title: Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor Contributes to β-Carotene Uptake in the Maternal Liver.
abstract: Vitamin A regulates many essential mammalian biological processes, including embryonic development. β-carotene is the main source of vitamin A in the human diet. Once ingested, it is packaged into lipoproteins, predominantly low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and transported to different sites within the body, including the liver and developing tissues, where it can either be stored or metabolized to retinoids (vitamin A and its derivatives). The molecular mechanisms of β-carotene uptake by the liver or developing tissues remain elusive. Here, we investigated the role of the LDL receptor (LDLr) in β-carotene uptake by maternal liver, placenta and embryo. We administered a single dose of β-carotene toLdlr+/-andLdlr-/-pregnant mice via intraperitoneal injection at mid-gestation and monitored the changes in β-carotene content among maternal lipoproteins and the liver, as well as the accumulation of β-carotene in the placental-fetal unit. We showed an abnormal β-carotene distribution among serum lipoproteins and reduced hepatic β-carotene uptake inLdlr-/-dams. These data strongly imply that LDLr significantly contributes to β-carotene uptake in the adult mouse liver. In contrast, LDLr does not seem to mediate acquisition of β-carotene by the placental-fetal unit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Rutgers Center for Lipid Research and New Jersey Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. varsha.shete@gmail.com.|Department of Pathology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. varsha.shete@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Varsha
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shete
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Rutgers Center for Lipid Research and New Jersey Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. bkc2117@cumc.columbia.edu.|Columbia University, Integrated Graduate Program, New York, NY 10032, USA. bkc2117@cumc.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Brianna K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Costabile
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Rutgers Center for Lipid Research and New Jersey Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. ykkim5@sebs.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Youn-Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Rutgers Center for Lipid Research and New Jersey Institute of Food Nutrition and Health, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. lquadro@sebs.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Quadro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005838:Genotype; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000737:chemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D021041:Placental Circulation; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011973:Receptors, LDL / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012176:Retinoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008074:Lipoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011973:Receptors, LDL; D012176:Retinoids; D019207:beta Carotene
keywords: LDL receptor; maternal liver; vitamin A; β-carotene uptake