| First Author | Calkin AC | Year | 2014 |
| Journal | Circ Res | Volume | 115 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 442-9 |
| PubMed ID | 24935961 | Mgi Jnum | J:228420 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5706927 | Doi | 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.304440 |
| Citation | Calkin AC, et al. (2014) Transgenic expression of dominant-active IDOL in liver causes diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis in mice. Circ Res 115(4):442-9 |
| abstractText | RATIONALE: The E3 ubiquitin ligase inducible degrader of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (IDOL) triggers lysosomal degradation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor. The tissue-specific effects of the IDOL pathway on plasma cholesterol and atherosclerosis have not been examined. OBJECTIVE: Given that the liver is the primary determinant of plasma cholesterol levels, we sought to examine the consequence of effect of chronic liver-specific expression of a dominant-active form of IDOL in mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: We expressed a degradation-resistant, dominant-active form of IDOL (super IDOL [sIDOL]) in C57Bl/6J mice from the liver-specific albumin promoter (L-sIDOL transgenics). L-sIDOL mice were fed a Western diet for 20 or 30 weeks and then analyzed for plasma lipid levels and atherosclerotic lesion formation. L-sIDOL mice showed dramatic reductions in hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor protein and increased plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels on both chow and Western diets. Moreover, L-sIDOL mice developed marked atherosclerotic lesions when fed a Western diet. Lesion formation in L-sIDOL mice was more robust than in apolipoprotein E*3 Leiden mice and did not require the addition of cholate to the diet. Western diet-fed L-sIDOL mice had elevated expression of liver X receptor target genes and proinflammatory genes in their aortas. CONCLUSIONS: Liver-specific expression of dominant-active IDOL is associated with hypercholesterolemia and a marked elevation in atherosclerotic lesions. Our results show that increased activity of the IDOL pathway in the liver can override other low-density lipoprotein receptor regulatory pathways leading to cardiovascular disease. L-sIDOL mice are a robust, dominantly inherited, diet-inducible model for the study of atherosclerosis. |
