Go to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Physician-Scientist Development
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • All ...
  • Videos
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Resource and Technical Advances
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Editorials
    • Perspectives
    • Physician-Scientist Development
    • Reviews
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • In-Press Preview
  • Resource and Technical Advances
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Editorials
  • Perspectives
  • Physician-Scientist Development
  • Reviews
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Serum amyloid A–containing HDL binds adipocyte-derived versican and macrophage-derived biglycan, reducing its antiinflammatory properties
Chang Yeop Han, Inkyung Kang, Mohamed Omer, Shari Wang, Tomasz Wietecha, Thomas N. Wight, Alan Chait
Chang Yeop Han, Inkyung Kang, Mohamed Omer, Shari Wang, Tomasz Wietecha, Thomas N. Wight, Alan Chait
View: Text | PDF
Research Article Cell biology Inflammation

Serum amyloid A–containing HDL binds adipocyte-derived versican and macrophage-derived biglycan, reducing its antiinflammatory properties

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

The ability of HDL to inhibit inflammation in adipocytes and adipose tissue is reduced when HDL contains serum amyloid A (SAA) that is trapped by proteoglycans at the adipocyte surface. Because we recently found that the major extracellular matrix proteoglycan produced by hypertrophic adipocytes is versican, whereas activated adipose tissue macrophages produce mainly biglycan, we further investigated the role of proteoglycans in determining the antiinflammatory properties of HDL. The distributions of versican, biglycan, apolipoprotein A1 (the major apolipoprotein of HDL), and SAA were similar in adipose tissue from obese mice and obese human subjects. Colocalization of SAA-enriched HDL with versican and biglycan at the cell surface of adipocyte and peritoneal macrophages, respectively, was blocked by silencing these proteoglycans, which also restored the antiinflammatory property of SAA-enriched HDL despite the presence of SAA. Similar to adipocytes, normal HDL exerted its antiinflammatory function in macrophages by reducing lipid rafts, reactive oxygen species generation, and translocation of Toll-like receptor 4 and NADPH oxidase 2 into lipid rafts, effects that were not observed with SAA-enriched HDL. These findings imply that SAA present in HDL can be trapped by adipocyte-derived versican and macrophage-derived biglycan, thereby blunting HDL’s antiinflammatory properties.

Authors

Chang Yeop Han, Inkyung Kang, Mohamed Omer, Shari Wang, Tomasz Wietecha, Thomas N. Wight, Alan Chait

×

Figure 1

Immunohistochemical staining of versican and biglycan shows a similar distribution with the staining of SAA and APOA1 in the epididymal white adipose tissue from mice fed an HFHS diet and in the omental fat tissue from human obese subjects undergoing gastric bypass surgery.

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
Immunohistochemical staining of versican and biglycan shows a similar di...
(A) Mice were fed a chow or HFHS diet for 16 weeks, after which adipose tissue was obtained and immunostained with the antibodies shown. Tissues were photographed using microscopy (original magnification, ×60). Quantitation of the immunostaining is shown in the lower panel (n = 5–7, mean ± SEM). *P < 0.001 vs. chow. (B) Omental fat was obtained from gastric bypass patients and immunostained with the antibodies shown. Tissues were photographed using microscopy (original magnification, ×60). The pictures of MAC2, CD68, versican, and biglycan staining are from our previous publication (17); APOA1 and SAA staining were performed on adjacent sections.

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN 2379-3708

Sign up for email alerts