The long wait for a cellular and functional definition of canalicular transporters for biliary cholesterol appears to be over. Articles in this issue of the JCI provide a fascinating account of the cellular itinerary of two murine ATP-binding cassette (ABC) halftransporters from the ribosome to the hepatocyte apical membranes (1) and show that the corresponding human genes, when overexpressed i...

BACKGROUND Phytosterols are plant-derived sterols that are taken up from food and can serve as biomarkers of cholesterol uptake. Serum levels are under tight genetic control. We used a genomic approach to study the molecular regulation of serum phytosterol levels and potential links to coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS AND RESULTS A genome-wide association study for serum phytosterols (c...

Hypercholesterolemia is a metabolic disorder characterized by a high concentration of cholesterol in the blood. Eryngium carlinae is a medicinal plant used to treat lipid diseases. The goal of this work was to evaluate, in a model of hypercholesterolemia in mice, the hypocholesterolemic effect of a hydroalcoholic extract of E. carlinae and its main metabolite, D-mannitol. Biochemical analyses o...

Sitosterolaemia is caused by mutations in either ABCG5 or ABCG8. Chinese and Japanese individuals usually have mutations in ABCG5. We herein report a known and a novel mutation in ABCG8 and their potential interaction with NPC1L1 polymorphisms in a Chinese family with sitosterolaemia. We sequenced ABCG5 and ABCG8 and measured the levels of plasma plant sterols in a 15-year-old Chinese girl with...

S itosterolemia is a rare inherited lipid metabolic disorder characterized by the presence of xanthomas, premature coronary artery disease, and atherosclerotic disease. The hallmark of sitosterolemia is diagnostically elevated plasma levels of dietary plant sterols (eg, sitosterol), which is found in high concentrations in olives, avocados, and pecan nuts. Sitosterolemia is caused by mutations ...

Objective: Atherosclerosis of coronary arteries is the most significant cause of disability and mortality worldwide and the most efficient physiological process reducing the risk of this disease is RCT. ABCG8 plays a crucial role in the reverse transfer of cholesterol from macrophages to the liver. The aim of this study is to study the effect of eight weeks aerobic exercise on the atherogenic r...

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) half-transporters ABCG5 and ABCG8 heterodimerize into a functional complex that mediates the secretion of plant sterols and cholesterol by hepatocytes into bile and their apical efflux from enterocytes. We addressed the putative rate-controlling role of Abcg5/Abcg8 in hepatobiliary cholesterol excretion in mice during (maximal) stimulation of this process. Despite...

Biliary tract cancers are rare but fatal malignancies, with increasing incidence in Shanghai, China. Gallstones, the primary risk factor for biliary tract cancer, typically result from oversaturation of cholesterol in bile. We examined the association of five variants in three lipid metabolism-related genes (CETP, ABCG8 and LRPAP1) and biliary tract cancers and stones in a population-based case...

BACKGROUND It is well established that the excess cellular cholesterol concentration, as well as high density lipoprotein (HDL) and total cholesterol levels are strongly correlated with the incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD). Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) is a term used to describe the efflux of excess cellular cholesterol. ABCG8 is a member of ABCG family that play a critical rol...