Regulation of intestinal LDLR by the LXR-IDOL axis
Nienke M. van Loon, Suzanne A.E. van Wouw, Roelof Ottenhoff, Jessica K. Nelson, Jenina Kingma, Saskia Scheij, Martina Moeton, Noam Zelcer
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cholesterol metabolism is tightly regulated by transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. Accordingly, dysregulation of cholesterol metabolism is a major risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease and associated complications. In recent years, it has become apparent that next to the liver, the intestine plays a key role in systemic cholesterol metabolism by governing cholesterol absorption, secretion, and incorporation into lipoprotein particles. We have previously demonstrated that the Liver X receptor (LXR)-regulated E3 ubiquitin ligase inducible degrader of LDLR (IDOL) is a regulator of cholesterol uptake owing to its ability to promote the ubiquitylation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). However, whether the LXR-IDOL-LDLR axis regulates the LDLR in the intestine and whether this influences intestinal cholesterol homeostasis is not known. METHODS: mice. RESULTS: and control mice in this setting. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our study establishes that the LXR-IDOL-LDLR axis is active in the intestine and is part of the molecular circuitry that maintains cholesterol homeostasis in enterocytes.