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Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Author Spotlight: A Bicelle Crystallization Setup for ABC Transporter Membrane Proteins to Advance Drug Development
Published on: August 25, 2023
The cholesterol transporter ABCG1 links cholesterol homeostasis and tumour immunity
Duygu Sag1, Caglar Cekic2, Runpei Wu1
1Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
Abstract:
ATP-binding cassette transporter G1 (ABCG1) promotes cholesterol efflux from cells and regulates intracellular cholesterol homeostasis. Here we demonstrate a role of ABCG1 as a mediator of tumour immunity. Abcg1(-/-) mice have dramatically suppressed subcutaneous MB49-bladder carcinoma and B16-melanoma growth and prolonged survival. We show that reduced tumour growth in Abcg1(-/-) mice is myeloid cell intrinsic and is associated with a phenotypic shift of the macrophages from a tumour-promoting M2 to a tumour-fighting M1 within the tumour. Abcg1(-/-) macrophages exhibit an intrinsic bias towards M1 polarization with increased NF-κB activation and direct cytotoxicity for tumour cells in vitro. Overall, our study demonstrates that the absence of ABCG1 inhibits tumour growth through modulation of macrophage function within the tumour, and illustrates a link between cholesterol homeostasis and cancer.
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