Oxysterol-activated nuclear receptor LXR-alpha and LXR-beta regulate each other's expression in normal renal-derived cells and normal hepatocyte-derived cells

Abstract

In this study, we found that nuclear receptors LXR-alpha and LXR-beta (originally characterized as regulatory factors involved in cholesterol/bile acid homeostasis) regulate each other’s expression in normal renal-derived cells and normal hepatocyte-derived cells. Since LXR-alpha stimulates fatty acid synthesis, an LXR-beta-specific agonist is assumed to be the basis for an anti-arteriosclerotic drug that only stimulates reverse cholesterol transport. However, our findings show that the development of such an anti-arteriosclerotic drug would require further elucidation of the complex mechanism of LXR-alpha and LXR-beta regulation.