TABLE 3.

Sterol metabolism in native and CETP⁺ cells

				Relative mRNA level
Cell	CE content	CE synthesis	CE hydrolysis	HMGCR	ABCG1
Control	2.81 ± 0.41	0.22 ± 0.07	23.0 ± 1.0	1.07 ± 0.08	1.06 ± 0.07
CETP+	1.93 ± 0.31a	0.33 ± 0.03b	59.1 ± 10.3b	2.59 ± 0.35b	0.01 ± 0.01b

CE content was determined from the steady-state level of ³H-CE after 48 h incubation with 200 µM ³H-oleate/BSA. CE synthesis rates were determined from the slope of the ³H-CE accumulation curve over 4 h. To measure CE hydrolysis, after cells were incubated with ³H-oleate/BSA for 48 h, the decay in the ³H-CE pool was measured after oleate removal and the addition of HDL and BSA to the media. Gene expression for HMGCR (HMG-CoA reductase) and ABCG1 was measured by qPCR. Units are CE content, nmol/mg protein (n = 3); CE synthetic rate, nmol/mg protein/h (n = 6); CE hydrolysis, % decrease in CE pool over 8 h period (n = 2–3).

^aP < 0.05 versus control.

^bP < 0.01 versus control.