title: Age- and sex-related differences in extra-hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor.
abstract: To determine whether differences in LDLr behavior in extra-hepatic tissues and whether extra-hepatic receptors could differentially contribute to cholesterol homeostasis under physiological conditions, we evaluated the presence and regulation of LDLr from both a gender and an aging perspective. We used the brain cortex, the gastrocnemius, and the heart ventricle of 3- and 12-month-old male and female rats. We observed a protein decrease of total LDLr in 12-month-old female rat brains that was completely restored by 17-β estradiol treatment. In the gastrocnemius, LDLr accumulates in the skeletal muscle in both male and female aged rats as a precursor probably due to a glycosylation impairment. In the heart, no modifications were observed in either older rats or rats of a specific gender. These data highlight a tissue-specific dysregulation of LDLr that is age- and gender-dependent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Roma Tre, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Segatto
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trapani
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pallottini
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011973:Receptors, LDL / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D011973:Receptors, LDL