title: The apolipoprotein(a) gene is regulated by sex hormones and acute-phase inducers in YAC transgenic mice.
abstract: High plasma concentrations of apolipoprotein (a) (apo(a)) have been implicated as a major independent risk factor for atherosclerosis in humans. Apo(a) is a large, evolutionarily new gene (present primarily in primates) for which considerable controversy exists concerning the factors that regulate its expression. To investigate the in vivo regulation of apo(a), we have created several lines of YAC transgenic mice containing a 110-kb human apo(a) gene surrounded by greater than 60 kb of 5' and 3' flanking DNA. Studies in humans have suggested that acute-phase inducers increase and sex steroids decrease apo(a) concentrations, but these results are controversial. Analysis of the YAC transgenic mice conclusively supports the hypothesized role of sex steroids and refutes the suggested role of acute-phase inducers in regulating the apo(a) gene.
authors.affiliation: Human Genome Center, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley 94720, USA.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Frazer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Narla
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Rubin
mesh_terms: D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D053241:Apoprotein(a); D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D018244:Chromosomes, Artificial, Yeast; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D017270:Lipoprotein(a); D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D001053:Apolipoproteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D017270:Lipoprotein(a); D012333:RNA, Messenger; D053241:Apoprotein(a)