Cellular imbalances of cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism result in pathological processes, including atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome. Recent work from our group and others has shown that the intronic microRNAs hsa-miR-33a and hsa-miR-33b are located within the sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 and -1 genes, respectively, and regulate cholesterol homeostasis in concert with their host genes. Here, we show that miR-33a and -b also regulate genes involved in fatty acid metabolism and insulin signaling. miR-33a and -b target key enzymes involved in the regulation of fatty acid oxidation, including carnitine O-octaniltransferase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A, hydroxyacyl-CoAdehydrogenase, Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), and AMP kinase subunit-α. Moreover, miR-33a and -b also target the insulin receptor substrate 2, an essential component of the insulin-signaling pathway in the liver. Overexpression of miR-33a and -b reduces both fatty acid oxidation and insulin signaling in hepatic cell lines, whereas inhibition of endogenous miR-33a and -b increases these two metabolic pathways. Together, these data establish that miR-33a and -b regulate pathways controlling three of the risk factors of metabolic syndrome, namely levels of HDL, triglycerides, and insulin signaling, and suggest that inhibitors of miR-33a and -b may be useful in the treatment of this growing health concern.lipid homeostasis | posttranscriptional regulation | cardiovascular disease

Rationale Foam cell formation due to excessive accumulation of cholesterol by macrophages is a pathological hallmark of atherosclerosis, the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Western societies. Liver X nuclear receptors (LXRs) regulate the expression of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, including ABCA1 and ABCG1. ABCA1 and ABCG1 facilitate the efflux of cholesterol from macrophages and regulate high-density lipoprotein (HDL) biogenesis. Increasing evidence supports the role of microRNA (miRNAs) in regulating cholesterol metabolism through ABC transporters. Objective We aimed to identify novel miRNAs that regulate cholesterol metabolism in macrophages stimulated with LXR agonists. Methods and Results To map the miRNA expression signature of macrophages stimulated with LXR agonists, we performed a miRNA profiling microarray analysis in primary mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated with LXR ligands. We report that LXR ligands increase miR-144 expression in macrophages and mouse livers. Overexpression of miR-144 reduces ABCA1 expression and attenuates cholesterol efflux to ApoA1 in macrophages. Delivery of miR-144 oligonucleotides to mice attenuates ABCA1 expression in the liver, reducing HDL levels. Conversely, silencing of miR-144 in mice increases the expression of ABCA1 and plasma HDL levels. Thus, miR-144 appears to regulate both macrophage cholesterol efflux and HDL biogenesis in the liver. Conclusions 1) miR-144 regulates cholesterol metabolism via suppressing ABCA1 expression; and 2) modulation of miRNAs may represent a potential therapeutical intervention for treating dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic vascular disease.

Objective The ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) is a major regulator of macrophage cholesterol efflux and protects cells from excess intracellular cholesterol accumulation, however the mechanism involved in posttranscriptional regulation of ABCA1 is poorly understood. We previously showed miR-33 was one regulator. Here we investigated the potential contribution of other microRNAs (miRNAs) to post-transcriptionally regulate ABCA1 and macrophage cholesterol efflux. Methods and Results We performed a bioinformatic analaysis for identifying miRNA target prediction sites in ABCA1 gene and an unbiased genome-wide screen to identify miRNAs modulated by cholesterol excess in mouse peritoneal macrophages. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR confirmed that miR-758 is repressed in cholesterol-loaded macrophages. Under physiological conditions, high dietary fat excess in mice repressed mir-758 both in peritoneal macrophages and, to a lesser extent in the liver. In mouse and human cells in vitro, miR-758 repressed the expression of ABCA1 and conversely the inhibition of this miRNA by using anti-miR-758 increased ABCA1 expression. In mouse cells, mir-758 reduced cellular cholesterol efflux to apoA1 and anti-miR-758 increased it. miR-758 directly targets the 3′UTR of Abca1 as assessed by 3′UTR luciferase reporter assays. Interestingly, miR-758 is highly expressed in the brain where also target several genes involved in neurological functions including SLC38A1, NTM, EPHA7 and MYT1L. Conclusion We identified miR-758 as a novel miRNA that post-transcriptionally controls ABCA1 levels in different cells and regulates macrophage cellular cholesterol efflux to apoA1, opening new avenues to increase apoA1 and raise HDL levels.

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