Fig. 2.

The fasting/feeding response of the cholesterologenic genes is blunted in LIRKO livers. LIRKO mice and their littermate controls were euthanized either in the nonfasted state (N), after a 24 h fast (F), or after a 24 h fast with subsequent refeeding of a high carbohydrate diet for 6 h (R). A, C–G: Gene expression was measured using real-time PCR. B: SREBP-2 protein levels were measured in nuclear extracts prepared from the livers of these mice. Each lane represents a pool prepared from equal aliquots of three livers. H: De novo cholesterol synthesis was measured as the fraction of newly synthesized cholesterol present 24 or 48 h after refeeding. I, J: Cholesterol levels were measured in plasma and liver taken at the time of euthanasia. (n = 4–8; *P < 0.05 versus control mice under the same feeding conditions; ^#P < 0.05 versus nonfasted mice of the same genotype.)