References
Query Results -- Details
MGI Accession ID: MGI:64642
J Number: J:16573
Other Accession IDs:
Title: Spontaneous hypercholesterolemia and arterial lesions in mice lacking apolipoprotein E.
Authors: Zhang SH; Reddick RL; Piedrahita JA; Maeda N
Journal: Science
Volume: 258
Issue: 5081
Date: 1992 Oct 16
Year: 1992
Pages: 468-71
Review Status: Peer Reviewed
Abstract:
Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a ligand for receptors that clear remnants of chylomicrons and very low density lipoproteins. Lack of apoE is, therefore, expected to cause accumulation in plasma of cholesterol-rich remnants whose prolonged circulation should be atherogenic. ApoE-deficient mice generated by gene targeting were used to test this hypothesis and to make a mouse model for spontaneous atherosclerosis. The mutant mice had five times normal plasma cholesterol, and developed foam cell-rich depositions in their proximal aortas by age 3 months. These spontaneous lesions progressed and caused severe occlusion of the coronary artery ostium by 8 months. The severe yet viable phenotype of the mutants should make them valuable for investigating genetic and environmental factors that modify the atherogenic process.
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