Impaired metabolism predicts coronary artery calcification in women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exhibit a high risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) which is not fully explained by the classical Framingham risk factors. SLE is characterized by major metabolic alterations which can contribute to the elevated prevalence of CVD. METHODS: A comprehensive analysis of the circulating metabolome and lipidome was conducted in a large cohort of 211 women with SLE who underwent a multi-detector computed tomography scan for quantification of coronary artery calcium (CAC), a robust predictor of coronary heart disease (CHD). FINDINGS: Beyond traditional risk factors, including age and hypertension, disease activity and duration were independent risk factors for developing CAC in women with SLE. The presence of coronary calcium was associated with major alterations of circulating lipidome dominated by an elevated abundance of ceramides with very long chain fatty acids. Alterations in multiple metabolic pathways, including purine, arginine and proline metabolism, and microbiota-derived metabolites, were also associated with CAC in women with SLE. Logistic regression with bootstrapping of lipidomic and metabolomic variables were used to develop prognostic scores. Strikingly, combining metabolic and lipidomic variables with clinical and biological parameters markedly improved the prediction (area under the curve: 0.887, p < 0.001) of the presence of coronary calcium in women with SLE. INTERPRETATION: The present study uncovers the contribution of disturbed metabolism to the presence of coronary artery calcium and the associated risk of CHD in SLE. Identification of novel lipid and metabolite biomarkers may help stratifying patients for reducing CVD morbidity and mortality in SLE. FUNDING: INSERM and Sorbonne Université.

Integrated omics approach for the identification of HDL structure-function relationships in PCSK9-related familial hypercholesterolemia.

BACKGROUND: The role of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) in dyslipidemia may go beyond its immediate effects on low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) activity. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess PCSK9-derived alterations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) physiology, which bear a potential to contribute to cardiovascular risk profile. METHODS: HDL was isolated from 33 patients with familial autosomal dominant hypercholesterolemia (FH), including those carrying PCSK9 gain-of-function (GOF) genetic variants (FH-PCSK9, n = 11), together with two groups of dyslipidemic patients employed as controls and carrying genetic variants in the LDL-R not treated (ntFH-LDLR, n = 11) and treated (tFH-LDLR, n = 11) with statins, and 11 normolipidemic controls. Biological evaluations paralleled by proteomic, lipidomic and glycomic analyses were applied to characterize functional and compositional properties of HDL. RESULTS: Multiple deficiencies in the HDL function were identified in the FH-PCSK9 group relative to dyslipidemic FH-LDLR patients and normolipidemic controls, which involved reduced antioxidative, antiapoptotic, anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory activities. By contrast, cellular cholesterol efflux capacity of HDL was unchanged. In addition, multiple alterations of the proteomic, lipidomic and glycomic composition of HDL were found in the FH-PCSK9 group. Remarkably, HDLs from FH-PCSK9 patients were systematically enriched in several lysophospholipids as well as in A2G2S2 (GP13) glycan and apolipoprotein A-IV. Based on network analysis of functional and compositional data, a novel mosaic structure-function model of HDL biology involving FH was developed. CONCLUSION: Several metrics of anti-atherogenic HDL functionality are altered in FH-PCSK9 patients paralleled by distinct compositional alterations. These data provide a first-ever overview of the impact of GOF PCSK9 genetic variants on structure-function relationships in HDL.

