Lipid laden macrophages/foam cells are a hallmark of atherosclerotic lesions from early to late stages of development. Macrophages take-up modified low-density lipoprotein (mLDL) particles and store surplus mLDL-derived cholesterol as cholesterol ester (CE) in cytoplasmic lipid droplets (LDs). Accelerating CE hydrolysis from the LDs is a plausible strategy to promote reverse cholesterol transport from the atheroma. However, the identity of the CE hydrolases that function on LDs remains unknown. Previously we identified lipid droplet-associated hydrolase (LDAH) in LDs purified from macrophages and reported that
in vitro
LDAH regulates CE levels by increasing CE hydrolysis. To determine the relevance of LDAH in atherogenesis, we have generated LDAH knockout (LDAH-/-) mice. Mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPM) isolated from LDAH-/- mice had increased cytoplasmic LDs, increased net CE content, and decreased cholesterol efflux. In atherosclerosis studies, both male and female LDAH-/- mice crossed with apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE-/-) mice fed a Western diet developed larger lesions. Lesions of LDAH-/-/ apoE-/- mice were characterized by increased areas of macrophages containing enlarged cytoplasms with large LDs. Supporting a direct atheroprotective role of LDAH in macrophages, lesions of apoE-/- mice that received bone marrows from LDAH-/-/apoE-/- mice progressed faster than those that received bone marrow cells from LDAH+/+/apoE-/- mice. In qPCR analyses of genes involved in cholesterol homeostasis in macrophages, we found that ABC binding cassette transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1, which mediate cholesterol efflux through the plasma membrane, were consistently decreased in LDAH-/- MPM. Further
in vivo
gene expression studies on macrophages selectively obtained from lesions using laser capture microdissection are underway. In conclusion, our study suggests that LDAH promotes LD CE hydrolysis and cholesterol efflux from foam cells within the atheroma, and uncovers a potential target to promote reverse cholesterol from arteries as a means of ameliorating atherosclerosis development.
Regulation of Lipid Droplet Cholesterol Efflux From Macrophage Foam Cells