Structural determinants of hepatic apolipoprotein B metabolism

Lipoproteins are complexes of protein and dietary fat that are important in the distribution of food energy in the bloodstream. However, when fats are consumed in excess, they can cause the liver to produce even more lipoproteins. If these complexes accumulate in the blood they can cause atherosclerosis, or "hardening", of the blood vessels. My research is trying to understand how the liver controls how much lipoprotein is made in the liver and transported into the blood and how the natural breakdown of the liver carrier protein can affect this control. Many studies have indicated that regulation of the protein portion of the lipoprotein, called apolipoprotein B, may be an important way that the liver can use to regulate lipoprotein output. The fat binding properties of this protein may be important in determining how the liver responds to and complexes with excess dietary fat as well as how the protein is destroyed if fat is not present. We are working to understand the structures in the apolipoprotein B interact with dietary fat and other proteins in the liver, in an effort to devise new ways to minimize the cumulative effects of dietary fat on the blood vessel wall.