Phosphatidylserine enhances anti-inflammatory effects of reconstituted HDL in macrophages via distinct intracellular pathways.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a minor phospholipid constituent of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) that exhibits potent anti-inflammatory activity. It remains indeterminate whether PS incorporation can enhance anti-inflammatory effects of reconstituted HDL (rHDL). Human macrophages were treated with rHDL containing phosphatidylcholine alone (PC-rHDL) or PC and PS (PC/PS-rHDL). Interleukin (IL)-6 secretion and expression was more strongly inhibited by PC/PS-rHDL than PC-rHDL in both tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages. siRNA experiments revealed that the enhanced anti-inflammatory effects of PC/PS-rHDL required scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI). Furthermore, PC/PS-rHDL induced a greater increase in Akt1/2/3 phosphorylation than PC-rHDL. In addition, PC/PS but not PC-rHDL decreased the abundance of plasma membrane lipid rafts and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) phosphorylation. Finally, when these rHDL formulations were administered to dyslipidemic low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-receptor knockout mice fed a high-cholesterol diet, circulating IL-6 levels were significantly reduced only in PC/PS-rHDL-treated mice. In parallel, enhanced Akt1/2/3 phosphorylation by PC/PS-rHDL was observed in the mouse aortic tissue using immunohistochemistry. We concluded that the incorporation of PS into rHDLs enhanced their anti-inflammatory activity by modulating Akt1/2/3- and p38 MAPK-mediated signaling through SR-BI in stimulated macrophages. These data identify PS as a potent anti-inflammatory component capable of enhancing therapeutic potential of rHDL-based therapy.

Profound systemic alteration of the immune phenotype and an immunoglobulin switch in Erdheim-Chester disease in 78 patients from a single center.

Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, systemic, non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis neoplasm, which is characterized by the infiltration of CD63+ CD1a- histiocytes in multiple tissues. The BRAFV600E mutation is frequently present in individuals with ECD and has been detected in hematopoietic stem cells and immune cells from the myeloid and systemic compartments. Immune cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines are present in lesions, suggesting that ECD involves immune cell recruitment. Although a systemic cytokine T-helper-1-oriented signature has been reported in ECD, the immune cell network orchestrating the immune response in ECD has yet to be described. To address this issue, the phenotypes of circulating leukocytes were investigated in a large, single-center cohort of 78 patients with ECD and compared with those of a group of 21 control individuals. Major perturbations in the abundance of systemic immune cells were detected in patients with ECD, with decreases in circulating plasmacytoid, myeloid 1, and myeloid 2 dendritic cells, mostly in BRAFV600E carriers, in comparison with individuals in the control group. Similarly, marked decreases in blood Thelper, cytotoxic, and B-lymphocyte numbers were observed in patients with ECD, relative to the control group. Measurement of circulating immunoglobulin concentrations revealed an immunoglobulin G switch, from IgG1 to IgG4 subclasses, which are more frequently associated with the BRAF mutation. First-line therapies, including pegylated interferon-a and vemurafenib, were able to correct most of these alterations. This study reveals a profound disturbance in the systemic immune phenotype in patients with ECD, providing important new information, helping to understand the physiopathological mechanisms involved in this rare disease and improving the therapeutic management of patients.

Phospholipid transfer to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) upon triglyceride lipolysis is directly correlated with HDL-cholesterol levels and is not associated with cardiovascular risk.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: While low concentrations of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) represent a well-established cardiovascular risk factor, extremely high HDL-C is paradoxically associated with elevated cardiovascular risk, resulting in the U-shape relationship with cardiovascular disease. Free cholesterol transfer to HDL upon lipolysis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TGRL) was recently reported to underlie this relationship, linking HDL-C to triglyceride metabolism and atherosclerosis. In addition to free cholesterol, other surface components of TGRL, primarily phospholipids, are transferred to HDL during lipolysis. It remains indeterminate as to whether such transfer is linked to HDL-C and cardiovascular disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: When TGRL was labelled with fluorescent phospholipid 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI), time- and dose-dependent transfer of DiI to HDL was observed upon incubations with lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The capacity of HDL to acquire DiI was decreased by -36% (p<0.001) in low HDL-C patients with acute myocardial infarction (n = 22) and by -95% (p<0.001) in low HDL-C subjects with Tangier disease (n = 7), unchanged in low HDL-C patients with Type 2 diabetes (n = 17) and in subjects with high HDL-C (n = 20), and elevated in subjects with extremely high HDL-C (+11%, p<0.05) relative to healthy normolipidemic controls. Across all the populations combined, HDL capacity to acquire DiI was directly correlated with HDL-C (r = 0.58, p<0.001). No relationship of HDL capacity to acquire DiI with both overall and cardiovascular mortality obtained from epidemiological studies for the mean HDL-C levels observed in the studied populations was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that the capacity of HDL to acquire phospholipid from TGRL upon LPL-mediated lipolysis is proportional to HDL-C and does not reflect cardiovascular risk in subjects widely differing in HDL-C levels.

Interleukin-1ß and Risk of Premature Death in Patients With Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Inhibition of the interleukin (IL)-1ß innate immunity pathway is associated with anti-inflammatory effects and a reduced risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in stable patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI) and elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the association between IL-1ß level with all-cause mortality in patients with acute ST-segment elevation MI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention and the interplay between IL-1ß and hs-CRP concentrations on the risk of premature death. METHODS: IL-1ß concentration was measured in 1,398 patients with ST-segment elevation MI who enrolled in a prospective cohort. Crude and hazard ratios for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were analyzed at 90 days and 1 year using multivariate Cox proportional regression analysis. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) were analyzed. RESULTS: IL-1ß concentration measured at admission was associated with all-cause mortality at 90 days (adjusted hazard ratio [adjHR]: 1.47 per 1 SD increase; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16 to 1.87; p < 0.002). The relation was nonlinear, and the highest tertile of IL-1ß was associated with higher mortality rates at 90 days (adjHR: 2.78; 95% CI: 1.61 to 4.79; p = 0.0002) and at 1 year (adjHR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.21 to 3.06; p = 0.005), regardless of the hs-CRP concentration. Significant relationships were equally observed when considering cardiovascular mortality and MACEs at 90 days (adjHR: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.36 to 4.28; p = 0.002, and adjHR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.31 to 4.01; p = 0.004, respectively) and at 1 year (adjHR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.36 to 3.97; p = 0.002, and adjHR: 2.35; 95% CI: 1.39 to 3.96; p = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: IL-1ß measured at admission in patients with acute MI was independently associated with the risk of mortality and recurrent MACEs.

Rewiring of Lipid Metabolism in Adipose Tissue Macrophages in Obesity: Impact on Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.

Obesity and its two major comorbidities, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, represent worldwide health issues whose incidence is predicted to steadily rise in the coming years. Obesity is characterized by an accumulation of fat in metabolic tissues resulting in chronic inflammation. It is now largely accepted that adipose tissue inflammation underlies the etiology of these disorders. Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) represent the most enriched immune fraction in hypertrophic, chronically inflamed adipose tissue, and these cells play a key role in diet-induced type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. ATMs are triggered by the continuous influx of dietary lipids, among other stimuli; however, how these lipids metabolically activate ATM depends on their nature, composition and localization. This review will discuss the fate and molecular programs elicited within obese ATMs by both exogenous and endogenous lipids, as they mediate the inflammatory response and promote or hamper the development of obesity-associated insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Reduced Reverse Cholesterol Transport Efficacy in Healthy Men with Undesirable Postprandial Triglyceride Response.

Elevation of nonfasting triglyceride (TG) levels above 1.8 g/L (2 mmol/L) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Exacerbated postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (PP-HTG) and metabolic context both modulate the overall efficacy of the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) pathway, but the specific contribution of exaggerated PP-HTG on RCT efficacy remains indeterminate. Healthy male volunteers (n = 78) exhibiting no clinical features of metabolic disorders underwent a postprandial exploration following consumption of a typical Western meal providing 1200 kcal. Subjects were stratified according to maximal nonfasting TG levels reached after ingestion of the test meal into subjects with a desirable PP-TG response (GLow, TG < 1.8 g/L, n = 47) and subjects with an undesirable PP-TG response (GHigh, TG > 1.8 g/L, n = 31). The impact of the degree of PP-TG response on major steps of RCT pathway, including cholesterol efflux from human macrophages, cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity, and hepatic high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesteryl ester (CE) selective uptake, was evaluated. Cholesterol efflux from human macrophages was not significantly affected by the degree of the PP-TG response. Postprandial increase in CETP-mediated CE transfer from HDL to triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particles, and more specifically to chylomicrons, was enhanced in GHigh vs GLow. The hepatic HDL-CE delivery was reduced in subjects from GHigh in comparison with those from GLow. Undesirable PP-TG response induces an overall reduction in RCT efficacy that contributes to the onset elevation of both fasting and nonfasting TG levels and to the development of cardiometabolic diseases.

