Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

LDL Cholesterol Uptake Assay Using Live Cell Imaging Analysis with Cell Health Monitoring
Published on: November 17, 2018
The role of HMGCR alternative splicing in statin efficacy
Marisa Wong Medina1, Ronald M Krauss
1Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, CA 94609, USA. mwmedina@chori.org
Abstract:
Statins, or 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) inhibitors, are widely prescribed to lower plasma cholesterol levels and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. Despite the well-documented efficacy of statins, there is large interindividual variation in response. Using a panel of immortalized lymphocyte cell lines incubated with simvastatin, we recently found that the magnitude of expression of an alternatively spliced HMGCR transcript lacking exon 13 was inversely correlated with in vivo reductions of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apoB, and triglycerides after statin treatment of the individuals from whom the cells were derived. This review will discuss the potential significance of alternative splicing as a mechanism contributing to variation in statin efficacy as well as the use of immortalized lymphocyte cell lines for identifying pharmacogenetically relevant polymorphisms and molecular mechanisms.
Related Concept Videos
Lipid-Lowering Drugs: Statins and Miscellaneous Agents
Alternative RNA Splicing
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
Alternative RNA Splicing
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
RNA Splicing
RNA Splicing
Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets