterol and apo A-I levels of 49 {plus minus} 2 and 137 {plus minus} 12 mg/dl of plasma, respectively. HuAITg mice had HDL cholesterol, human apo A-I, and mouse apo A-I levels of 88 {plus minus} 2, 255 {plus minus} 19, and 16 {plus minus} 2 mg/dl, respectively. Nondenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed control mouse plasma HDL to be primarily monodisperse with a particle diameter of 10.2 nm, whereas HuAITg mouse plasma HDL was polydisperse with particles of diameter 11.4, 10.2, and 8.7 nm, which correspond in size to human HDL1, HDL2, and HDL3, respectively. In vivo turnover studies of HDL labeled with (3H)cholesteryl linoleyl ether and 125I-apo A-I were performed. In control animals, the fractional catabolic rate (FCR) for HDL cholesteryl ester was significantly more than the apo A-I FCR. In the HuAITg mice, the HDL cholesteryl ester FCR was the same as the apo A-I FCR. There were no significant differences between control and HuAITg animals in the sites of tissue removal of HDL cholesteryl ester, with the liver extracting most of the injected radioactivity. Control and HuAITg animals had comparable liver and intestinal cholesterol synthesis and LDL FCR. In conclusion, HuAITg mice have principally human and not mouse apo A-I in their plasma. This apparently causes a change in HDL particle size distribution in the transgenic mice to one resembling the human pattern. The replacement of mouse by human apo A-I also apparently causes the loss of the selective uptake pathway of HDL cholesteryl esters present in control mice.

OSTI ID:
6145121
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States), Vol. 88:15; ISSN 0027-8424
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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