Free cholesterol transfer to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) upon triglyceride lipolysis underlies the U-shape relationship between HDL-cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND: Low concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) represent a well-established cardiovascular risk factor. Paradoxically, extremely high HDL-C levels are equally associated with elevated cardiovascular risk, resulting in the U-shape relationship of HDL-C with cardiovascular disease. Mechanisms underlying this association are presently unknown. We hypothesised that the capacity of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) to acquire free cholesterol upon triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TGRL) lipolysis by lipoprotein lipase underlies the non-linear relationship between HDL-C and cardiovascular risk. METHODS: To assess our hypothesis, we developed a novel assay to evaluate the capacity of HDL to acquire free cholesterol (as fluorescent TopFluor® cholesterol) from TGRL upon in vitro lipolysis by lipoprotein lipase. RESULTS: When the assay was applied to several populations markedly differing in plasma HDL-C levels, transfer of free cholesterol was significantly decreased in low HDL-C patients with acute myocardial infarction (-45%) and type 2 diabetes (-25%), and in subjects with extremely high HDL-C of >2.59 mmol/L (>100 mg/dL) (-20%) versus healthy normolipidaemic controls. When these data were combined and plotted against HDL-C concentrations, an inverse U-shape relationship was observed. Consistent with these findings, animal studies revealed that the capacity of HDL to acquire cholesterol upon lipolysis was reduced in low HDL-C apolipoprotein A-I knock-out mice and was negatively correlated with aortic accumulation of [3H]-cholesterol after oral gavage, attesting this functional characteristic as a negative metric of postprandial atherosclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: Free cholesterol transfer to HDL upon TGRL lipolysis may underlie the U-shape relationship between HDL-C and cardiovascular disease, linking HDL-C to triglyceride metabolism and atherosclerosis.

Association of Serum Cholesterol Efflux Capacity With Mortality in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Serum cholesterol efflux capacity, a biomarker that integrates contributors and modulators of the initial step of the reverse cholesterol transport, has been associated with atherosclerosis independently of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level. OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluated the prognostic impact of serum cholesterol efflux capacity on mortality in a large cohort of patients hospitalized for an acute myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: Serum cholesterol efflux capacity, cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were measured in 1,609 consecutive patients admitted with an acute MI. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality evaluated at 6 years with a median follow-up of 1.9 years (interquartile range: 1.5 to 4.2 years). An analysis by quartile of serum cholesterol efflux capacity was also performed. RESULTS: In a fully adjusted model that included age, sex, traditional cardiovascular risk factors including lipid levels, and prognostic factors of MI, serum cholesterol efflux capacity was a strong predictor of survival (adjusted hazard ratio for mortality per 1-SD increase in serum cholesterol efflux capacity, 0.79; 95% confidence interval: 0.66 to 0.95; p = 0.0132). Patients displaying an elevated serum cholesterol efflux capacity had a marked lower rate of mortality at 6 years (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.54 [0.32 to 0.89]; p = 0.0165) as compared with patients with reduced serum cholesterol efflux capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Serum cholesterol efflux capacity, an integrative marker of reverse cholesterol transport pathway and efficacy, was inversely associated with all-cause mortality in MI patients independently of HDL cholesterol level and other risk factors.

Hypoalphalipoproteinemia and BRAFV600E Mutation Are Major Predictors of Aortic Infiltration in the Erdheim-Chester Disease.

