Regulation of low density lipoprotein receptor activity in Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with the c-fms gene

Abstract

AbstractChinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were transfected with the human c-fms gene, which encodes the receptor for macrophage colony-stimulating factor, to examine the effects on the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor activity. Degradation of [125I]LDL was significantly reduced in the transfected CHO cells as compared to non-transfected cells when incubated in lipoprotein-deficient serum. Quantitative analysis of LDL receptor mRNA using a competitive PCR method demonstrated that LDL receptor suppression occurred at transcription. These findings suggest that expression of the c-fms gene is involved in the regulation of LDL receptors on macrophages