Fig. 3.

Hepatic hMsrA expression reduces plasma VLDL/LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Lentiviruses Lv-MsrA-GFP or Lv-GFP (1.6 × 10⁸ particles in 200 µl) were intravenously injected into 11-month-old apoE^−/− mice. Starting at 2 weeks after the lentiviral injection, the mice were fed a Western diet for 12 weeks. A, B: TC and TG levels of fasting plasma collected at the indicated time were determined enzymatically as described in Methods. Data are presented as mean ± SD, n = 8. * P < 0.05 and ** P < 0.01. C: Plasma lipoprotein profiles in Lv-MsrA-GFP or Lv-GFP mice at 12 weeks after Western diet feeding. Lipoproteins in pooled plasma were size fractionated by FPLC using a Superose 6 10/300 GL column, and cholesterol contents within lipoprotein fractions (VLDL, LDL, and HDL) were measured. D: Plasma HDL-C level in Lv-MsrA-GFP or Lv-GFP mice were measured after precipitation of the apoB-containing lipoproteins.