Objective- Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis characterized by the infiltration of multiple tissues with lipid-laden histiocytes. Cardiovascular involvement is frequent in ECD and leads to a severe prognosis. The objective of this study was to determine whether an alteration of lipid metabolism participates in the lipid accumulation in histiocytes and the cardiovascular involvement in ECD. Approach and Results- An analysis of plasma lipid levels indicated that male ECD patients carrying the BRAFV600E (B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase) mutation exhibited hypoalphalipoproteinemia, as demonstrated by low plasma HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) levels. Capacity of sera from male BRAFV600E ECD patients to mediate free cholesterol efflux from human macrophages was reduced compared with control individuals. Cardiovascular involvement was detected in 84% of the ECD patients, and we reported that the presence of the BRAFV600E mutation and hypoalphalipoproteinemia is an independent determinant of aortic infiltration in ECD. Phenotyping of blood CD14+ cells, the precursors of histiocytes, enabled the identification of a specific inflammatory signature associated with aortic infiltration which was partially affected by the HDL phenotype. Finally, the treatment with vemurafenib, an inhibitor of the BRAFV600E mutation, restored the defective sera cholesterol efflux capacity and reduced the aortic infiltration. Conclusions- Our findings indicate that hypoalphalipoproteinemia in male ECD patients carrying the BRAFV600E mutation favors the formation of lipid-laden histiocytes. In addition, we identified the BRAF status and the HDL phenotype as independent determinants of the aortic involvement in ECD with a potential role of HDL in modulating the infiltration of blood CD14+ cells into the aorta.

Critical Role of the Human ATP-Binding Cassette G1 Transporter in Cardiometabolic Diseases.

ATP-binding cassette G1 (ABCG1) is a member of the large family of ABC transporters which are involved in the active transport of many amphiphilic and lipophilic molecules including lipids, drugs or endogenous metabolites. It is now well established that ABCG1 promotes the export of lipids, including cholesterol, phospholipids, sphingomyelin and oxysterols, and plays a key role in the maintenance of tissue lipid homeostasis. Although ABCG1 was initially proposed to mediate cholesterol efflux from macrophages and then to protect against atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), it becomes now clear that ABCG1 exerts a larger spectrum of actions which are of major importance in cardiometabolic diseases (CMD). Beyond a role in cellular lipid homeostasis, ABCG1 equally participates to glucose and lipid metabolism by controlling the secretion and activity of insulin and lipoprotein lipase. Moreover, there is now a growing body of evidence suggesting that modulation of ABCG1 expression might contribute to the development of diabetes and obesity, which are major risk factors of CVD. In order to provide the current understanding of the action of ABCG1 in CMD, we here reviewed major findings obtained from studies in mice together with data from the genetic and epigenetic analysis of ABCG1 in the context of CMD.

Association of Cholesterol Efflux Capacity With Clinical Features of Metabolic Syndrome: Relevance to Atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: The contribution of high-density lipoprotein to cardiovascular benefit is closely linked to its role in the cellular cholesterol efflux process; however, various clinical and biochemical variables are known to modulate the overall cholesterol efflux process. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which clinical and biological anomalies associated with the establishment of the metabolic syndrome modulate cholesterol efflux capacity and contribute to development of atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study involved patients (n=1202) displaying atherogenic dyslipidemia in primary prevention who were referred to our prevention center. Among these patients, 25% presented at least 3 criteria of the metabolic syndrome, as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. We measured the capacity of 40-fold diluted serum to mediate cholesterol efflux from cholesterol-loaded human THP-1 macrophages. Cholesterol efflux capacity was reduced progressively by 4% to 11% (P<0.0001) as a function of the increasing number of coexisting criteria for the metabolic syndrome from 1 to 5. This observation was primarily related to reductions in scavenger receptor class B member 1 and ATP binding cassette subfamily G member 1-dependent efflux. Multivariate analyses indicate that serum efflux capacity was significantly associated with established metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 0.45; 95% CI 0.28-0.72; P=0.009) independent of age, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, status with regard to lipid-lowering therapy, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that individual criteria of metabolic syndrome are closely related synergistically to cholesterol efflux capacity. In addition, established metabolic syndrome and cholesterol efflux capacity were independently associated with clinical features of atherosclerosis.

Extended-Release Niacin/Laropiprant Improves Overall Efficacy of Postprandial Reverse Cholesterol Transport.

OBJECTIVES: Postprandial atherogenic lipoproteins, characterizing high-risk patients, correlate positively with cardiovascular events. Although the effect of niacin on fasting lipids is well established, its impact on atheroprotective reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) pathway and on functional features of circulating lipoproteins during the postprandial state remains indeterminate. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We evaluated RCT pathway during postprandial phase in dyslipidemic patients displaying a low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol phenotype. Ten subjects on stable statin therapy received 1 g/20 mg extended-release niacin/laropiprant (ERN/LRPT) for 4 weeks followed by 2 g/40 mg ERN/LRPT for additional 8 weeks. At each experimental period, postprandial hypertriglyceridemia and major steps of RCT, including cholesterol efflux from human macrophages, cholesteryl ester transfer protein-mediated cholesteryl ester transfer, and hepatic HDL-cholesteryl ester selective uptake were evaluated. Equally, the capacity of postprandial HDL particles isolated from patients before and after ERN/LRPT treatment to mediate RCT to feces was evaluated in vivo in human apolipoprotein B/cholesteryl ester transfer protein double transgenic mouse model. Compared with baseline, ERN/LRPT significantly reduced postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (incremental area under the curve-triglyceride: -53%; P=0.02). Postprandial increase in endogenous plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity was completely abolished after ERN/LRPT treatment. Despite a slight reduction in plasma cholesterol efflux capacity from human THP-1 macrophages, evaluation of global RCT efficacy by combining both ex vivo and in vivo approaches indicate that postprandial HDL particles formed under ERN/LRPT therapy displayed a greater capacity for HDL-mediated RCT to feces. CONCLUSIONS: ERN/LRPT treatment efficiently attenuates atherogenic postprandial lipemia and stimulates HDL-mediated cholesterol return to the liver and elimination into feces during postprandial phase, thus maintaining an efficient removal of cholesterol from the body.

Adipose ABCG1: A potential therapeutic target in obesity?

The importance of ATP-Binding Cassette G1 (ABCG1) transporter in obesity was recently brought to light by recent findings uncovering its key role in adipogenesis with physiopathological consequences in human obesity. Thus, silencing of ABCG1 expression using an RNAi approach allows inhibition of adipocyte differentiation and maturation leading to reduction of fat mass growth in vivo in mice. Studies of ABCG1 in obese subjects validated its deleterious role in the context of obesity, suggesting that adipose tissue ABCG1 could be a potential therapeutic target in obese patients. Here, we discuss the potential feasibility of such strategy and provide a brief overview of critical issues to be considered.

Adipocyte ATP-binding cassette G1 promotes triglyceride storage, fat mass growth, and human obesity.

The role of the ATP-binding cassette G1 (ABCG1) transporter in human pathophysiology is still largely unknown. Indeed, beyond its role in mediating free cholesterol efflux to HDL, the ABCG1 transporter equally promotes lipid accumulation in a triglyceride (TG)-rich environment through regulation of the bioavailability of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Because both ABCG1 and LPL are expressed in adipose tissue, we hypothesized that ABCG1 is implicated in adipocyte TG storage and therefore could be a major actor in adipose tissue fat accumulation. Silencing of Abcg1 expression by RNA interference in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes compromised LPL-dependent TG accumulation during the initial phase of differentiation. Generation of stable Abcg1 knockdown 3T3-L1 adipocytes revealed that Abcg1 deficiency reduces TG storage and diminishes lipid droplet size through inhibition of Pparγ expression. Strikingly, local inhibition of adipocyte Abcg1 in adipose tissue from mice fed a high-fat diet led to a rapid decrease of adiposity and weight gain. Analysis of two frequent ABCG1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs1893590 [A/C] and rs1378577 [T/G]) in morbidly obese individuals indicated that elevated ABCG1 expression in adipose tissue was associated with increased PPARγ expression and adiposity concomitant to increased fat mass and BMI (haplotype AT>GC). The critical role of ABCG1 in obesity was further confirmed in independent populations of severe obese and diabetic obese individuals. This study identifies for the first time a major role of adipocyte ABCG1 in adiposity and fat mass growth and suggests that adipose ABCG1 might represent a potential therapeutic target in obesity.

