High density lipoprotein (HDL) combats atherosclerosis, largely through its role in the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) pathway where excess cholesterol from peripheral tissues is transported by HDL to the liver for excretion. High HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels have been traditionally linked to a lower risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, recent evidence suggests that HDL “function”, rather than HDL levels, is a better indicator of CVD risk as modifications to HDL under oxidative stress can render the particles “dysfunctional”. Scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI), the HDL receptor, mediates the selective uptake of HDL-cholesteryl ester (CE) into the liver during RCT. We hypothesized that SR-BI would be unable to mediate its cholesterol transport functions in the presence of oxidized or modified HDL due to an inability to engage in productive binding interactions with modified ligands. To test this hypothesis, we assessed HDL binding and selective uptake of HDL-CE in COS7 cells transiently expressing SR-BI using native HDL or HDL modified with: 1) copper (Cu2+), 2) 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), or 3) acrolein. Our data revealed that, compared to native HDL, SR-BI bound 20-50% less Cu2+-HDL and acrolein-HDL, and mediated 40%-60% less selective uptake of CE from these modified particles, respectively. On the other hand, while SR-BI was able to bind HNE-HDL, it could not efficiently mediate cholesterol uptake (20% less compared to native HDL). Interestingly, our data also revealed that the ability of SR-BI to mediate the release of free cholesterol from COS7 cells did not differ when modified HDL served as acceptor particles, as compared to native HDL. Taken together, only the HDL binding and HDL-CE selective uptake functions of SR-BI are influenced by the type of modification on the HDL particle. These data have significant implications as they suggest that higher levels of plasma HDL-C may, in part, be the result of the inability of SR-BI to recognize and mediate cholesterol removal from HDL particles that have been exposed to oxidative stress. More detailed investigations of the interactions between SR-BI and various populations of oxidized HDL will improve our understanding of the mechanisms that render HDL dysfunctional, and ultimately, atherogenic.
Human Variant of Scavenger Receptor BI (R174C) Exhibits Impaired Cholesterol Transport Functions
