title: Adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1 (AEBP1) (a novel macrophage proinflammatory mediator) overexpression promotes and ablation attenuates atherosclerosis in ApoE (-/-) and LDLR (-/-) mice.
abstract: Atherogenesis is a long-term process that involves inflammatory response coupled with metabolic dysfunction. Foam cell formation and macrophage inflammatory response are two key events in atherogenesis. Adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1 (AEBP1) has been shown to impede macrophage cholesterol efflux, promoting foam cell formation, via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ1 and liver X receptor α (LXRα) downregulation. Moreover, AEBP1 has been shown to promote macrophage inflammatory responsiveness by inducing nuclear factor (NF)-κB activity via IκBα downregulation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced suppression of pivotal macrophage cholesterol efflux mediators, leading to foam cell formation, has been shown to be mediated by AEBP1. Herein, we showed that AEBP1-transgenic mice (AEBP1(TG)) with macrophage-specific AEBP1 overexpression exhibit hyperlipidemia and develop atherosclerotic lesions in their proximal aortas. Consistently, ablation of AEBP1 results in significant attenuation of atherosclerosis (males: 3.2-fold, P = 0.001 [en face]), 2.7-fold, P = 0.0004 [aortic roots]; females: 2.1-fold, P = 0.0026 [en face], 1.7-fold, P = 0.0126 [aortic roots]) in the AEBP1(-/-)/low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR )(-/-) double-knockout (KO) mice. Bone marrow (BM) transplantation experiments further revealed that LDLR (-/-) mice reconstituted with AEBP1(-/-)/LDLR (-/-) BM cells (LDLR (-/-)/KO-BM chimera) display significant reduction of atherosclerosis lesions (en face: 2.0-fold, P = 0.0268; aortic roots: 1.7-fold, P = 0.05) compared with control mice reconstituted with AEBP1(+/+)/LDLR (-/-) BM cells (LDLR (-/-)/WT-BM chimera). Furthermore, transplantation of AEBP1(TG) BM cells with the normal apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene into ApoE (-/-) mice (ApoE (-/-)/TG-BM chimera) leads to significant development of atherosclerosis (males: 2.5-fold, P = 0.0001 [en face], 4.7-fold, P = 0.0001 [aortic roots]; females: 1.8-fold, P = 0.0001 [en face], 3.0-fold, P = 0.0001 [aortic roots]) despite the restoration of ApoE expression. Macrophages from ApoE (-/-)/TG-BM chimeric mice express reduced levels of PPARγ1, LXRα, ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) and ATP-binding cassette G1 (ABCG1) and increased levels of the inflammatory mediators interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α compared with macrophages of control chimeric mice (ApoE (-/-)/NT-BM ) that received AEBP1 nontransgenic (AEBP1(NT) ) BM cells. Our in vivo experimental data strongly suggest that macrophage AEBP1 plays critical regulatory roles in atherogenesis, and it may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the prevention or treatment of atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bogachev
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majdalawieh
authors.forename: Xuefang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hyo-Sung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Ro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002268:Carboxypeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism; D004036:Diet, Atherogenic / Q000009:adverse effects; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D000071518:Liver X Receptors; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D057093:Orphan Nuclear Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D011973:Receptors, LDL / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: C112918:Aebp1 protein, mouse; D001057:Apolipoproteins E; D004041:Dietary Fats; D000071518:Liver X Receptors; C000605214:Nr1h3 protein, mouse; D057093:Orphan Nuclear Receptors; D047495:PPAR gamma; D011973:Receptors, LDL; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D002784:Cholesterol; D002268:Carboxypeptidases