Coexpression of CLA-1 and human PDZK1 in murine liver modulates HDL cholesterol metabolism.

OBJECTIVE: In rodents scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) is a key molecule for selective uptake of cholesteryl ester from high-density lipoprotein (HDL). This study was aimed to clarify the role of the human SR-BI/CD36 and LIMP-II Analogues-1 (CLA-1) as a molecular target of selective uptake of cholesteryl ester from HDL in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: To clarify the function and regulation of CLA-1 in vivo we produced CLA-1 BAC transgenic mice. In spite of abundant hepatic RNA expression of CLA-1, CLA-1 BAC transgenic mice had no significant effect on mouse HDL cholesterol. Although coexpression of a human scaffolding protein PDZK1 along with CLA-1 enhanced hepatic CLA-1 expression, it did not affect mouse HDL cholesterol levels, either. However, in the presence of human apoA-1, HDL cholesterol level and size were significantly reduced in CLA-1 transgenic mice, and its reduction was more pronounced in CLA-1/human PDZK1 double transgenic mouse. CONCLUSIONS: We established a mouse model to study human reverse cholesterol transport by expressing CLA-1, human PDZK1, and human apoA-I gene. Our results imply that enhancing CLA-1 expression by human PDZK1 in the liver can modulate HDL cholesterol metabolism and possibly enhance reverse cholesterol transport to prevent the progression of atherosclerosis in human.

Regulation of the human PDZK1 expression by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha.

Although PDZK1 is a well-known adaptor protein, the mechanisms for its role in transcriptional regulation are largely unknown. The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that plays an important role in the regulation of lipid homeostasis. Previously, we established a tetracycline-regulated human cell line that can be induced to express PPARalpha and identified candidate target genes, one of which was PDZK1. In this study, we cloned and characterized the promoter region of the human pdzk1 gene and determined the PPAR response element. Finally, we demonstrate that endogenous PPARalpha regulates PDZK1 expression.

Biodegradable Polymeric Stents.

To overcome several problems of conventional metallic stents, there have been many attempts to manufacture stents made of biodegradable materials. Although some studies have noted various degrees of inflammatory responses after biodegradable stent implantation, stents made of poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) showed high biocompatibility with minimal inflammatory response and neointimal formation in porcine coronary arteries. Therefore, PLLA materials are more likely to cover the specific need for human coronary arteries in terms of biodegradation period and scaffolding ability over 6 months. A clinical study of PLLA self-expanding stent implantation is underway in Japan. The initial and 6-month results are favorable and suggest the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of the PLLA biodegradable stent in humans. However, long-term follow-up with larger numbers of patients will be required to validate the long-term efficacy of PLLA stents.

Comparison of the self-expanding Radius stent and the balloon-expandable Multilink stent for elective treatment of coronary stenoses: a serial analysis by intravascular ultrasound.

We compared the outcome of the self-expanding Radius stent and the balloon-expandable Multilink stent serially by angiography and intravascular ultrasound. Successful stent deployment was achieved in 66 lesions of 56 stable angina patients (34 lesions with Radius stents and 32 lesions with Multilink stents). At follow-up, there were no significant differences in minimal lumen diameter or percent diameter stenosis between the groups, nor in restenosis rates, although the Radius stent group rate was slightly lower (23.5% vs. 31.3%). In the Radius stent group, stent cross-sectional area (CSA) increased gradually after implantation until the 6-month follow-up (8.37 +/- 1.83 to 10.16 +/- 2.59 mm(2); n = 15), giving a larger CSA (P = 0.03) than the Multilink stent group, which decreased (9.00 +/- 2.05 to 8.27 +/- 2.15 mm(2); n = 17). The lumen CSA was also slightly larger (6.82 +/- 3.06 vs. 5.84 +/- 1.85 mm(2); P = 0.29) in the Radius stent group. These findings indicated that the Radius stent enlarged progressively after implantation, which might be useful for prevention of restenosis.