Two independent macrophage receptors for acetylated high-density lipoprotein

We previously demonstrated that acetylated human high-density lipoprotein (acetyl-HDL) was recognized by a scavenger receptor of rat sinusoidal liver cells (Murakami, M., Horiuchi, S., Takata, K. and Morino, Y. (1987) J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 101, 729-741). The present study describes the interaction of acetyl-HDL with rat peritoneal macrophages in vitro. Acetylation of HDL enhanced its cell-association by 2-fold and cellular degradation by > 25-fold. The cell-association of [125I]acetyl-HDL was effectively inhibited by unlabeled acetyl-HDL (> 85%), whereas the inhibition by HDL or acetylated human low-density lipoprotein (acetyl-LDL) was partial (60% and 50%, respectively). However, when both HDL and acetyl-LDL were present, the cell-association of [125I]acetyl-HDL was effectively inhibited by > 80%, a level identical or closely similar to that by acetyl-HDL. The cellular degradation of [125I]acetyl-HDL was effectively suppressed by acetyl-LDL whereas the effect of HDL was much weaker. These findings indicate that acetyl-HDL is endocytosed by both the HDL receptor and the scavenger receptor for acetyl-LDL in which the ligands bound to the latter might be subjected to lysosomal degradation.