ABCG1 is involved in vitamin E efflux.

Vitamin E membrane transport has been shown to involve the cholesterol transporters SR-BI, ABCA1 and NPC1L1. Our aim was to investigate the possible participation of another cholesterol transporter in cellular vitamin E efflux: ABCG1. In Abcgl-deficient mice, vitamin E concentration was reduced in plasma lipoproteins whereas most tissues displayed a higher vitamin E content compared to wild-type mice. α- and γ-tocopherol efflux was increased in CHO cells overexpressing human ABCG1 compared to control cells. Conversely, α- and γ- tocopherol efflux was decreased in ABCG1-knockdown human cells (Hep3B hepatocytes and THP-1 macro- phages). Interestingly, α- and γ-tocopherol significantly downregulated ABCG1 and ABCA1 expression levels in Hep3B and THP-1, an effect confirmed in vivo in rats given vitamin E for 5 days. This was likely due to reduced LXR activation by oxysterols, as Hep3B cells and rat liver treated with vitamin E displayed a significantly reduced content in oxysterols compared to their respective controls. Overall, the present study reveals for the first time that ABCG1 is involved in cellular vitamin E efflux.

Improved plasma cholesterol efflux capacity from human macrophages in patients with hyperalphalipoproteinemia.

OBJECTIVES: CETP or HL deficiencies lead to a marked increase in HDL-C levels however the atheroprotective effect of this phenotype, in particular the ability of HDL particles to remove cholesterol from human macrophages, remains to be determined. METHODS: We measured cholesterol efflux from human THP-1 macrophages to total plasma or to isolated HDL subfractions in patients with HALP carrying molecular defect in either the CETP or LIPC gene. RESULTS: We demonstrate that HALP is associated with an increased plasma cholesterol efflux capacity from human macrophages. This observation is primarily related to a stimulation of both SR-BI and ABCA1 dependent efflux pathways as a result of quantitative elevation in HDL2 and enhanced intrinsic capacity of HDL3 subspecies, respectively. CONCLUSION: HDL particles from HALP patients with molecular defect within either CETP or LIPC gene are not dysfunctional and are efficient to stimulate cholesterol efflux from human macrophages.

Plasma NOV/CCN3 levels are closely associated with obesity in patients with metabolic disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence points to a founder of the multifunctional CCN family, NOV/CCN3, as a circulating molecule involved in cardiac development, vascular homeostasis and inflammation. No data are available on the relationship between plasma NOV/CCN3 levels and cardiovascular risk factors in humans. This study investigated the possible relationship between plasma NOV levels and cardiovascular risk factors in humans. METHODS: NOV levels were measured in the plasma from 594 adults with a hyperlipidemia history and/or with lipid-lowering therapy and/or a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m(2). Correlations were measured between NOV plasma levels and various parameters, including BMI, fat mass, and plasma triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, and C-reactive protein. NOV expression was also evaluated in adipose tissue from obese patients and rodents and in primary cultures of adipocytes and macrophages. RESULTS: After full multivariate adjustment, we detected a strong positive correlation between plasma NOV and BMI (r = 0.36 p<0.0001) and fat mass (r = 0.33 p<0.0005). According to quintiles, this relationship appeared to be linear. NOV levels were also positively correlated with C-reactive protein but not with total cholesterol, LDL-C or blood glucose. In patients with drastic weight loss induced by Roux-en-Y bariatric surgery, circulating NOV levels decreased by 28% (p<0.02) and 48% (p<0.0001) after 3 and 6 months, respectively, following surgery. In adipose tissue from obese patients, and in human primary cultures NOV protein was detected in adipocytes and macrophages. In mice fed a high fat diet NOV plasma levels and its expression in adipose tissue were also significantly increased compared to controls fed a standard diet. CONCLUSION: Our results strongly suggest that in obese humans and mice plasma NOV levels positively correlated with NOV expression in adipose tissue, and support a possible contribution of NOV to obesity-related inflammation.