Background-Plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels have an inverse correlation with incidence of ischemic heart disease as well as other atherosclerosis-related ischemic conditions. However, the molecular mechanism by which HDL prevents ischemic disease is not fully understood. Here, we investigated the effect of HDL on differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells and angiogenesis in murine ischemic hindlimb model. Methods and Results-Intravenous injection of reconstituted HDL (rHDL) significantly augmented blood flow recovery and increased capillary density in the ischemic leg. rHDL increased the number of bone marrow-derived cells incorporated into the newly formed capillaries in ischemic muscle. rHDL induced phosphorylation of Akt in human peripheral mononuclear cells. rHDL (50 to 100 g apolipoprotein A-I/mL) promoted differentiation of peripheral mononuclear cells to endothelial progenitor cells in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of rHDL on endothelial progenitor cells differentiation was abrogated by coadministration of LY294002, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. rHDL failed to promote angiogenesis in endothelial NO-deficient mice. Conclusions-rHDL directly stimulates endothelial progenitor cell differentiation via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway and enhances ischemia-induced angiogenesis. rHDL may be useful in the treatment of patients with ischemic cardiovascular diseases.

SUMMARY Hepatic lipogenesis is nutritionally regulated, i.e., downregulated during fasting and upregulated during the postprandial state, as an adaptation to the nutritional environment. While alterations in the expression level of the transcription factor SREBP-1c are known to be critical for nutritionally-regulated lipogenesis, upstream mechanisms governing Srebf1 gene expression remain unclear. Here we show that the fasting-induced transcription factor KLF15, a key regulator of gluconeogenesis, forms a complex with LXR/RXR, specifically on the Srebf1 promoter. This complex recruits the corepressor RIP140 instead of the coactivator SRC1, resulting in reduced Srebf1 and thus downstream lipogenic enzyme expression during the early and euglycemic period of fasting prior to hypoglycemia and PKA activation. Through this mechanism, KLF15 overexpression specifically ameliorates hypertriglyceridemia without affecting LXR-mediated cholesterol metabolism. These findings reveal a key molecular link between glucose and lipid metabolism with therapeutic implications for the treatment of hyperlipidemia.

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