Increased atherosclerosis in mice reconstituted with apolipoprotein E null macrophages
1997
Fazio, S. | Babaev, V.R. | Murray, A.B. | Hasty, A.H. | Carter, K.J. | Gleaves, L.A. | Atkinson, J.B. | Linton, M.F.
Macrophage-derived foam cells express apolipoprotein E (apoE) abundantly in atherosclerotic lesions. To examine the physiologic role of apoE secretion by the macrophage in atherogenesis, bone marrow transplantation was used to reconstitute C57BL/6 mice with macrophages that were either null or wild type for the apoE gene. After 13 weeks on an atherogenic diet, C57BL/6 mice reconstituted with apoE null marrow developed 10-fold more atherosclerosis than controls in the absence of significant differences in serum cholesterol levels or lipoprotein profiles. ApoE expression was absent in the macrophage-derived foam cells of C57BL/6 mice reconstituted with apoE null marrow. Thus, lack of apoE expression by the macrophage promotes foam cell formation. These data support a protective role for apoE expression by the macrophage in early atherogenesis.
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