RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Expression and regulation of scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) in gall bladder epithelium
JF Gut
JO Gut
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Society of Gastroenterology
SP 1017
OP 1024
DO 10.1136/gut.52.7.1017
VO 52
IS 7
A1 J F Miquel
A1 M Moreno
A1 L Amigo
A1 H Molina
A1 P Mardones
A1 I I Wistuba
A1 A Rigotti
YR 2003
UL http://gut.bmj.com/content/52/7/1017.abstract
AB Background and aims: Biliary lipid absorption by the gall bladder mucosa and the cholesterol content of the gall bladder wall appear to play a role in cholesterol gall stone formation. As the scavenger receptor class B type I (SR- BI) regulates cellular cholesterol uptake, we studied its expression in human and murine gall bladders, its regulation by increased biliary lipid content, and its role in gall stone formation. Methods and results: Using immunohistochemistry, SR-BI was found in the apical domain of human gall bladder epithelial cells. Immunoblotting of isolated membranes from gall bladder epithelial cells showed a specific signal for the 82 kDa SR-BI protein. In C57BL/6 mice, SR-BI was also found in the gall bladder epithelium. Using western blot analysis, an inverse relationship was observed between biliary cholesterol concentration and SR-BI expression in murine gall bladder mucosa. By comparing lithogenic diet fed wild-type and SR-BI deficient mice, gall bladder wall cholesterol content and gall stone formation were not found to be dependent on SR-BI expression. Conclusions: (i) SR-BI is expressed in both human and murine gall bladder epithelium; (ii) biliary cholesterol hypersecretion is associated with decreased gall bladder SR-BI expression in mice; and (iii) murine SR-BI is not essential in controlling gall bladder wall cholesterol content and gall stone formation during diet induced cholelithiasis.