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Direct evidence of a receptor for ‘good’ cholesterol reported by MIT team

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Mass–In work that could lead to new treatments for atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death in Western industrialized countries, MIT biologists have nailed down the function of a key protein involved in cells’ uptake of the so-called «good» cholesterol.

«This protein could be an attractive target for therapeutic intervention to manipulate levels of ‘good’ cholesterol in the blood,» said Monty Krieger, the professor in MIT’s Department of Biology who led the work. He noted that currently it’s very hard to modify levels of this kind of cholesterol–high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol–in humans. Doing so could be beneficial because higher amounts are associated with a reduced risk of atherosclerosis.

Professor Krieger and colleagues have reported over the past two years indirect evidence for a role of this protein, a cell surface receptor, in HDL metabolism. The new work, however, is the first direct evidence. «It’s the smoking gun that proves that this is a physiologically important receptor for HDL cholesterol,» Professor Krieger said.

The work, which was conducted with mice, will be reported in the November 11 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Krieger will also present the findings at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, FL in a symposium (#75, Room 204C) to be held November 10 from 6-8 pm (after the PNAS embargo).

Atherosclerosis is characterized by the build-up of cholesterol in the walls of arteries. Clogged arteries, in turn, are a signature of coronary heart disease. The risk of developing atherosclerosis depends in large measure on the relative amounts of two particles that carry cholesterol through the bloodstream.