ABCG1 (ABC8), the human homolog of the Drosophila white gene, is a regulator of macrophage cholesterol and phospholipid transport.

ABSTRACT: Excessive uptake of atherogenic lipoproteins such as modified low-density lipoprotein complexes by vascular macrophages leads to foam cell formation, a critical step in atherogenesis. Cholesterol efflux mediated by high-density lipoproteins (HDL) constitutes a protective mechanism against macrophage lipid overloading. The molecular mechanisms underlying this reverse cholesterol transport process are currently not fully understood. To identify effector proteins that are involved in macrophage lipid uptake and release, we searched for genes that are regulated during lipid influx and efflux in human macrophages using a differential display approach. We report here that the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCG1 (ABC8) is induced in monocyte-derived macrophages during cholesterol influx

SUBMITTER: Klucken J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC15414 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature