Pioglitazone increases apolipoprotein A-I production by directly enhancing PPRE-dependent transcription in HepG2 cells

Pioglitazone, a hypoglycemic agent, has been shown to increase plasma HDL cholesterol, but the mechanism is incompletely understood. We further investigated effects of pioglitazone on transcriptional regulation of apolipoprotein (apo)A-I gene and functional properties of pioglitazone-induced apoA-I-containing particles. Pioglitazone dose-dependently stimulated apoA-I promoter activities in HepG2 cells. A peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-response element located in site A (−214 to −192 bp, upstream of the transcription start site) of the promoter is required for pioglitazone-induced apoA-I gene transcription. Deletion of site A (−214 to −192 bp), B (−169 to −146 bp), or C (−134 to −119 bp), which clusters a number of cis-acting elements for binding of different transcription factors, reduced the basal apoA-I promoter activities, and no additional pioglitazone-sensitive elements were found within this region. Overexpression or knock-down of liver receptor homolog-1, a newly identified nuclear factor with strong stimulatory effect on apoA-I transcription, did not alter pioglitazone-induced apoA-I transcription. Pioglitazone-induced apoA-I transcription is mainly mediated through PPARα but not PPARγ in hepatocytes. Pioglitazone induced production of HDL enriched in its subfraction containing apoA-I without apoA-II, which inhibited monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells in vitro. In conclusion, pioglitazone increases apoA-I production by directly enhancing PPAR-response element-dependent transcription, resulting in generation of apoA-I-containing HDL particles with increased anti-inflammatory property.