Objective: Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, whether an individual heterozygous FH patient will develop CVD depends on other genetic- and environmental risk factors as well. LDL receptor-related protein with 11 ligand binding repeat (LR11) and its soluble form (sLR11) play a role in the progression of atherosclerosis. We investigated the involvement of LR11 and sLR11 in CVD development in FH patients and in LDLR deficient (Ldlr-/-) mice. Approach and results: In statin-treated asymptomatic male heterozygous FH subjects, plasma sLR11 levels correlated with carotid intima-media thickness. Increased plasma sLR11 levels were found in Ldlr-/- and also in wild-type mice exclusively after high-fat feeding. Hepatic LR11 mRNA levels, however, were higher in chow-fed Ldlr-/- in comparison with wild-type mice and were further increased after a high fat diet. Similar results were obtained with Apoe-/- mice, but not with wild-type mice. LR11 mRNA and protein levels and release of sLR11 from cultured HepG2 and aortic smooth muscle cells were upregulated by postprandial triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TGRL). Overexpression of human LR11 in CHO cells resulted in increased binding and association of 12I-labeled TGRL, but not of 12I-labeled LDL. Conclusion: Our data strongly suggest an involvement of LR11 in mediating the harmful effects of a high-fat diet on CVD progression. Elevated sLR11 levels may increase the CVD risk especially in subjects with delayed clearance of triglyceride-rich remnants, such as in FH patients.

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doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2015.10.009, hdl.handle.net/1765/90297
Atherosclerosis
Department of Immunology

Vongpromek, R., Bujo, H., Hoekstra, M., Schneider, W., van der Zee, L., Schinkel, A., … Mulder, M. (2015). LR11/SorLA links triglyceride-rich lipoproteins to risk of developing cardiovascular disease in FH patients. Atherosclerosis, 243(2), 429–437. doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2015.10.009