Compositions and methods for increasing cholesterol efflux and raising hdl using atp binding cassette transporter protein abc1

Abstract

The present invention relates to novel ABC1 polypeptides and nucleic acid molecules encoding the same. The invention also relates to recombinant vectors, host cells, and compositions comprising ABC1 polynucleotides, as well as to methods for producing ABC1 polypeptides. The invention also relates to antibodies that bind specifically to ABC1 polypeptides. In addition, the invention relates to methods for increasing cholesterol efflux as well as to methods for increasing ABC1 expression and activity. The present invention further relates to methods for identifying compounds that modulate the expression of ABC1 and methods for detecting the comparative level of ABC1 polypeptides and polynucleotides in a mammalian subject. The present invention also provides kits and compositions suitable for screening compounds to determine the ABC1 expression modulating activity of the compound, as well as kits and compositions suitable to determine whether a compound modulates ABC1-dependent cholesterol efflux.

1 . A kit suitable for screening a compound to determine the ABC1 expression modulating activity of the compound comprising a recombinant reporter construct comprising a reporter cDNA operatively linked to an expression modulating portion of the mammalian ABC1 gene in an amount sufficient for at least one assay and instructions for use. 
     
     
         2 . The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the expression modulating portion of the mammalian ABC1 gene comprises SEQ ID NO: 3. 
     
     
         3 . The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the expression modulating portion of the mammalian ABC1 gene comprises nucleotides 1-1532, 1080-1643, 1181-1643, 1292-1643, 1394-1643, or 1394-1532 of SEQ ID NO: 3. 
     
     
         4 . The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the reporter cDNA is selected from the group consisting of luciferase, -galactosidase, chloramphenicol acetyl transferase, and green fluorescents protein cDNA. 
     
     
         5 . The kit of  claim 2 , wherein the reporter cDNA is a luciferase cDNA. 
     
     
         6 . The kit of  claim 3 , wherein the reporter cDNA is a luciferase cDNA. 
     
     
         7 . The kit of  claim 5 , wherein the recombinant reporter construct is pAPR1. 
     
     
         8 . The kit of  claim 1 , further comprising means for detecting the reporter gene.