Objective-We investigated the role of ADP ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) in the assembly of very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs). Methods and Results-The dominant-negative ARF1 mutant, T31N, decreased the assembly of apoB-100 VLDL 1 (Svedberg floatation units [Sf] 60 to 400) by 80%. The decrease coincided with loss of coatamer I (COPI) from the Golgi apparatus and inhibition of anterograde transport, as demonstrated by time-lapse studies of the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. The VLDL 1 assembly was also completely inhibited at 15°C. Thus, the antegrade transport is essential for the assembly of VLDL 1. Intracellular localization of N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase 2 indicated that the Golgi apparatus was at least partly intact when the VLDL assembly was inhibited. Transient transfection with phospholipase D 1 increased the assembly of VLDL 1 and VLDL 2 (Sf 20 to 60). Overexpression of ARF1 in stably transfected McA-RH7777 cells increased the secretion of VLDL 2 but not of VLDL 1, which was dependent on the availability of oleic acid. Secretion of VLDL 1 increased with increasing amounts of oleic acid, and VLDL 2 secretion decreased simultaneously. Conclusions-Overexpression of ARF1 increased the assembly of VLDL 2 but not of VLDL 1, whose production was dependent on both anterograde transport and the availability of fatty acids. Key Words: ADP ribosylation factor 1 Ⅲ apolipoprotein B Ⅲ coatamer 1 Ⅲ intracellular transport Ⅲ very-low-density lipoproteins A polipoprotein B (apoB)-containing very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDLs) are formed in a 2-step process. 1-3 In the first step, apoB forms a partially lipidated particle (a primordial lipoprotein or pre-VLDL) during its cotranslational translocation to the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This step involves the transfer of lipids to apoB catalyzed by the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein. In the absence of lipids or microsomal triglyceride transfer protein, the translocation of apoB is halted, and the protein is retracted through the translocon and degraded by proteasomes. 4 -8 The second step, in which the major amount of triglycerides is added to pre-VLDL, is less well-characterized. This step involves the formation of apoB-free lipid droplets in the smooth ER 9 that associate with apoB-containing pre-VLDL in a compartment that is separate from the rough ER. 9,10 Thus, transport and sorting processes involved in the transfer of proteins out of the rough ER may be important for the assembly of VLDL. Consistent with this possibility, the second step can be inhibited by brefeldin A 11 and is dependent on ADP ribosylation factor 1 (ARF1) and phospholipase D (PLD) activity. 12 ARF1, a member of the Ras superfamily of GTP-binding proteins, participates in the formation of coatamer I (COPI) secretory vesicles, which perform retrograde transport from the Golgi to the ER and within the Golgi stacks. 13 ARF1 and COPI are important for the anterograde transport from the ER to the Golgi apparatus 14 -16 , and ARF1 activates PLD1. [17][18][19] In...