Retinoic Acid Receptor-Mediated Induction of ABCA1 in Macrophages

Abstract

ABCA1, the mutant molecule in Tangier Disease, mediates efflux of cellular cholesterol to apoA-I and is induced by liver X receptor (LXR)/retinoid X receptor (RXR) transcription factors. Retinoic acid receptor (RAR) activators (all-trans-retinoic acid [ATRA] and TTNPB) were found to increase ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) mRNA and protein in macrophages. In cellular cotransfection assays, RARγ/RXR activated the human ABCA1 promoter, via the same direct repeat 4 (DR4) promoter element as LXR/RXR. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis in macrophages confirmed the binding of RARγ/RXR to the ABCA1 promoter DR4 element in the presence of ATRA, with weaker binding of RARα/RXR, and no binding of RARβ/RXR. However, in macrophages from RARγ^−/− mice, TTNPB still induced ABCA1, in association with marked upregulation of RARα, suggesting that high levels of RARα can compensate for the absence of RARγ. Dose-response experiments with ATRA in mouse primary macrophages showed that other LXR target genes were weakly induced (ABCG1 and SREBP-1c) or not induced (apoE and LXRα). The more specific RAR activator TTNPB did not induce SREBP-1c in mouse primary macrophages or liver. These studies indicate a direct role of RARγ/RXR in induction of macrophage ABCA1.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

P.C. and F.L. contributed equally to this study.

We thank R. M. Evans for providing the pCMX expression plasmids for RARα, RARβ, and RARγ, and Pierre Chambon for providing RAR gamma deficient mice. We also thank C. Mendelsohn for helpful discussions.