Heparan sulfate proteoglycans and triglyceride-rich lipoprotein metabolism

Clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein remnants by the liver is a key step in preventing hypertriglyceridemia, an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We review recent genetic evidence that heparan sulfate proteoglycans work in concert with the LDL receptor in the liver to facilitate binding and clearance of both triglyceride and cholesterol-rich lipoproteins from the circulation.

Partial reduction of sulfation of liver heparan sulfate using the Cre-loxP system caused accumulation of hepatic and dietary triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particles due to delayed clearance. Compounding the mutation with LDL receptor deficiency caused enhanced accumulation of both cholesterol and triglyceride-rich particles compared with mice lacking only LDL receptors. These findings provide the first genetic evidence that hepatic heparan sulfate proteoglycans play a central role in the clearance of lipoproteins by the liver and work independently of LDL receptors.

A role for hepatocyte heparan sulfate in lipoprotein metabolism has now been genetically established in mice. Given this finding, mild, but clinically relevant, hyperlipidemias in human patients may be a result of alterations in heparan sulfate structure or possible genetic polymorphisms in the relevant biosynthetic genes.