Macrophages, lipoprotein metabolism, and atherosclerosis

The macrophage expresses a variety of genes that may contribute to lipoprotein metabolism and atherosclerotic lesion formation. Bone marrow transplantation experiments using gene-targeted mice, both as donors and recipients, provide a useful approach to examine the contribution of macrophage gene expression to lipoprotein metabolism and atherogenesis in vivo. This article describes recent insights into the role of macrophage expression of apolipoprotein E and the LDL receptor gained from bone marrow transplantation studies in the mouse.