The influence of plasma lipoproteins from patients with abetalipoproteinemia on cellular cholesterol esterification.

In normal humans low density lipoproteins (LDL) constitute the major lipoprotein responsible for the delivery of cholesterol to cells and their uptake results in a decrease in cholesterol biosynthesis and an increase in cholesterol esterification. In the present study, we have examined whether plasma lipoproteins from patients with abetalipoproteinemia (ABL), who lack LDL in their plasma, can stimulate intracellular cholesterol esterification and, quantitatively, how this compares with normal LDL. Fibroblasts from normal and abetalipoproteinemic patients had similar cholesterol esterification rates when LDL was present in the medium. Esterification rates using ABL HDL2 were significantly higher than that of normal HDL2 in both normal and ABL fibroblasts. However, maximal rates of cellular cholesterol delivery are considerably greater for normal LDL than for the HDL2 particles in ABL plasma. Our results indicate that lipoprotein particles present in the HDL2 fraction of plasma from patients with ABL are able to provide sufficient cholesterol to cells so that cholesterol esterification is stimulated.