Acat1 gene ablation in mice increases hematopoietic progenitor cell proliferation in bone marrow and causes leukocytosis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To investigate the role of acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) in hematopoiesis.

Approach and results

ACAT1 converts cellular cholesterol to cholesteryl esters for storage in multiple cell types and is a potential drug target for human diseases. In mouse models for atherosclerosis, global Acat1 knockout causes increased lesion size; bone marrow transplantation experiments suggest that the increased lesion size might be caused by ACAT1 deficiency in macrophages. However, bone marrow contains hematopoietic stem cells that give rise to cells in myeloid and lymphoid lineages; these cell types affect atherosclerosis at various stages. Here, we test the hypothesis that global Acat1(-/-) may affect hematopoiesis, rather than affecting macrophage function only,

SUBMITTER: Huang LH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3882116 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature